The Formula 1 season for 2022 so far has been nothing but exhilarating. The changes that have been introduced to the cars to make them more aerodynamically streamlined for closer racing have really been paying off. In combination with aerodynamics, the use of the Drag Reduction System or DRS for short, has produced some amazing wheel-to-wheel racing battles this season, and the fans are loving it. It is also making for a much more interesting racing season.
Max Verstappen is so far the clear winner with 11 wind and 13 podiums this season, followed by C.Leclerc. But things quickly heat up in the midfield, where the racing is very tight. The top 3 drivers behind Verstappen are only separated by a few points, and at this stage, it’s not clear who will finish second, third or fourth in the championship.
According to TBS, for the next upcoming race in Japan, the clear favourite is still Verstappen. We will take a closer look at the odds later and what can be expected for the upcoming race at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
In the constructor’s championship, however, things are clearer as Redbull is far ahead in the lead, followed by Ferrari and Mercedes.
Other than Max being the favourite for obvious reasons, Charles Leclerc has quickly risen to fame during this season and has crept his way into the hearts of the fans. Since he started in F1, he has had quite an explosive racing career and is highly regarded by Ferrari.
George Russell, that joined Mercedes at the beginning of the season, is also performing extremely well, and one could even say beyond the team’s expectations. Russell is far exceeding the performance of the former world champion and team Lewis Hamilton and comes as somewhat of a surprise.
The upcoming Race – Japan
Round 18 of the F1 Grand Prix season will kick off at the Suzuka international race course in Japan on the 7th of October. It’s a 5.8 Km track, and the race will span over 53 laps in total. The lap record for this track was set in 2019 by Lewis Hamilton. This high-speed race track is an absolute favourite among drivers with its snaking ‘S’ curves and cross-over.
Fans will no doubt want to take advantage of this potentially lucrative race as n betting opportunity. Let’s have a closer look at the betting odds presented by TBS. Max Verstappen is the current championship leader and gets awarded odds of 1.57, followed by Charles Leclerc with odds of 4.8, making these two drivers the ones with the lowest odds.
Things quickly get interesting as we move further down the pack, with Sergio Parez and Lewis Hamilton getting odds of 12 and 14, respectively. Carlos Sainz and George Russel each get odds of 19 and 23. Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso gain fairly high odds with 201 and 251, respectively.
The fans will also be treated to other betting opportunities such as the first driver to retire, who gets awarded the fastest lap, the top three to gain podiums and the top 6 finishes, amongst others.
Looking at the betting odds for the first team to retire, it’s clear that Williams and Alpha Tauri have the lowest odds, with each odds of 7.5. Alpha Romeo and Alpine rank second in the list with odds of 8 and 9, respectively and Mercedes and McLaren give some of the highest odds at 10.5 each.
The weather forecast for the Japanese race on the 8th of October is clear skies with a fair track temperature. However, towards race day on Sunday, there is a 75% chance of risk for rain. This is not to say it will rain, but things can get shaken up very fast if the clouds do decide to pull in.
Should the weather change just before the race, it could shake things up quite a bit. The odds on display could potentially change meaning as the teams may change their strategies last minute and also bring new risks into play that were not present prior to the bad weather. Either way, this will prove to be a very exciting event.
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