Let’s begin with the current F1 betting odds. The best online sportsbooks have Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen firmly favored to win the event. We mean, look at the near +500 gap between them and the third-best betting favorite, Carlos Sainz. Here are the odds for all the top contenders:
| Driver |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | +110 | +110 |
| Max Verstappen | +175 | +175 |
| Carlos Sainz | +650 | +650 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +1200 | +1200 |
| Sergio Perez | +1400 | +1400 |
| George Russell | +2800 | +2800 |
| Lando Norris | +8000 | +8000 |
2022 Emilia Romagna Race Preview
No one should be surprised that Leclerc and Verstappen are the drivers to beat in Emilia Romagna — that’s been the story of the 2022 F1 season so far. Leclerc has won two Grand Prix outright (Bahrain and Australia), while Verstappen took the other (Saudi Arabia). However, even in the two races Verstappen failed to win, he was trending toward the top before car issues forced him into DNFs. Therefore, any preview of the 2022 Emilia Romagna race needs to begin with the two.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, Ferrari has decided to NOT make any upgrades to its car. With the European season starting this weekend, tradition says this is the opportune time to update cars — or so we thought. Ferrari said their decision is because the weekend also features the first sprint race of the season on Saturday (which has championship points on the line). Having the sprint race that day means practice and qualification will be crammed into Friday, which Ferrari felt wasn’t enough time for its team to evaluate changes made.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said Verstappen and Sergio Perez will only have “minor” updates as well, not major ones for the same exact reason. Arguably, Red Bull needs car changes much more badly. Three different DNFs this season have cost the team big time. Red Bull has a meager 55 points on the season, which is a distant third in the Constructors’ standings — Ferrari is at 104 and Mercedes is at 65.
As of this publish time, Alpine is the lone team that’s readily announced they’ll be making significant upgrades this weekend. We’d expect more to join the fray despite Ferrari and Red Bull’s initial hesitations, but it remains to be seen. As a bettor, you’ll definitely want to monitor this situation closely and adjust accordingly.
Once again, the Imola Circuit will host the race in Northern Italy. Initially, the event was a fill-in due to COVID cancellations in 2020. But this is year three of the race so it’s an annual staple now. Lewis Hamilton won here in 2020, while Verstappen took the following year.
Leclerc Or Verstappen?
You HAVE to bet one of the two at Emilia Romagna. Yes, have to — which is a word we don’t like to use when giving Formula 1 betting advice, but given their seasonal dominance up to this point, we’re going that far. And when betting, you can only take one given their near-identical betting odds, meaning you can’t “play both sides” and still end up profitable. So if you can only choose one to wager with, who’s the better betting option between Leclerc and Verstappen?
We’re taking Verstappen. If not for car mechanical issues out of his control, he could very well be a three-time winner this season. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be— and now he finds himself in an early-season hole. But with the minor changes Red Bull has planned for Imola, we can only guess (and hope) the upgrades are to help the car’s durability issues.
If Verstappen and Leclerc find themselves in a dogfight for first — which is the expectation — we trust the reigning world champion to outmaneuver him. After all, that’s exactly what he did in Saudi Arabia, the one race Verstappen’s car didn’t fail him. Verstappen is the bet to make here.
Darkhorse Bet To Win Emilia Romagna
Alright, if you’re anything like us, you like a good under-the-radar play every once in a while. While seemingly every bettor is either taking Leclerc or Verstappen, is there anyone else in the grid that could shockingly win? Of course, there is — this is F1 after all. Among the long shots, we like George Russell’s price of +2800 a lot.
Bettors have seemingly written off Mercedes after a mere three races. Whether it’s because of exaggerated claims that Hamilton is “washed” or F1’s budget cap has handcuffed the eight-time reigning Constructors’ champs, everyone has a theory about Mercedes' so-called demise. Welp, we’re not nearly as pessimistic.
Yes, the team has its share of issues, but at the same time, Russell has finished top-5 every time out — P4, P5, and most recently, P3. The guy is second in the driver standings for God’s sake. Russell is no chopped liver and he’s worth a small bet here.
How To Bet On 2022 Emilia Romagna
There's no better place to bet on the 2022 Emilia Romagna than one of the bookmakers listed underneath. Any one of these sites has you covered with all types of F1 bets well beyond the race winner. You can wager on the fastest lap, who finishes on the podium, and even the sprint race on Saturday. To see the full list of F1 bets for Emilia Romagna, check out one of the sites below!
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