2022 Belgian Grand Prix Tips
Max Verstappen won the 2021 Formula One Drivers’ Championship in an exciting fashion last season, although there’s a fairly straightforward look about the 2022 campaign. The young Red Bull driver has a commanding lead at the top of the standings and his victories in France and Hungary look to have slammed the door on Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen has eight victories in thirteen Formula 1 Grand Prix and the bookies are making him a shade of odds-on to claim the chequered flag, with just nine races remaining on the calendar. However, it’s interesting to note that the Dutchman was neither on pole position nor the recorder of the fastest lap in the past two races.
Can Lewis Hamilton Break His Duck in Belgium?
Lewis Hamilton doesn’t have anything to prove at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps considering that he has won no less than seven Formula 1 championships. However, the 37-year-old is desperate to be competitive in the 2022 renewal and there are signs that the Mercedes driver is able to go close in the F1 races.
Having recorded the fastest lap a few weeks ago at Silverstone, the Brit was able to go fastest again in Hungary, with Hamilton having now achieved a runner-up spot in the past two Grand Prix and that came after three consecutive third-placed finishes in the three races leading up to this stage.
It’s no mean feat that the seven-time champ has been on the podium on five consecutive occasions and we can expect a competitive challenge from a driver who can certainly land second spot in the overall standings, with Hamilton’s odds getting shorter on a race by race basis.
Leclerc Off the Formula 1 Pace Despite Austrian Win
Charles Leclerc did appear to be making a fight of things in the 2022 standings a few weeks ago, although a win in Austria was followed by a retirement in France and that was the Monaco driver’s third withdrawal of the season.
Sixth place in Hungary means that the bookies are happy to chalk him up at betting odds of 3/1 and there could be more merit in wagering on Carlos Sainz and George Russell who are showing signs of promise. Sainz won the British Grand Prix and the Ferrari driver has outperformed his team-mate in four of the past five seasons.
Russell is yet to taste victory this season although he has secured two third-placed finishes recently and is definitely in the running to finish runner-up. Pole position in Hungary was his first of the season and he has the capability to go well at bigger odds.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are having a brilliant battle at the top of the 2021 Formula 1 Championship standings, with the rivals only separated by eight points with eleven races left. This could be a title race that goes down to the wire although it’s the former who currently has his nose in front.
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 29 August, with the bookies finding it hard to split the two drivers. However, if you compare the Formula 1 betting odds, then you can find that Verstappen is trading at a best price even money to claim the chequered flag.
2021 Belgian Grand Prix Betting Odds
The Dutchman has landed five victories already this season although a ninth-placed finish in Hungary was a setback which saw the balance swing in favour of Hamilton, with Verstappen now needing a victory to claim top spot back, with the driver having recently claimed a consecutive hat-trick of wins at the French, Styrian and Austrian Grand Prix.
Can Lewis Hamilton Claim a Win in Belgian GP?
Lewis Hamilton is trading at a shade of odds-against, although the 36-year-old has won only one of his past seven races and that is why the bookies are happy to take this driver on. After claiming wins in Spain, Bahrain and Portugal, it looked as though it could be a procession for the 36-year-old although things haven’t turned out as expected.
Even so, Lewis was on pole in Hungary before finishing second and he will hope to achieve the same feat when it comes to the Belgian race, with this then giving him the opportunity to keep his nose in front and stretch clear at the top of the 2021 Formula 1 Championship standings.
Sergio Perez Third Favourite to Win in Belgium
Perez is fifth in the 2021 Formula 1 standings, although the Mexican is regarded as the driver who is third most likely to secure a victory in Belgium, having previously won in Azerbaijan, although he was one of several drivers who retired in Hungary, with Perez having been off the podium in the past four years.
Lando Norris had been Mr Consistent until Hungary where he also retired, with the Brit trading at around the 33/1 mark to win this race, while Valtteri Bottas is another driver who could be capable of getting into the places.
After a brief summer hiatus, Formula 1 returns this weekend at the iconic Spa circuit in Belgium. Lewis Hamilton is sitting pretty at the top of the Drivers Championship standings, but he’s only 19 points ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg, which isn’t a lot in F1 terms these days. Add to that the fact that Hamilton has some engine issues and possible future penalties to contend with, and the race for the title is wide open.
Here we will bring you our predictions for what we think will transpire in Belgium, with our betting tips that we hope will make you a tidy profit from the race. We also have a live betting odds comparison service for all Grands Prix, meaning that you can easily find the best odds for any given betting market, thus maximising your winnings if you pick wisely.
So, let’s take a look at how things have panned out at Spa in recent years. Last year Hamilton entered the Belgian Grand Prix with a 21 point lead over Rosberg in the Drivers Championship, and duly won from pole position to extend that lead further. He finished two seconds ahead of Rosberg to clinch only his second Belgian Grand Prix victory in his glittering career. For Rosberg it was his joint highest finish at Spa having also had to settle for second spot the year before (behind Daniel Ricciardo).
Hamilton’s previous win in Belgium came in 2010, with Sebastian Vettel (twice), Jenson Button, and the aforementioned Ricciardo winning in the intervening years.
This year’s race looks like a straight head to head battle between the two Mercedes men, Hamilton and Rosberg – at least if the betting odds are to be believed. To be honest, we couldn’t have confidence in predicting anything other than a Mercedes victory and backing the pair in a reverse forecast could well pay dividends at fair odds.
Despite Hamilton taking a decent lead in the overall standings, it is the German Rosberg who is priced as the favourite with the bookies, with most firms going odds-on at around 8/11. This might come as a surprise to some, but it should be borne in mind that Hamilton is in something of a precarious situation and has admitted that he is “likely” to incur a grid penalty in Belgium.
The situation stems from Hamilton having used five of the six parts of two elements of the complex hybrid engine, and one more on either of those would mean he faces a 10-place grid penalty. It is possible that Hamilton might take the double penalty in Belgium and thus allow those elements to be re-set for the next race. Although his hinting at such a scenario might just be mind games.
As a result of his engine situation, however, Hamilton has slipped out to very nice betting odds of 9/4 with Bet365, so if you think he’ll avoid the penalties, he could be very good value indeed. For us, though, we think the risk is too great and we’re predicting that it will be Rosberg standing at the top of the podium after the race on Sunday.
Assuming Hamilton does get a penalty (or two), there could be some value in backing one or two of the lesser drivers to land a podium finish. Ricciardo – who won here in 2014 – could be your best bet at 11/13 with Bwin. Alternatively Vettel could offer a bit of value at 6/4 with the same bookie.
If you fancy betting on the first retirement of the race, you could do worse than having a punt on Daniil Kvyat, whose Toro Rosso is far from reliable. Priced at best betting odds of 14s to retire first, we predict this bet could bring home the bacon.
In summary though, Rosberg has to be the man to beat after Hamilton’s hints of penalties stunting his progress towards another Drivers Championship.