2022 Canadian Grand Prix Predictions, Formula 1 Odds
Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez have emerged as a dominating force this season. With Verstappen’s win last weekend in Azerbaijan, Red Bull has now claimed the checkered flag in five straight races, with the duo of Verstappen and “Checo” finishing 1-2 on three occasions over that stretch, including last weekend in Baku. Now trailing his teammate by just 29 points in the standing, Checo arrives in Montreal sporting attractive +410 odds. Red Bull’s chief rival Charles Leclerc aims to overcome his recent woeful stretch as a shortening +279 bet.
Canadian Grand Prix Race Time, Weather Forecast
Formula 1 action returns to Montreal for the first time since 2019 with Sunday afternoon’s running of the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix at 2:00pm ET at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Measuring 4.361 kilometres in length, the track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve features two long straights beyond turns 12 and 13.
Rain remains in the forecast during qualifying on Saturday. However, skies are expected to clear up on Sunday, with the forecast at race time calling for mostly sunning conditions, with temperatures in the low 20s Celsius.
Formula 1 travels to Canada this weekend for the ninth round of the 2022 season.
Max Verstappen extended lead of 21 points over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez following his victory in Baku last weekend. What will happen in Montreal?@TimHauraney gives us his podium finish. #F1 pic.twitter.com/uneoBUkwG6
— Sports Interaction (@SIASport) June 17, 2022
Ferrari Struggling to Keep Pace with Red Bull
After claiming the checkered flag in two of the first three races of the season, it looked like Charles Leclerc would present the biggest threat to Max ’s bid to repeat as F1 champion. However, things have not gone as planned for Leclerc in particular, and Ferrari in general. While Leclerc has finished tops in qualifying in six of eight races this season, and is a deserving -161 favorite to do it again in Montreal, things have gone from bad to worse on race day for both Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
Both Ferrari drivers saw their day cut short by technical problems last weekend in Baku, and have combined to produce five total DNFs over the past six races. While there have been reports indicating that the Italian automaker is set to make upgrades ahead of this weekend’s race, the team philosophy is clearly favoring speed over reliability, making both Leclerc and Sainz risky bets at any price.
Mercedes Continue Search for First Win of the Season
And while Lewis Hamilton returns to Montreal as defending champion and seven-time winner at this event, both and he and teammate George Russell sit well off the pace on the Canadian Grand Prix odds, at +2800 and +2400, respectively. Mercedes have yet to claim a race victory so far this season, and Hamilton has badly struggled, failing to reach the podium since opening the season with a third-place run in Bahrain.
Russell has been far more impressive in his Mercedes debut. Indeed, the 24-year-old Englishman has been a model of consistency as the only driver to crack the top five in all eight races to date. And considering Ferrari’s recent struggles to finish, Russell offers intriguing value as a +300 bet to claim his fourth podium of the season. However, given the lengthy straightaways in Montreal, and Mercedes’ inability to keep pace with Red Bull or Ferrari, wagering on a Silver Arrows victory is a bridge too far.
Prediction: George Russell podium finish (+300); Max Verstappen fastest lap and win race (+150)