The F1 returns for race number 17 of the season in Monza, Italy where Max Verstappen looks to make it three consecutive wins on the race track after dominating this race season.
Last time out in the Netherlands it was the home town Dutch driver who took home the win once again after starting on pole position, making it ten wins for the season so far and extending his lead at the top of the Driver’s Championship for 2022.
We’ll take a look ahead to the next race in the homeland of Ferrari, and see if we can provide you with some extra cash for the rest of the summer with our best free F1 betting picks.
| F1 Italian Grand Prix |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | -275 | -275 |
| Charles Leclerc | +600 | +600 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +900 | +900 |
| Sergio Perez | +1200 | +1200 |
| Carlos Sainz | +2500 | +2500 |
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There is no doubt that Verstappen has been the best Formula 1 driver in the world this year. The Red Bull star has won ten of the 15 races in 2022 and claimed 11 podium finishes in the last 12 races, showing his true dominance on the track.
Verstappen finds himself miles clear atop the F1 World Drivers’ Championship standings thanks to his unrivaled performances but will want to continue that dominance with another win here. It would take an absolute implosion for him to not win the title again.
Last season, Verstappen won ten of the 22 races on his way to clinching his maiden title, and he has already matched that total this season. He will look to surpass it this weekend in the home of his rival car.
Verstappen won’t be as popular this weekend as he was last because we’re in Ferrari’s homeland, but his driving ability should be more than enough to see him claim the win. He’s got the best car, is the best driver and has shown countless times that he can overcome adversity and it seems like an easy bet despite the low value. He’s our F1 betting pick for the race.
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In all honesty, it is difficult to predict how Charles Leclerc will fare here because his current season has been so topsy turvy.
If the 24-year-old performs to the best of his ability and Ferrari picks the right strategy, he could certainly take the chequered flag if things fall his way. But if he makes another mistake or the team lets him down once again, he will struggle to compete for P1 and potentially even the podium. The latter seems to be the most likely as it has been the story of the season.
Leclerc won two of the first three races this year, and on top of that, he notched a couple of P2 finishes across the opening five outings. But with two DNFs in the next five, he failed to secure a single podium in any of those races.
The Monegasque won the Austrian Grand Prix in July, but the good times didn’t last long. A fortnight later, Leclerc crashed out of the French GP while leading the race – adding another error to his catalog and gifting Verstappen the win. He could only manage a third place last weekend despite starting in second, as Ferrari added another error to their count.
Having struggled for consistency throughout the season, he will be desperate to close the gap at the top and try to give himself a fighting chance but expect his title aspirations to go down in flames here.
It is no secret that Hamilton made a below-par start to the season. After finishing third in the opening race, the seven-time champion failed to achieve a podium across the next seven races – finishing as low as P13 during that period.
However, Hamilton and Mercedes upped their game before the break. Following three successive third-place finishes in Canada, Britain, and Austria, the Englishman secured back-to-back P2 finishes in France and Hungary.
It’s fair to say that the summer break came at the wrong time for Hamilton and Mercedes. The return race in Belgium saw Hamilton crash out in the first lap, and he could only finish fourth in the Netherlands last week 13 seconds behind Verstappen.
He loves this track, having won here five times in the past but he hasn’t been successful in Italy since 2018. Sitting outside the top five of the Driver’s Championship standings is unfamiliar for the seven-time world champion, but he knows how to win races and if he can get to the front he’ll be confident of staying there.
He does have history against him, with no driver ever winning a race beyond their 300th F1 appearance, but if anyone can topple that statistic, it’s the man who will be in the argument for greatest of all time when his career is done so that it could be worth a flutter.
A thrilling race saw Perez claim the runners-up spot in the United Kingdom Grand Prix and move to second in the standings of the Driver’s championship behind his teammate Verstappen. Since then though, he has fallen off a cliff with his form and now sits in third level with Leclerc.
Perez has managed just two podium finishes in his last seven races, with two DNF’s also in that run, finishing in fifth place at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend holding his qualification place throughout.
He is performing well and driving with his head on a swivel, making all the right decisions at the right times and being rewarded for it currently with sloppy decisions from his team and brilliant driving elsewhere.
Red Bull have a brilliant chance to claim victory in Italy and if you fancy the Spaniard to claim it ahead of his Dutch teammate then the price is excellent, although unlikely.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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