Motorsports Betting News This Month | F1 Heads to Sepang, Market Watch & Race Analysis | October 2026

By Seb Blasco, Updated on: Oct 2, 2026

The biggest betting storylines this month

Formula 1

Azerbaijan GP recap

George Russell converted pole into his third victory of the season in Azerbaijan, surviving a late challenge from Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes driver controlled the opening stages, but two Safety Car periods brought the Red Bulls back into contention and made the closing laps considerably less comfortable.

Verstappen pushed Russell all the way to the line, finishing just 0.196 seconds behind. Isack Hadjar completed the podium, giving Red Bull two cars in the top three. Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, followed by Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.

Lando Norris retired after an incident involving Alpine teammates Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, dealing another blow to the defending champion’s hopes. 

Antonelli now leads the championship with 302 points. Russell has 236, while Hamilton remains third on 199.

The gap is still healthy, but Russell took 15 points out of his teammate’s advantage in Baku. Another difficult Antonelli weekend would make things considerably more interesting. Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship by 160 points over Ferrari.

Red Bull’s recent improvement gives both Mercedes drivers something else to think about. Verstappen is still chasing his first victory of the season, but consecutive second-place finishes suggest he is getting closer.

Bahrain GP in Malaysia preview

Formula One returns to Sepang from October 2 to 4 for the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix.

The race was moved from Bahrain because of tensions in the Middle East, bringing F1 back to Malaysia for the first time since 2017.

Antonelli remains the market leader despite Russell’s Baku victory. The championship leader will be hoping to respond after a weekend that cost him valuable ground.

Sepang’s heat, abrasive surface and changeable weather could make tyre management particularly important. Teams also have limited relevant data for the circuit with this generation of cars.

Verstappen topped opening practice, finishing 0.383 seconds ahead of Russell. Hadjar was third, while Antonelli started his weekend in fifth.

Mercedes remains firmly in contention, but Red Bull’s early pace makes Verstappen worth watching. Further practice running should give a clearer picture of race pace before qualifying.

NASCAR

Larson takes control

Kyle Larson delivered one of the strongest performances of the Chase at Kansas, winning both stages and leading 235 of the race’s 267 laps.

It still took a late recovery to secure the victory. Chase Briscoe moved ahead during the final run, leaving Larson with work to do despite having dominated much of the afternoon.

Larson reclaimed the lead with seven laps remaining as Briscoe’s handling deteriorated, then held off Cindric to take the flag.

Cindric finished second, just 0.565 seconds behind, with Hamlin completing the podium.

Briscoe slipped to fourth, followed by Ryan Blaney. Bell finished sixth, keeping himself close enough to remain a serious championship threat.

Larson collected a maximum 76 points, taking his total to 2,282. Hamlin sits on 2,256 and Bell on 2,232.

Joey Logano is fourth on 2,215, while Blaney’s fifth-place finish moved him to 2,191. The chasing drivers now need to start taking points back from Larson.

Hamlin’s regular-season advantage has disappeared, but a 26-point deficit is manageable. Las Vegas gives him an immediate opportunity to respond.

Las Vegas preview

The Chase reaches its halfway point with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas on October 4.

Larson arrives with two victories and four top-five finishes from the opening four Chase races. That consistency has put him in control, although six races remain.

BetNow opening prices make Larson the +350 favourite, followed by Hamlin at +400 and Bell at +500.

Briscoe is +800, with Tyler Reddick at +900. William Byron and Blaney are both around +1000, while Logano is +1400.

Hamlin won the spring race at Las Vegas, so there is a clear reason to expect a stronger challenge from the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Larson also has a strong recent record at the track, making the leading pair difficult to separate before practice.

Hamlin’s slightly bigger price is tempting, particularly with the championship gap still small.

Bell remains worth watching too. He does not need to dominate every weekend, but he needs to stop Larson extending his advantage. A clean race with strong stage points would keep him firmly involved.

MotoGP

Acosta breaks through in Austria

Pedro Acosta claimed his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory at the Red Bull Ring, beating championship leader Jorge Martín.

The KTM rider recovered from a Sprint crash and moved ahead of Martín on lap nine, before maintaining his advantage through the remainder of the race.

Bezzecchi completed the podium for Aprilia, with Ogura fourth and Márquez fifth.

Martín’s Sprint victory and second place on Sunday took him back to the top of the championship on 306 points.

Márquez sits 12 points behind on 294, while Bezzecchi is third on 264. The Aprilia rider remains involved, but now has a 42-point deficit to recover.

Japan preview

MotoGP returns at Motegi from October 2 to 4, with plenty at stake in both the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

There are 37 points available across the weekend, meaning Martín’s 12-point advantage could disappear quickly.

Márquez starts as the race favourite at approximately +150. Martín and Bezzecchi are both +400, while Acosta is +500 after his Austrian breakthrough.

Ogura is another rider to watch after returning from injury with fourth place in Austria. A home weekend gives him an opportunity to build on that result.

Martín will be hoping another strong Sprint sets up his Sunday challenge. However, his lead is too small to make simply following Márquez a comfortable strategy.

Bezzecchi needs to start closing the gap, while Acosta’s victory adds another potential winner. Márquez deserves attention, but there are enough competitive riders here to make a short price worth questioning.

Futures market check

Formula 1

Antonelli still leads by 66 points, so his position as a strong favourite makes sense. -2000 leaves very little room for error from a betting perspective.

Russell is the more interesting price at +1600. Baku showed he can still take meaningful points out of the lead, although he needs to repeat that over several weekends.

Norris and Hamilton offer bigger returns, but Russell currently has the clearest route to challenging Antonelli. The value question is whether his recent improvement lasts.

• Kimi Antonelli: -2000
• George Russell: +1600
• Lando Norris: +3300
• Lewis Hamilton: +3300
• Charles Leclerc: +20000
• Max Verstappen: +20000

NASCAR

Larson has taken over as favourite after his Kansas victory. Two wins in three races explain the move, but +110 is a considerably less appealing price than he offered before the Chase.

Hamlin looks more interesting at +130. He is only 26 points behind, and Las Vegas offers a chance to regain some momentum.

Bell at +450 provides the bigger return. He remains close enough to benefit if the leading pair hit trouble, although he needs stronger results to make that price worthwhile.

• Kyle Larson: +110
• Denny Hamlin: +130
• Christopher Bell: +450

MotoGP

Márquez remains the favourite despite trailing Martín by 12 points. The market clearly expects the Ducati rider to finish the season strongly.

Martín stands out at +333. He leads the championship and has just delivered a strong Austrian weekend, so the gap between their prices looks substantial.

Bezzecchi’s +1200 is tempting, but he needs to recover 42 points. Acosta’s +6000 offers a much bigger return, although one breakthrough victory does not yet make him the obvious title choice.

• Marc Márquez: -300
• Jorge Martín: +333
• Marco Bezzecchi: +1200
• Pedro Acosta: +6000

Previous betting news updates

• [September 2026]: Russell wins in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
• [August 2026]: Norris wins in the Dutch Grand Prix.
• [August 2026]: Norris wins in the Hungary Grand Prix.
• [June 2026]: Antonelli picks up fourth straight F1 GP victory.
• [May 2026]: Antonelli jumps ahead of Mercedes teammate Russell in F1 title lead.
• [April 2026]: Reddick’s top-5 finish places him in a tie as top Cup Series favorite.
• [March 2026]: Marco Bezzecchi wins in Austin and jumps ahead of Marc Marquez.

Meet the author

Seb Blasco

Seb Blasco has a background spanning journalism, sports betting, and filmmaking. After earning a degree in sports business with a focus on European football, he began his career as a sport betting analyst, working with major broadcasters and sports betting firms. More r...