Formula 1 has quickly grown into a global sporting phenomenon. With it, naturally, the sport has come to great acclaim on the global stage. But with so many eyes on the sport, the stakes of motor racing have gone up, too. Recently, Alfa Romeo partnered with sports betting giants, Stake for the 2023 Formula 1 season. And with this association comes the influx of high-profile celebrities and athletes trying to get a piece of the F1 pie. And if you ever are a betting man, Lewis Hamilton has to be the horse you back.
The Monaco GP was indeed a spectacle. After a scintillating Qualifying battle on Saturday, the race gave us the goods with some late rain action. With changeable and tricky conditions, Max Verstappen powered his way to victory. However, his arch-nemesis, Hamilton didn’t do a shabby job, too. After a massive upgrade package introduced by Mercedes, the 38-year-old drove a solid race to finish fourth. But Hamilton’s impressive drive was $10,000 too costly for a UFC star.
Israel Adesanya loses Lewis Hamilton bet
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Lewis Hamilton has been the man to beat. If there’s anyone who can pull off a masterstroke to win a race in tricky conditions, then it is the 7x champion. UFC talisman, Israel Adesanya was counting on this while he placed a $10,000 bet on Stake.
What’s at @stake for the Grand Prix?!! Had to go with my team Stake drivers for points too. 🏎️💨 pic.twitter.com/3zTe2JiYDG
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) May 27, 2023
Adesanya bet a whopping $10,000 on Hamilton finishing on the podium. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old mixed martial artist, the Brit came oh so close to getting him the cash! In the end, Hamilton finished just outside the podium.
Hamilton wasn’t the only one Adesanya was backing during Sunday’s Grand Prix. How did his other predictions work out?
A day to forget for Israel Adesanya
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In the UFC, Adesanya has made a habit out of winning. But the treacherous seas of Formula 1 haven’t been so kind to the MMA star. Adesanya also put a further $5,000 each on Alfa Romeo drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou to finish inside the top 10.
Alas, the Nigerian lost a total of $20,000 on Sunday as both Bottas and Zhou failed to make it into the points. Bottas finished just outside the top 10 in eleventh. Whereas, Zhou finished in thirteenth.
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Do you think a Lewis Hamilton win is on the cards in 2023?