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The 2022 F1 season is getting close and there are plenty of questions that fans are asking. The main one is if the new ride will shake things up at the top of the win list. Like NASCAR, the drivers in F1 will be dealing with a car that has undergone plenty of changes.
That’s not the topic of this article but it is something that needs to be pointed out. The main question is who’s going to win it all in the F1 Series during the 2022 season? According to the odds it looks like oddsmakers believe that the status quo may hold up from last year to this year. If so, get ready to crown Lewis Hamilton as the 2022 champion!
Here’s how the bookies see the top three drivers falling into place by the end of the season. It looks like the odds have last year’s winner, Max Verstappen, falling behind seven-time F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton by the time the season ends at Abu Dhabi in November. Complete odds are listed below.
Lewis Hamilton +125
Max Verstappen +190
George Russell +550
If you’re wondering why Hamilton and Verstappen are holding onto the top of the list heading into the start of the season there’s no better place than to look at last year’s winners. The two drivers teamed up to win 18 of 22 races run last season. The 2021 contest came down to the last race of the season which Verstappen won. It was Verstappen’s first F1 Championship to 7 that Hamilton has captured.
Top Contenders to Win the 2022 F1 Drivers Championship
You have to start with the drivers that dominated last year when it comes to looking at favorites for the 2022 season. But there is one notable exception in the case of George Russell who finished last season 15th in driver points. Here are the top-three favorites and why oddsmakers feel this way.
Lewis Hamilton +125
Lewis Hamilton was one race, actually a few laps, away from winning his 8th Formula 1 championship last season before finishing 2nd in points. Last year he won eight races but he also had a total of 17 podium finishes with 5 poles. After some speculation, Hamiltion finally announced recently that he would be returning to the Series in 2022 and that he would continue to pilot for Mercedes. It looks like Hamilton wants to add another Championship to his F1 resume and his longtime ride (Mercedes) is his best option to complete that task. And oddsmakers seem to agree.
Max Verstappen +190
Max Verstappen and Red Bull took the Championship last season by winning the last race of the year which helped him push to the points lead over Hamilton. Don’t think that was a fluke… as being a “dream” season that can’t be matched. The 24-year-old driver has 20 F1 wins under his belt and has been in the Championship hunt for much of his career in the Series. In seven F1 seasons, he’s finished 6th or better in points six times. His rookie season garnished a 12th place effort but since then he’s finished the year 5th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, and 1st respectively.
George Russell +550
George Russell finished 15th in the standings last season and now he’s one of the favorites to win the 2022 F1 Championship. The question is why? Last season Russell pushed underwhelming cars to respectable finishes for much of the season. In fact, he’s done that in his three seasons in the F1 series. His rookie year was a 20th place effort, followed by an 18th place spot in the standings in 2020, followed by his 15th place effort last year. Now he’s moving to a brand new team and will become a teammate to Lewis Hamilton will full backing under the Mercedes umbrella.
The One Big Outlier for F1 Betting in 2022
What’s the biggest outlier facing wagering, and the drivers in the F1 Series in 2022? I think it will be the changes to the car. In my opinion, this is shaping up to be one of the most even playing fields in years. There has been a huge effort to improve the racing ability of these cars when they are not running 1 st or 2nd.
It seems that in years past, once a car got out front, or two cars, they steadily moved away from the others with little or no fear of being caught by the pack. All of that could be changing in 2022 with the emphasis on ground effects and downforce. The front wings may be a striking difference to some fans when compared to last season’s ride.
Odds to Win the 2022 F1 Drivers Championship
Lewis Hamilton +125
Max Verstappen +190
George Russell +550
Charles Leclerc +1100
Carlos Sainz +2200
Sergio Perez +3300
Fernando Alonso +4000
Lando Norris +4000
Daniel Ricciardo +5000
Esteban Ocon +5000
Pierre Gasly +10000
Sebastian Vettel +12500
Lance Stroll +15000
Valtteri Bottas +20000
Alex Albon +30000
Yuki Tsunoda +30000
Nicholas Latifi +50000
Mick Schumacher +50000
Guanyu Zhou +100000
Nikita Mazepin +100000
Complete 2022 F1 Schedule
March 20 – Bahrain
March 27 – Saudi Arabia
April 10 – Australia
April 24 – Italy
May 8 – USA/Miami Florida
May 22 – Spain
May 29 – Monaco
June 12 – Azerbaijan
June 19 – Canada
July 3 – United Kingdom
July 10 – Austria
July 24 – France
July 31 – Hungary
August 28 – Belgium
September 4 – Netherlands
September 11 – Italy
September 25 – Russia
October 2 – Singapore
October 9 – Japan
October 23 – USA/Austin Texas
October 30 – Mexico
November 13 – Brazil
November 20 – Abu Dhabi
We preview all of the 2022 NASCAR rookies.
