Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has skyrocketed to become the new betting favorite to win the world championship. A week ago, his F1 championship betting odds hovered around +1000. After winning at Bahrain, he’s reduced it to +185 — an 80-percent shortening. Here’s where the lines stand today, not only for Leclerc but other favorites:
| Driver |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | +185 | +185 |
| Max Verstappen | +185 | +185 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +275 | +275 |
| Carlos Sainz | +700 | +700 |
| George Russell | +2000 | +2000 |
| Sergio Perez | +6600 | +6600 |
Leclerc’s gain has come as the disposal of Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion was the odds-on favorite to win it all again just last week with prices in the +125 range. As you can see above, Hamilton’s present-day betting line has more than doubled in the span of a week. Though, Max Verstappen has stayed put week-over-week in between both drivers. What’s to make all of this? Well, you’re about to find out:
Best Bet To Win 2022 F1 World Championship
We’ll be completely upfront and say Leclerc is NOT our bet to win the 2022 F1 championship. Before Bahrain, the 24-year-old had a measly two career wins. Now all of a sudden, we expect him to set the pace for an entire season? That’s a lot of pressure to deal with for Leclerc — pressure he’s never faced before at this level. And heck, his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who placed second in Bahrain, could even steal some first-place points from home as the season wears on. So yes, we're fading the betting favorite.
But if not Sainz, then who? Well, we’re not writing off Hamilton and Mercedes — no way, you just don’t do that to all-time greatness no matter how bad things appear to be. After Bahrain, that appears to be really bad for Mercedes. Technically, Hamilton finished fourth overall, but it wasn’t as smooth as the placement seems on the surface.
At one point in the opening race, a Safety Car allowed Hamilton to inch toward the top. He was also aided by DNFs by Red Bull (more on that soon). So while he officially finished ten seconds behind Leclerc, Hamilton and the Mercedes car struggled big time. The speed just isn’t there right now, which Hamilton has said since pre-testing.
However, our money says Mercedes can correct those car problems for Hamilton and company. They certainly did last year when Red Bull, very clearly, had the faster car earlier in the season. Yes, the budget cap makes things trickier, but Mercedes is the most accomplished racing team for a reason. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and with Hamilton possibly retiring at year’s end, the will as is strong as ever.
We’ll use Hamilton’s shaky Bahrain performance to lock him in at an even better betting price than a week ago. Value is half the battle in betting and getting Hamilton at almost three-to-one odds here is insane given his pedigree.
Best Bet To Win 2022 F1 Constructors’ Championship
Here again, Ferrari has become the betting favorite to win the 2022 F1 Constructors’ title — overtaking Mercedes, an eight-time defending champion in this category. Let’s take a gander at the current betting odds to win:
Despite our optimism for Hamilton, we’re less sure about his Mercedes teammate George Russell. He finished ninth in qualifying at Bahrain but did improve to fourth during the actual race time. But like we said about Leclerc earlier, the inexperience with Russell worries us. His first full season will inevitably come with growing pains, which could end Mercedes’ win streak even if Hamilton wins the world title.
Red Bull’s +195 betting is really tantalizing to us. Bookmakers have also overreacted to its Bahrain performance — when both Verstappen and Sergio Perez suffered a double retirement. Before the two were struck with car issues, they were second and third on the grid with the race on the verge of ending. So long as Red Bull can fix the issue(s) that plagued both cars, the team should be back in top form sooner rather than later. Sure, not getting any points in the opener hurts, but the season is extremely young, hence why we’re betting on Red Bull to “right the ship.”
How To Bet On F1 In 2022?
One race down, 22 more to go. The 23 races is a single-season record for F1. But hey, we’re not complaining! More races just mean more opportunities to bet on F1 in 2022. To do just that, you’ll want to visit one of the bookmakers below. Any one of these bookies has you covered in the F1 bet department with odds for individual races or futures we just covered.
Not only that, but these betting sites also offer big-money sportsbook bonuses to players, whether you’re a first-timer or a returning bettor. These bonuses could score you hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play, which can then be spent as you wish on F1 wagers — or an entirely different sport if you so wish. We’ve detailed the best bonuses available right now in the table below. Hit one of the “play now” buttons to begin the redemption process!
