Max Verstappen Odds-On Favourite For 2022 F1 Championship

As the 2022 F1 season goes into the summer break for the month of August, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen holds an 80-point lead in the championship over his closest rival Charles Leclerc. 

After storming through from 10th on the grid in Hungary to take the win, while yet another bungled Ferrari strategy saw Leclerc start third, lead the race, yet ultimately finish in sixth, it seems the championship is one-way traffic for Verstappen and Red Bull this year. 

Likewise in the 2022 F1 Constructor’s Championship, Red Bull are streets ahead, scoring 431 points to date, a staggering 97 points ahead of Ferrari, who are now looking over their shoulders with a resurgent Mercedes a mere 30 points behind them. 

While the legal F1 betting apps rated on Gamble-USA have the reigning World Champion tipped to go back-to-back, could we see a second-half slip-up that opens the door for Leclerc to claim the title? 

Although it seems unlikely, there is some precedent, and it is in the more recent history of F1. 

2010 F1 World Championship: Red Bull Charge

With just two races to go in the 2010 FORMULA 1 World Championship, Fernando Alonso was odds on to deliver another title for the Prancing Horse, as Red Bull’s Mark Webber was 11 points behind, with Vettel 26 in arrears. 

Red Bull made what appeared an odd choice in allowing their drivers to battle it out, rather than having Vettel assist Webber, and Vettel went on to win the second to last race of the season in Brazil to close the gap and set up a grandstand finish in Abu Dhabi. 

At the final race of the season Vettel sprinted ahead early, but the destiny of the title was still in Alonso’s hands. 

The Spaniard pitted early to cover off Webber, however, he was unable to make his way through the traffic, ultimately finishing seventh, leaving Vettel to vault from third to first in the championship. It was the German’s first of four World Championship wins, and he was the youngest driver to be crowned World Champion.

2007 F1 World Championship: Kimi Raikkonen v Lewis Hamilton

In 2007 the now-seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was on pace to become the first ever rookie to win a title in his debut season. 

Hamilton won his fourth race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, and with two races (and a maximum of 20 points) up for grabs, Hamilton’s lead of 17 points looked unassailable – barring a catastrophe. 

And a catastrophe is what happened… 

In the penultimate race of the season in Shanghai, a botched strategy by McLaren saw them leave hamilton out too long on worn intermediate tyres. As the Brit tried to pit, he skidded across the track at the pit entry, into a gravel pit, and out of the race. 

Then, in the final race of the season in Brazil, Hamilton suffered gearbox issues and dropped down to 18th place. 

While he would fight his way back up to seventh, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took the win and with it the most unlikely championship in the history of F1. 

The most dramatic F1 season finale? 

While not the biggest points deficit, perhaps the most dramatic championship comeback was in 1986, when Nigel Mansell lead Alain Prost by 11 points with 18 on offer over the final two races of the season. 

Prost closed the gap slightly in Mexico finishing second while Mansell could only manage fifth, leaving it all to play for in Adelaide… 

In the final race, Mansell only needed to finish in third place to clinch his first ever title. 

After 64 of the 82 laps were raced, Mansell was sitting in third, and was on course to hoist the trophy when his left-rear tyre exploded, sending the Brit into the wall, and his Championship hopes with it. 

Prost avoided the chaos, going on to take the chequered flag and the World Title in arguably the most dramatic finish we’ve seen to an F1 season. 

Who is favoured to win 2022 F1?

While the above examples show that it is possible for a large deficit in the title race to be overcome, the feeling in 2022 is that it is impossible for Max Verstappen to lose from this position. 

His team have overcome their early season reliability issues, Verstappen is confident and in the form of his life, and he is well supported by his teammate Sergio Perez. 

In contrast, Ferrari has been plagued by reliability issues, often snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and when they’re not having reliability issues they’re making strategy blunders that cost their drivers dearly. 

Ferrari may have the fastest car on the grid, but Max Verstappen has the points on the board, and is odds-on to hold his second World Championship trophy aloft in Abu Dhabi in November.