Steve Starr
- Max Verstappen (+110) is the favorite to win the second Spanish GP of his career.
- Charles Leclerc (+135) hopes car upgrades will keep Ferrari ahead of the pack.
- The 2022 Spanish Grand Prix will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on Sunday, May 22
Sitting just 19 points back of Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings, Max Verstappen is the new betting favorite to win the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. The Dutchman is looking to capture his third-straight checkered flag at the Spanish Grand Prix, but Ferrari is promising updates that could help even the score with Team Red Bull in Barcelona.
Who will conquer the 66-lap, 2.9-mile Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya? Before we check the latest odds on the sixth race on the F1 calendar, here’s where you can find the top betting sites for Formula 1 in 2022.
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
 |  |
|
| Max Verstappen | +110 | +100 |
| Charles Leclerc | +135 | +120 |
| Carlos Sainz | +1200 | +1200 |
| Sergio Perez | +1600 | +1600 |
| George Russell | +2500 | +2500 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2500 | +2500 |
| Lando Norris | +10000 | +10000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +10000 | +10000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +25000 | +25000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +25000 | +25000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +25000 | +25000 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +50000 | +50000 |
| Mick Schumacher | +50000 | +50000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +50000 | +50000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +50000 | +50000 |
| Alex Albon | +100000 | +100000 |
| Guanyu Zhou | +100000 | +100000 |
| Lance Stroll | +100000 | +100000 |
| Sebastian Vettel | +100000 | +100000 |
| Nicholas Latifi | +300000 | +300000 |
Red Bull running out of dollars?
Max Verstappen (+110) became the youngest Formula 1 winner in history when he claimed the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in his Red Bull Racing debut. While he hasn’t won the event since, thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s five-consecutive victories on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the 24-year-old is an obvious favorite on May 22 with his once Mercedes rival in the midst of a miserable season.
The reigning world champion has won three of the year’s five races, but DNFs and reliability issues in the other two have come at a cost. According to new reports, Red Bull has already spent around 75 percent of its allowed budget under new F1 regulations. Not exactly ideal, with 17 events still left on the calendar.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE FIRST EVER MIAMI GP! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/iOd8Trp2SS
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 8, 2022
Ferrari to start spending?
Ferrari has held back on making any major upgrades to this point, but Charles Leclerc (+135) is hopeful the Scuderia will start spending before the Spanish GP. The Monegasque won two of the season’s first three races and could add to his 19-point lead in the standings if Red Bull is forced to slow their spending.
The Circuit de Catalunya provides a nice mix of high- and low-speed corners, and the winding nature of the track’s second and third sectors could give Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz (+1200) an edge over Verstappen and Sergio Perez (+1600).
Mercedes is making major modifications
After winning the last eight Constructors’ Championships, Mercedes’ W13 car has struggled with porpoising problems all year. The German car manufacturer has promised George Russell (+2500) and Lewis Hamilton (+2500) major modifications ahead of the Spanish GP, including ditching the innovative “zero-pod” concept.
However, this could leave them in an even worse position financially than Red Bull. If reports are true, the Silver Arrows will have apparently exhausted their entire development budget by Barcelona.
14 world titles in a single tweet. @TomBrady #IWCMiami pic.twitter.com/s04LjhBqfH
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) May 4, 2022
Best Bet
This looks like a bounce-back spot for Ferrari. Having been thrifty with their spending all season, the Scuderia will have the necessary budget to upgrade their car for the Spanish GP. We like Charles Leclerc (+135) to tie Verstappen with his third race victory of the campaign and pull further ahead in the race for the Drivers Championship.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
