Motor racing is not a sport that immediately springs to mind when it comes to betting, but in fact there are plenty of opportunities out there. The major motor sport is Formula1 racing and this is probably the best to focus on since there are lots of available markets, both at bookmakers and on the betting exchanges. There is motor rally sport as well of course, and if you are in the US then NASCAR racing is big, but most of the following relates to Formula1.
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Statistics can be a useful place to start, since, as in tennis there are the top players in the world, so in Formula 1 there are a few drivers who dominate the scene each season.
Aside from betting on individual races there are longer term bets available such as the F1 Drivers Championship which is awarded to the driver with most accumulated points over the whole season comprising twenty Grand Prix races in different places across the world. Points are given at each race with different amounts for each place up to ten places. The winner receives 25 points, 2nd place gets 18, 3rd place 15, and so on down to the 10th place which receives just 1 point. Quite often there are just one or two stand out drivers so bookmakers and betting exchanges usually have a separate market that excludes the two, or maybe three, favourites thus offering better odds on the others. You can also often bet for a driver to be in the top six or top three over the season, again determined by the number of accumulated points.
The race season for Formula 1 starts in March with the Australian Grand Prix and at that point some bettors will judge the drivers performances and place an ante-post, i.e. long term bet on which driver will win the Championship at the end of the year.
There is also a Constructors Championship awarded to the team with most accumulated points by their two drivers. In recent years this has usually been fought out between Ferrari and Mercedes, but some other teams like Red Bull have had some successful races and accumulated a few points.
There are drivers matched bets available where you can put the performance of one driver up against another, say Lewis Hamilton against Sebastian Vettel as an example. The driver with most points over the whole season wins the match up.
Before each Grand Prix race takes place there is the practice and qualifying day, usually the day before. Results of qualifying races determine the positions the drivers will take up on the grid in the big race itself. Consistently fast lap times are advantageous and the best performer gets the pole position for the race. This is of course, the best position right at the front of the grid. So on qualifying day you can also bet on who will be awarded the pole position in the coming race. Most interest, and the most money, centres on the winner of the race of course, and the odds for the favourite can often be less than 2.00 if he is a top driver like Hamilton and has put up a clear best time in qualifying. In addition you can also bet for a chosen driver to come in the first three places and get on to the podium at the end of the race. The first three in the race traditionally stand on a podium after the race and celebrate by spraying each other with champagne! If you prefer a safer bet at lower odds you can simply bet for a driver to come in the top ten at the finish and so get at least one point.
The rules state that all bets are settled with reference to the official classification by the FIA ( Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), which is the overall governing body. In addition bet settlement is at the time of presentation at the podium. Should there be any subsequent change due to disputes or disqualification this is not recognised for betting purposes – the original result stands.
Another bet which some like is the fastest lap during the race. Now sometimes a driver may achieve the fastest lap time at any point during a race even if he fails to actually win the race. This could depend on the relative condition of the tyres of some drivers, or occur when a top driver is held up for some reason. A race can be between 50 t0 70 laps so there is always a possible opportunity for a lesser known driver to snatch the fastest lap without necessarily being consistently fast overall.
There is a wealth of statistical information online to help with Formula 1 betting, including sites such as StatsF1.com, GP-Hub.com, AutoSport.com, and ESPN F1 so it can be worth looking into these before deciding on a bet.
Many punters understandably bet simply on the guy who takes up pole position since he obviously has the best chance of winning bar accidents or mechanical problems. Indeed the statistics indicate that overall the pole position driver wins about 43% of the time in Formula 1 races, but this figure varies from race track to track since some suit some drivers more or less than others depending on the number of fast straights and corners ratio. Also, on some tracks like Monaco it is much more difficult to overtake than others so this can have a marked effect – the guy who gets out in front only has to stay there to win. The weather can also of course affect the race situation significantly with some drivers actually preferring wet conditions to give them an advantage, and some tracks such as Brazil allow overtaking on their long straight stretches even in the wet which would be unthinkable at most others.
Statistics show some interesting variables between race tracks such as the seemingly open situation for the Spanish Grand Prix won by several different teams over a ten year period compared with, for example, the Russian Grand Prix which was dominated by just one team (Mercedes) over that same period. As a bettor on a particular race it is extremely pertinent to view the relative qualifying times of the drivers to see who might be most favoured on a particular track.
As with most areas relating to betting if you know your sport really well you are in a better position to achieve success. In Formula 1 there are certain regulations about the construction of the cars, and also rules about the tyre changes allowed during a race. Knowing about these kinds of factors may give you an advantage over the ordinary punter who simply bets on the driver they like.
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