When Formula 1 chiefs revealed the raft of regulatory changes that were, eventually, introduced ahead of the 2022 season, fans of the sport hoped that they would see each Grand Prix become ultra-competitive again – rather than a procession for whichever of Red Bull or Mercedes was running better that weekend.
In some ways, little has changed. Max Verstappen is dominating the drivers’ standings, and his Red Bull team has motored ahead in the constructors’ league table as well.
Max Verstappen’s drive from P10 to the top step of the podium in Hungary was truly something else 🤯
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 14, 2022
Relive the Dutchman’s epic charge with our latest episode of Inside Story! 🎬#F1 @redbullracing
But here we are, approximately two-thirds of the way through the season, and Lewis Hamilton is yet to win a single race, and Mercedes are languishing in third place in the team battle. Maybe this is a new dawn for F1 after all.
The chief beneficiaries of Mercedes’ regression have been Ferrari, and if they can improve tactically – and find more consistent reliability, given that they have witnessed seven race retirements so far in 2022 – they will surely cling on to second place in the constructors’ championship.
But can their leading man, Charles Leclerc, still haul in Verstappen? At the time of writing, he is 80 points behind the Dutchman with nine races to go, and so mathematically, the man from Monaco can still be crowned champion.
The chances perhaps aren’t as remote as you might think. Formula 1 betting is popular all around the globe, and even in countries like Germany and New Zealand where the F1 roadshow no longer stops by but where wagering is legal. The bookmakers are generally considered an excellent guide as to what will happen in sport, and so those that enjoy gambling online in New Zealand or Germany will note that Verstappen’s odds of -800 to win the title are so short that Leclerc, in direct relation, is a juicy +800 chance.
Even so, it’s the kind of punt you’d want to mitigate your risk with by using a free bet bonus at Kiwi brands like bet365 and LeoVegas, which is easy enough to claim after going through a quick registration process.
Scuderia Confidence Remains High
If you are to have any chance of achieving the unlikely, you need to have full confidence in your own abilities.
And there’s no doubt in the mind of Leclerc that he can still do it. Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, he told reporters that he will ‘believe until the very end’, and although he admitted that he would need to win pretty much every race left this season, he refused to rule that out. “It is a very optimistic goal, but I don’t want to look into it any more negatively than that.”
Tough one today. Not the race we wanted before the holidays but it’s now time to recharge the batteries and come back stronger in a month. pic.twitter.com/zVCncdP3e7
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) July 31, 2022
With the numbers not in Ferrari’s favor, they will need to present Leclerc with a faultless F1-75 for the remainder of the campaign and hope that Red Bull, who have suffered just three race retirements all season long, somehow drop the baton.
One concern for Scuderia fans is that the Monegasque pushes too hard in a bid to maintain his title ambitions and that the subsequent pressure causes him to make mistakes like the one that led to his retirement at the French GP.
Marcus Ericsson, Leclerc’s former teammate at Alfa Romeo Sauber, has spoken of his belief that the 24-year-old is ‘frustrated’ with issues behind the scenes at Ferrari, and his title bid will be ended if the constructor doesn’t find a solution to their reliability issues.
Even if Leclerc is unable to haul in Verstappen, this season has still seen a lot to build upon. The only way from here is up.
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