After missing out on most of the excitement of the British Grand Prix due to a car mishap, reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen will look to bounce back in the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver has dominated at the Red Bull Ring in recent years, with the Dutchman winning four of the last six races at the track, including both races from last season.
Moreover, Verstappen won the first sprint race of the season in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and will look to pick up another victory when the sprint returns in Austria.
However, he will face some stiff competition this year from team-mate Sergio Perez, who has been in impressive form this season, as well as the Ferrari’s of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who is coming off his first career F1 win, not to mention a resurgent Lewis Hamilton.
Talking Points
Red Bull’s race to lose?
It shouldn’t come as much of a shock that Red Bull have fared quite well on their namesake track. Max Verstappen, in particular, has loved driving at the Red Bull Ring. He has won the Austrian Open in three of the last four years, and also won the Styrian Grand Prix, which was also held last season at the track.
Moreover, the reigning world champion has been in terrific form this season. After two retirements in the first three races, he went on to win six of the next seven races. And he arguably could have added another victory at Silverstone had it not been for damage from debris that derailed his race.
And as dominant as Verstappen has been, don’t discount his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez. The Mexican has been right there with Verstappen with six podium finishes in his last eight races and is capable of producing some Austrian Grand Prix 2022 highlights himself.
With their two drivers in such fine form, it’s no surprise that the Austrian Grand Prix 2022 betting odds are leaning heavily toward another Red Bull victory. So barring another unexpected setback like the one Verstappen had at Silverstone, it will be hard to bet against Red Bull continuing their reign at the Red Bull Ring.
Can Ferrari mount a serious challenge?
However, Ferrari remain a realistic threat to Red Bull. Carlos Sainz picked up his first career F1 win last weekend and has now finished second or better in three of the last four races. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc continues to show he has the pace to compete with Verstappen.
Unfortunately, Ferrari are not doing Leclerc any favours with their faulty strategy. The Scuderia were widely criticised for their decision to leave Leclerc out during the late safety car at the British Grand Prix, which ended up costing him a podium finish and possible victory.
Sainz performed better than Leclerc in both races in Austria last season and will be keen to extend his recent run of finishing above his Ferrari team-mate in four of the last five races.
Can Hamilton continue resurgence?
Lewis Hamilton looks to be out of title contention after a poor start to the season. But the 37-year-old Silver Arrows star is showing signs of life with back-to-back third-place finishes. Hamilton even led his first laps of the season at his home Grand Prix.
Although, it remains to be seen whether Hamilton and Mercedes’ revival can continue at the Red Bull Ring, where they have historically underperformed relative to other tracks. Hamilton only has two win in his career in Austria, which came back in 2016 and in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished second again in the Styrian GP last season, but came in fourth in the Austrian Grand Prix, the fourth time in five years he has finished fourth or lower. He suffered a rare retirement in Austria in 2018, one of his two DNFs in the last five-plus seasons.
History
As mentioned previously, Max Verstappen has been the man to beat at the Red Bull Ring in recent years. He has won three of the last four Austrian Grands Prix, with the exception being in 2020 when he retired due to an electronic issue. And Verstappen also won last year’s Styrian Grand Prix, which was also held at the Red Bull Ring.
Surprisingly, Valtteri Bottas is the active driver with more success in the Austrian Grand Prix. The Finnish driver won the race twice when he was with Mercedes, in 2017 and in 2020.
What are the odds?
After his disappointing seventh-placed finish at Silverstone, SBOTOP odds fancy Verstappen to bounce back in Austria. The Dutch driver is priced at 1.90 to come out on top over the field, with any other driver priced at 1.92 to win.
And in the team-mate battles, Hamilton is slightly favoured at 1.85 to finish ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who suffered an early retirement due to a big crash at his home Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc is an overwhelming 1.45 favourite to top Ferrari team-mate Sainz, who has outperformed Leclerc in four of the last five races.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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