oddschecker look at the latest Formula 1 betting odds ahead of the second race of the season, the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
We move on to round two of the 2022 Formula 1 season, as the teams and drivers travel to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This track held its first race just four months ago and on this second visit, several revisions have been made to the track (mainly to improve sightlines).
At turn 27, the final turn of the circuit, the track has been widened and this could mean that lap times are even quicker than last time out.
This could pave the way for the Red Bulls who seemingly had superior speed through the straights of Bahrain last weekend. A street circuit is always a challenge to the drivers but with these new cars placing even more demand on the drivers, it could be an action-packed weekend.
Bahrain GP Recap
Charles Leclerc wins the Bahrain GP!
— oddschecker (@oddschecker) March 20, 2022
Podium Positions:
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
BOTH Red Bulls forced to retire! #BahrainGP
Reliability issues for Red Bull?
Firstly, we’ll dive into some recap from the opening weekend. We had plenty of wheel-to-wheel action between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in Bahrain last weekend, with Verstappen forced to retire just three laps from the finish with a reliability problem.
This opened the door for Carlos Sainz to seal a Ferrari 1-2. The tragedy was not over for Red Bull as they faced more problems with Sergio Perez’s car. He too had a fuel pump issue and consequently spun when put under pressure from Lewis Hamilton on the final lap.
Although they qualified second and fourth, they will be shaking their heads in disbelief that they’ve collected zero points from the opening weekend of the season. They seemed to have around the same pace as the Ferrari cars, but they will want to ensure the reliability issues are dealt with.
The consensus within the Red Bull team is that they are satisfied they have got to the bottom of the fuel pump issue from last week. They are confident that they have put in place a fix to prevent a repeat during this weekend’s Saudi Arabia GP.
The bookies don’t seem to think these issues will hamper Verstappen’s title ambitions with the Dutch driver leading the market as favourite at 2/1.
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Mercedes off the pace
One thing that we did learn from last weekend is that Lewis Hamilton wasn’t lying when he stated that Mercedes were having trouble and were off the pace. This proved to be truthful with Hamilton having to fight constantly to keep pace with Ferrari and Red Bull.
He did an admirable job and got some good luck along the way; however, it will be interesting to see if they continue to stay well off the pace. Hamilton’s teammate George Russell also managed a commendable fourth.
Already at this early stage, it could be fair to say it’ll be tough to challenge for the Driver and Constructor championships for Mercedes. However, given that Hamilton has a wealth of experience behind the wheel it’s interesting to note that he is 4/1 (best price) to win the Drivers’ Championship. At this price, it's surely worth some consideration.
Flying Ferrari
The resurgence of Ferrari could well and truly be upon us. Many diehard F1 fans have waited years for Ferrari to return to the summit of the F1 world.
In recent memory, they haven’t had much to shout about. Season after season they’ve struggled to keep up with the lightning pace set by Mercedes and Red Bull. Could we finally see a Ferrari winner of either the Drivers’ Championship or the Constructors’ Championship?
If you fancy Ferrari to be a strong suitor for a Drivers’ and Constructors’ double, they’re at a best price of 7/2.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Jeddah Corniche Circuit Track Guide
- Length of lap: 6.174km
- Lap record: 1:30.734 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2021)
- Number of laps: 50
- Race Distance: 308.450km
Looking ahead to betting odds for the Saudi Arabian GP, it is no surprise that Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are battling it out at the top of the market. The current favourite is the Dutchman at 18/11 (best price) closely followed by Leclerc at 2/1.
Lewis Hamilton is a longer option at 11/1 although this seems a long-shot given that it would take something miraculous for Hamilton to win this GP. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted post-race that a third and fourth finish for his drivers was an excellent result at Bahrain.
Where are punters placing their bets?
- Charles Leclerc - 30.21%
- Lewis Hamilton – 20.83%
- Max Verstappen – 18.75%
- Carlos Sainz – 11.46%
- George Russell – 8.33%
- Others – 10.42%
