The F1 returns for a brand new season of incredibly fast driving and super entertaining races, with Max Verstappen looking to make it three world titles in a row.
Last time out the Dutch driver cruised to his second consecutive title win as he won 15 of 22 races to break records and leave all his rivals in the dust. But those same people will be looking to improve and compete this time around and stop his dominance.
We’ll take a look ahead to the new season and see if we can provide you with some extra cash for the rest of the summer with our best free F1 betting picks.
Learn more about how to bet on Formula 1 here.
| F1 Drivers Championships |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | -140 | -140 | -134 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +350 | +300 | +295 |
| Charles Leclerc | +400 | +500 | +530 |
| George Russell | +1000 | +800 | +770 |
| Carlos Sainz | +2000 | +2500 | +2400 |
Below you’ll find a list of the drivers favored to win the 2023 F1 Drivers Championship.
There is no doubt that Verstappen was the best Formula 1 driver in the world in 2022, and he’ll be looking to carry that into 2023 too.
The Red Bull star has won 15 of the 22 races in 2022 and claimed 16 podium finishes in the last 19 races, showing his true dominance on the track and breaking records for the most wins in a season.
Verstappen found himself miles clear atop the F1 World Drivers’ Championship standings thanks to his unrivalled performances for much of the season and was under very little pressure. He was crowned champion in Japan in the 18th race, but this year there are extra races on the calendar so doing that will surely not be possible.
He will be motivated to prove himself as the best driver on the track once again, but is sure to face stiffer competition in 2023.
He had the best car, will feel he is the best driver, and has shown countless times that he can overcome adversity so it seems like an easy bet. He’s done it before and can do it again, but at odds on it’s not a great value bet in pre-season.
Check out our review for MyBookie sports betting here.
The seven-time world champion had the worst season of his career in 2022, failing to win a single race for the first time in his illustrious career.
Sitting in sixth place of the Driver’s Championship standings was unfamiliar for the Brit, and he finished a whopping 234 points behind eventual champion Verstappen. But he knows how to win races and if Mercedes can get his car right this year he’ll be right back in the mix for a record-breaking eighth title.
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 could be worth a flutter.
At the end of the day it’s very difficult to bet against him when the season hasn’t started yet, and his price hasn’t been this good in a long time.
With Verstappen’s odds so short, backing Hamilton to topple him and make history against his great rival in the process could be the perfect solution and would make a lot of sense.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Last season was incredibly hit and miss for the Ferrari man, as he 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.
That saw him slip and he never regained that momentum, but the early season happenings will give him and Ferrari hope that if they get it right once again they can compete with Red Bull for the whole season instead of for parts of it.
If the 25-year-old performs to the best of his ability and Ferrari picks the right strategy there is no reason he can’t win his first ever world title.
Another start to the 2023 season like he started the 2022 season and he will have every chance of going all the way and winning his first world title, but a lot of things will have to go their way and his in order to overcome the big obstacles that are Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton that currently stand in his way.
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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