Steve Starr
- Max Verstappen (+125) is the favorite at Baku City Circuit despite never finishing on the podium at the event
- Charles Leclerc (+200) hasn’t won a race since Australia after a series of strategic mistakes by Ferrari
- The 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, June 12
The two-horse race between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc atop the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship Betting Odds is now a three-man sprint with Sergio Perez emerging as a bonafide title threat.
With Team Red Bull indicating they will no longer play favorites between their two drivers, there’s an added level of intrigue heading into eighth F1 race of the campaign. Before we check the odds for this weekend’s 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, here’s where you can find the top betting sites for Formula 1 in 2022.
2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
 |  |
|
| Max Verstappen | +125 | +110 |
| Charles Leclerc | +200 | +175 |
| Sergio Perez | +800 | +600 |
| Carlos Sainz | +1200 | +800 |
| George Russell | +1600 | +2500 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2500 | +3300 |
| Lando Norris | +10000 | +10000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +15000 | +15000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +25000 | +25000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +30000 | +30000 |
Red Bull drama?
Max Verstappen (+125) is the favorite to win the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix after claiming four of the first seven events of the season. The 24-year-old’s three-race winning streak came to an end at the Monaco GP when his teammate Sergio Perez (+800) captured his first victory of the year and third of his career.
Verstappen’s dad Jos criticized Red Bull after the race, saying valuable points were “thrown away” by the team prioritizing the Mexican driver over his son. And to his point, it was a strange reversal of strategy by Red Bull just one week after ordering Perez to let Verstappen pass him for the win at the Spanish GP.
P3️⃣ is all in all a good result for us after a bit of a difficult weekend. So I’m happy with that.
A great strategy by the team gave us the opportunity to get this double podium, congrats everybody on such a good Sunday @redbullracing 👏 pic.twitter.com/eBXsufbkC9
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 29, 2022
In response to the criticism, Red Bull Racing’s team boss Christian Horner said, “At the end of the day, both drivers are team players. They are part of a team. It’s not Sergio Pérez Racing or Max Verstappen Racing, it’s Red Bull Racing.”
Heading into the 51 lap-race on the 3.730-mile Baku City Circuit this weekend, Verstappen has a nine-point lead on Leclerc in the F1 Drivers’ Standings and is only 15 points up on Perez.
Ferrari marred by bad strategy
If Jos Verstappen is angry at Red Bull’s tactics, it’s a good thing his son doesn’t drive for Ferrari. After a power issue stole a sure win from Charles Leclerc (+200) in Barcelona, the Scuderia failed to convert a front row lock-out into victory at the Monaco GP.
Despite claiming three pole positions in a row, Leclerc hasn’t finished atop the podium since his dominant win at the Australian Grand Prix. However, at least there is no drama brewing with teammate Carlos Sainz (+1200), who his coming off a second-place finish in Monte Carlo.
It hurts a lot. That’s it.
Thanks for your continuous support ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WsXZNyoRzN— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) May 29, 2022
Baku City Circuit
Baku’s street circuit has consistently provided some of the most thrilling races of the Formula 1 season with a long flat-out section to Turn 1 that offers an abundance of passing chances. On other circuits, the new F1 regulations have provided drivers with more overtaking opportunities, but since that has never been a challenge at Azerbaijan, F1 fans could be in for a treat this weekend.
Sergio Perez is the defending champion at Baku with three podium finishes, while Verstappen has no podiums and just one top-five at Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Leclerc finished fourth at last year’s event after claiming the pole position. With drama unfolding at Team Red Bull, we’ll take the snake-bitten Ferrari driver to finally claim his third win of the year.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
