Formula 1 Betting
Formula 1 is one of the best sports to bet on and one of the easiest to win at, where people who have a good knowledge of the sport can beat the odds, particularly during live betting as the race is being run. Even if you’re not that serious about your betting, a casual flutter can really add to your enjoyment of the race.
Why Bet on Formula 1?
There are a number of reasons why F1 racing is an ideal sport for betting on. Firstly, there are so many markets to play, starting with qualifying and running all the way through to the race on a Sunday, and of course bets which last the full season on markets like the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship.
In-running betting can be particularly profitable in Formula 1 for people who love and understand the sport well. If you’re paying close attention to the race and have a good idea of each team’s pit stop strategy alongside team orders and individual rivalries, it’s very easy to make bets where you have a significant bet over the bookmaker or sportsbook, who will typically only have one or two traders overseeing all of the race markets.
As the season wears on you can gain an even greater edge at formula 1 betting by studying how each team performs on straight tracks vs. tight tracks, on wet race days, in extreme heat etc. There really is no end to the research you do to push your edge when betting on Formula 1, right down to studying the weather radar a few hours before the race. A true Formula one betting expert needs to be part physicist, part engineer, part meteorologist, and part sports psychologist all rolled into one, but if you can master these disciplines, you’ll make a tidy profit in the process.
Most Important Things to Pay Attention To:
- Make sure to be aware of each team’s pit strategy.
- Check the local weather conditions.
- Know the circuit: Is it good for overtaking, is it fast or slow?
What are the Best Formula One Bets?
By far the best way to bet on Formula One is in-running, when the race is on. This is where people with a good knowledge of racing can use their instincts about how the race is unfolding and make a killing. If you use a betting exchange like Betfair, during the race is a great time to trade in and out of small bets, locking up a profit with each one. Be wary of betting right as you see something on television though. If you see a crash, it’s likely to have happened a few seconds previously and the live signal delay means people who are betting at the circuit or who have received the news before you will have an advantage. As a rule, betting immediately in reaction to what you see is a bad idea.
Bets on who will win the Championships aren’t as good, because they tie up your money for the whole year. Of course if you’re using Betfair you can trade in and out of season long bets all the time making them a little more attractive.
Formula 1 Betting Tips for the 2012 Season
As happens most years, there are a number of changes being brought into Formula 1 for the 2012 season, and if you can understand how these changes affect each team and driver quickly, there’s the potential to make a good return on your bets.
The biggest change is the introduction of the new Circuit of the Americas at Austin,Texas in the USA. The circuit seems quite slow, but the wide entrances to corners look like they’ll provide for a lot of passing opportunities.
Other big things to note are the reversion by Williams to Renault engines which should give them a boost, as well as the return of Kimi Raikkonen to the sport, where he partners up with Lotus and is sure to be competing for points much more often than the team were last year.
Technically, the banning of off-throttle blown diffusers will shake things up a little bit. The diffusers caused a lot of controversy last year by blowing exhaust gas over the body of the cars to improve downforce. This should affect most teams equally and its hard to see anyone in particular gaining an edge from this rule.
Overall, it’s hard to look past Sebastian Vettel winning the Championship again but McClaren’s new Renault engine could shake things up, and there’s sure to be a lot of value in the early rounds as betting exchanges and bookmakers decide whether the new engine will make a difference.
