The final race of what has been a long, and at times exciting formula 1 season. The season will be remembered for the domination of Max Verstappen, however, there has been some great racing, and at least for the opening half of the season, a genuine championship fight. Sadly, with Verstappen’s dominance down the stretch, the fight for both Championships was over long ago, but here we are. We predicted a Mercedes win last time out in Brazil, and we were right, we just picked the wrong Mercedes driver, with George Russell claiming his maiden Formula 1 victory. It was a week of what ifs for our selections, with Lando Norris retiring with a top 6 spot up for grabs, and Lewis Hamilton surely a chance at victory without his early collision with Verstappen. Let’s see if we can find value for the last time this season.
2022 Formula 1 Betting Tips
Brazilian Grand Prix Review
George Russell had the perfect weekend, qualifying 3rd for the sprint race, before winning to claim 1st place on the grid for the race proper. He got away well, which proved critical, as all the contenders behind tripped over themselves in the opening laps.
It was Daniel Ricciardo who started the carnage, colliding with surprise Pole sitter for the sprint race Kevin Magnusson, taking them both out of the race and forcing a safety car. On the restart, Hamilton and Verstappen collided, sending them both tumbling down the order, and forcing Verstappen to pit. 3 corners later and Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc collided, sending Leclerc into the barriers. Somehow, they both continued, and this was one of the most exciting starts to a race all season.
The race settled down, with Hamilton making his way through the pack quickly, and after 45 laps Hamilton was up to 2nd. There was plenty of overtaking throughout, with several drivers on different strategies, however the Mercedes pair appeared to have the best race pace throughout, eventually finishing 1-2, followed by Sainz in 3rd.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview
Have Mercedes turned the corner? Have Red Bull and Ferrari pulled the plug on this season? Or did the Brazilian Grand Prix just suit the Mercedes, and Abu Dhabi will bring back the status quo? Questions that need to be answered, given the prices on offer this week for the Mercedes pair, who currently sit 2nd (Hamilton) and 3rd (Russell) favourites to win the final Grand Prix of the season.
Over the past 10 or so races, Max Verstappen has been in the $1.50-$1.70 range to win races. It’s made it exceedingly difficult to find value, given how likely Max was to win each race. After one poor showing from Red Bull and Verstappen, the markets have reacted, and in my opinion, too far. Verstappen is still favoured to win in Abu Dhabi, but his price has been inflated, and I must see this as value.
Max has dominated this season. Max dominated the past two races at this circuit. Max is at plus money to win the race. There’s only one bet to make for race winner, and it’s Max Verstappen.
Further down the field, I like Seb Vettel to have a competitive race, his last in Formula 1. I also like Yuki Tsunoda to score some points this weekend. Last season, Tsunoda had the best race of his career, coming home 4th after a tremendous weekend which saw him qualify 8th and racing in the top 10 throughout.
The final race of the season awaits, hopefully we get some carnage and entertainment. It’s been great fun putting together these previews all season long, and we look forward to bringing you all the build up to season 2023 and more race previews for every single race, at Before You Bet.
More Bets:
Sebastian Vettel (Top 6) - $8 @ Betfair (0.5u)
Sebastian Vettel (Top 10) - $1.95 @ NEDS (1.5u)
Yuki Tsunoda (Top 10) - $4.50 @ NEDS (1u)
Max Verstappen (Race Winner)
$2.40 (3 Units)
