The Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20th will mark the beginning of the 2022 Formula 1 season. This date is right around the corner, so if you are looking to place future bets, it’s critical to lock them in as soon as possible.
As we move closer to race weekend, prices will worsen in the Formula 1 betting markets. In F1, there are two markets that you should examine heading into the season. The first is the Constructor’s Championship, which is given to the best team in the sport. The second is the Drivers’ Championship, awarded to the best racer.
The landscape of Formula 1 is changing, and this is important to understand before placing a bet. There are new rules in place this season to make races closer because, in past years, the top teams have dominated.
In Formula 1, money wins races because of the technological advances that can be made to cars. There is a problem when Team Haas, who finished in last place in 2021, cannot score a single point.
The new rules should allow races to be tighter and make the top teams have greater competition. Another important thing to note from 2021 is that Lewis Hamilton was knocked off the top of the podium by Max Verstappen.
Verstappen may have trouble regaining the top spot because of Red Bull’s engine situation, but he proved that Hamilton could be taken down. Verstappen was the first non-Mercedes driver since 2013 to win the Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton had won all of those Mercedes championships except 2016 when his teammate Nico Rosberg claimed the top position. Mercedes may not have won a Drivers’ Championship in 2021, but they continued their dominance in the Constructors’ category.
The team has won every Constructors’ Championship since 2014, and this does not look like it will change.
Constructors’ Championship
Mercedes is the obvious choice to win the Constructors’ Championship, but the price is a major issue in the future markets. When betting on future markets, you want to find value.
Mercedes’ price is -170, which means you must risk $170 to win $100. However, it’s worth putting serious cash on Mercedes because they have the best driver in the world in Lewis Hamilton and an excellent secondary driver in George Russell.
Red Bull finished second in the Constructors’ Championship by 28 points, and they are +350 to win in 2022. I would fade Red Bull because they lost Honda as its engine manufacturer.
Honda walked away from Formula 1 as a company to pursue the overall mission of creating energy-efficient cars. Red Bull will use a Honda-modeled engine, but the team lost a lot of support.
Honda was pivotal in Red Bull climbing the Formula 1 ranks, which could be detrimental without the engine manufacturer. This makes Ferrari a great secondary bet to Mercedes because the team’s cars looked phenomenal in testing.
You can get Ferrari for +430, so a $100 wager would win $430. The only issue is Ferrari needs to improve by 300 points to catch Mercedes. The -170 price for Mercedes may not be the best, but considering the team wins, it’s a decent deal.
Drivers’ Championship
The Drivers’ Championship is a tougher bet than the Constructors’ title. You can get Lewis Hamilton for positive odds at +125, which is a tremendous value. The best driver in the world will have negative odds in the future market once the season starts, so keep this in mind.
Verstappen’s price is +270, and he should be a force again in the sport. Although, the team’s engine uncertainty is a concern to place big money on the reigning champ.
Two bets with a lot of value are the Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. They are listed at +650 and +750, respectively. The way the Ferrari cars have looked, it’s better to invest in these two rather than Verstappen.
The smartest bet is Hamilton with positive odds. This is too good of a deal for the seven-time World Champion.
