Formula 1 has been a rather predictable sport when it comes to betting on the race result, given the waves of dominance often enjoyed by one, or if you’re lucky, two teams.
We’ve had dominant eras from Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Renault, a brief period of BrawnGP dominance with Jenson Button which was the followed up by four seasons of Sebastian Vettel mania at Red Bull.
Then came one of the most dominant eras in the sport. Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. Eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships for the Anglo-German squad is a record. Six of those saw Hamilton crowned and one went to Nico Rosberg.
Max Verstappen then came along and, under controversial circumstances, spoiled Mercedes’ party by snatching the crown quite literally from Hamilton’s head, on the final lap of the final race of the 2021 season.
But Mercedes were still on top in the teams championship, something not even Red Bull could bring to an end with their mighty RB16B.
Betting in F1 therefore is not quite like frenzy that happens pre- and in-season in other sports, such as football, where sits like footballwhispers.com provide helpful betting tips.
Football throws up anomalous results quite frequently as the minnow overcomes the mighty. Although this happens in motorsport, it’s certainly not uncommon and can more often than not rely on a technical failure for a frontrunner, which doesn’t happen in other sports which solely rely on human power.
Could 2022 be different?
Yet we sit on the verge of a new dawn in F1. 2022 presents an almost entirely new formula with new cars, a stricter budget cap and an expanded calendar.
The aim of the new rules is to level the playing field, to give those at the back a chance to lift themselves to the podium, perhaps even the top step of it.
All this combined much just bring the unpredictability many fans crave and the opportunity to enjoy better odds on certain outcomes, which in the past have been predictable and unworthy of a punt.
We all enjoyed the Pierre Gasly win at Monza in 2020, how about Daniel Ricciardo at the same venue last year and Esteban Ocon in Hungary? There’s no denying randomness adds to the intrigue, to the drama and to the entertainment.
This year might just bring more of that, or perhaps it’ll be more of the same as history has repeatedly told us. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to follow the season as it unfolds, starting with testing in February.
