How to Bet on Formula 1

Formula 1 motor racing is a sport that isn’t considered by many to be one closely related to sports betting. Even though it is a niche market, there are many opportunities to make a decent profit if you know what you are doing.

Formula 1

Basically, a Formula 1 season is split into several different races where teams put out two cars, each with a different driver, in the aim of gaining as many points as possible. Points are given to the drivers finishing in the top ten and are accumulated throughout the season, with a drivers championship and constructors’ championship title up for grabs at the end of a season.

A race weekend is split into three days, with practice, qualifying, and the race itself held on a specific day.

• Practice – This is where you can get a feel for how each driver is performing, who is posting the fastest lap times etc. It is usually best to ignore P1, or the first practice session, as this is just usually a run out but race conditions are more closely simulated in P2, the second practice session, and how a car will perform during qualifying will usually be closely represented by their second practice performance.
• Qualifying – This is where drivers compete to set the fastest lap times in order to give them the best starting position on the grid at the start of a race. There are three qualifying sessions, with the slowest cars eliminated after each one until the race for pole position gets serious in Q3, the final qualifying session.
• Race – The race is where all cars, using their advantage gained in qualifying and working to a team strategy that will have been decided throughout the weekend, aim to get to the finish line first. It is also where most betting markets will be available and where people have the best chance of putting their knowledge gained into trying to make a profit.

Betting on Formula 1

Well, as mentioned above, the race is where most betting action will take place. But there are several markets available for punters who want to bet on the outcome of an entire season. As with football or other sports, and where you will bet on who will win a particular league or competition, Formula 1 betting allows you to bet on who will come up trumps come season end.

These markets include:

• Drivers Championship – You bet on which driver will accumulate the most points in a season and top the drivers championship table at the end of the season.
• Constructors’ Championship – Betting on which team will win the constructors’ championship, so which teams drivers will have accumulated the most points combined.
• Driver vs Driver – This is where a person will be able to bet on which driver from a specific team will win the most points during a season. Some bookmakers will allow for two drivers from different teams in this market, but it’s usually restricted to drivers from the same team.

Each race weekend there will also be markets available for qualifying and race, such as:

• Who will win Pole Position – This is a bet usually placed before qualifying starts and is won if you correctly bet on the driver who finishes Q3 in pole position, at the front of the grid.
• Race Winner – This is pretty obvious and means you are betting on the driver you believe will win the race.
• Fastest Lap – This is a betting market which needs a bit of research as it’s not always the winner of the race who will set the fastest lap time. Looking at previous lap times posted at a certain circuit by the drivers involved in a race will help to determine your selection for this market.
• Podium Finish – You are essentially betting on a driver to finish in the first three and get on to the podium.

How to Bet on Formula 1

As with any sport when it comes to betting, you need a strategy to be able to make selections who will give you the best chance of making a profit from your bets.

Race History

The first thing to do is look at the history of the race. Which starting position on the grid has gone on to win the most races, does a particular team perform well or badly at a given circuit, fastest lap times etc. This can give you a head start in your research.

Study Statistics

A common theme when betting on sports, but research must be done and an analytical approach taken before choosing your selections. Statistical information is widely available in Formula 1 so you will be able to see previous lap times, race finishes, etc for each driver at each circuit.

Read Previews

Many Formula 1 race previews will give you an insight into team strategy etc and may give you vital information you had missed during the research stage. Formula 1 previews will be written by someone who is knowledgable about the sport and will have studied several stats before having an opinion on how they think the race will pan out.

Grid Position

After qualifying has been completed, you will see who will start the race where. This can give an indication into who will win the race. Some races are always won by the driver starting in pole position, such as the Spanish Grand Prix or indeed in Monaco where it is difficult to overtake. Using grid position along with your other research can help you make a winning selection.

Weather Conditions

Before placing a bet you should always take note of the weather forecast and use it to your advantage. Some drivers may perform better in certain conditions, and extremely adverse conditions can lead to some shock results.