Mexican Grand Prix Predictions, Formula 1 Betting Odds
Perez returns home after putting Red Bull Racing over the top in its bid to claim this season’s F1 Constructors title with a fourth-place finish in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix. A third-place finisher in this race a year, Perez also enters the weekend looking to be come the first Mexican driver to claim the checkered flag in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Buoyed by his strong performance in Austin, and the hero’s welcome that he is expected to receive from hometown fans in Mexico City, Perez has vaulted to a strong +436 second favourite on the F1 odds, trailing only teammate and reigning champion Max Verstappen, who leads the way as short -188 chalk.
Mexican Grand Prix Race Time, Weather Forecast
Lights out at the 2022 United States Grand Prix is scheduled for 4:00pm ET on Sunday afternoon at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The track measures 4.304 kilometres in length, making it one of the shortest laps on the F1 circuit. It also features a long 1.2 km front straight, 17 turns, a pair of lengthy straightaways and a pair of DRS detection zones.
Warm temperatures and mainly sunny skies are expected throughout the weekend at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with the temperature expected to reach into the high 20s Celsius at race time on Sunday afternoon.
Perez, Leclerc Continue the Battle for Second
With the races for both the F1 Drivers Championship and F1 Constructors Championship now settled, there is little left to be decided enter the home stretch of the 2022 Formula 1 season. However, the race for second place and associated bragging rights remains very much up in the air, with just two points separating Perez and Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc. That close battle extends to the Mexican grand prix odds, where Leclerc sits right on Perez’ heels as a +438 bet after racing to a third-place finish last weekend.
Leclerc currently enjoys a career-best run of five straight podium finishes, albeit without a win. Considering his newfound consistency after being plagued by an array of technical problems and human errors that quickly toppled him from his early season perch as the favorite to unseat Verstappen as F1 Champion.
The talented 24-year-old from Monte Carlo’s recent success has also given him momentum in the F1 Drivers Championship betting, where he remain perched as a -250 bet to finish the season ahead of Perez in the Standings despite holding such a small lead at present. As for this weekend, Leclerc has regained the confidence of oddsmakers, who have tagged him as a short -200 bet to extend his podium streak.
Vettel Swan Song Hitting High Notes
Sebastian Vettel has produced some of his best results of the season since the four-time F1 Champion announced that this would be his final season behind the wheel. After finishing out of the points in eight of his first 14 outings of the season, including a pair of retirements, Vettel has rebounded. The 35-year-old veteran demonstrated a steady hand in the rain in both Singapore and Japan, finishing eighth and sixth, respectively. He then followed up with a solid eighth-place finish last week in Austin to extend his stretch of points finishes to a season-high three.
Opportunity exists for Vettel to extend that run in Mexico City, where he has finished no worse than seventh over his past six appearances, and made it to the third round of qualifying last season. Accordingly, Vettel should not be overlooked as a +100 to finish in the points, and a high-value +1000 wager to crack the top six for the third time this season.
Prediction: Sergio Perez podium finish (-139); Charles Leclerc podium finish (-200); Sebastian Vettel top six finish (+1000)