Formula 1 betting starts with qualifying, because the fastest qualifier wins most races: in 2026, the driver ESPN lists first in qualifying won nine of the first 14 Grands Prix. The main bets are the race winner, a podium or points finish, head-to-head matchups between two drivers, and the season-long championships.
The 2026 season has 22 cars from 11 teams. Kimi Antonelli led the drivers’ standings with 292 points after 14 races, ahead of George Russell on 211, and Mercedes led the constructors with 503, in ESPN’s standings read on September 24, 2026.
How the 2026 season has gone
ESPN’s calendar lists 24 Grands Prix for 2026, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races marked as canceled. Fourteen had been run by September 24, and they went to five different winners.
| Driver | Wins in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Kimi Antonelli | 8 |
| George Russell | 2 |
| Lando Norris | 2 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 |
Antonelli’s eight wins came in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Italy and Spain. The season ends at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which ESPN lists for December 4 to 6, 2026.
Why qualifying matters
The fastest qualifier converted nine times in 14 races. The five exceptions show where a race bet can differ from a qualifying bet: in Canada, at Barcelona, at Silverstone, at Monza and in Spain, the winner was not the fastest qualifier.
Silverstone is the example to remember. Antonelli was fastest in qualifying, and Leclerc won the race, with Russell second and Hamilton third. At Monaco and Spa, Antonelli won from the top of the qualifying order.
The main Formula 1 bets
The race winner is the headline market. Read each price as a chance: a driver at +150 is priced at 40%, and one at +800 at 11.1%. Those two prices are illustrations; ESPN lists no F1 futures for the 2026 or 2027 seasons and carries no race odds.
Podium, top 6 and top 10 bets pay if the driver finishes in that group, and they pay less than a win bet on the same driver. Hamilton won once in 14 races but finished in the top three five times, in China, Canada, Monaco, Barcelona and Silverstone. That is the gap between a win bet and a podium bet on one driver.
Head-to-head bets ask which of two drivers finishes ahead. A head-to-head between teammates takes the car out of the question: Antonelli had 292 points and Russell 211 in the same Mercedes.
How Formula 1 bets are settled
These are FanDuel’s rules, approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on March 27, 2025:
- The result: bets are settled on the official FIA classification at the podium. A later disqualification does not change them.
- Timing: the race must be run within 72 hours of its scheduled start.
- Sprint weekends: Grand Prix markets are settled on the main race, and sprint wins do not count toward season win totals unless the market says so.
- Head-to-head: both drivers must start. A driver has to complete 90% of the race laps to be classified, and one who is not is ranked by laps completed.
- Qualifying matchups: the faster time in the last session both drivers took part in wins, and later grid penalties are ignored.
- Safety car markets: a virtual safety car does not count.
- Championships: settled after the podium of the final race, on the FIA’s points.
The penalty rule separates two bets on one driver. A driver who is fastest in qualifying and then drops back for a grid penalty still wins a qualifying bet, and starts the race further back.
Futures and when to bet them
A championship bet is a futures bet, and a price is worth taking only when you rate the driver’s chance higher than the price does. A driver at -360 is priced at 78.3%, and one at +1200 at 7.7%, so a short price on a points leader needs a stronger case than the table alone.
With 292 points against 211 and nine race weekends left on ESPN’s calendar after Spain, the gap at the top is 81 points. Our handicapper site reviews rate the services that sell picks, and the best handicappers sell them in a membership.