Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the first practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa on August 27, 2021. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)
2022 Formula 1 Belgian GP Preview
The F1 season returns to Spa in Belgium after a four week summer break and I simply cannot contain my excitement. The second of the ‘big three’ European races after Silverstone, Spa is the longest track on the F1 calendar, at just over seven kilometers long! The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is a fan favorite and with recent rumors that the track may no longer be on the F1 calendar for the next few years, this year’s should be a memorable one. The reason for Spa’s axing is all due to the competitiveness for more tracks to be featured on the calendar and up until this weekend, the management at Spa don’t have an agreement or a deal in place for next year and beyond. Even though the twenty corner track is loved by fans, drivers and teams alike, in the world of Formula 1, money talks! Speaking of which, why not have a look at the top SportsBooks to use for the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix!
Place Your Bets for the Belgian Grand Prix Using Bet365!
Sports Bonus
94/100
Sports Bonus
94/100
Bet $1, Get $200
Free Bet
|
T&Cs apply, 21+
Go to Bet365
Get Bonus
The Title Contenders
There’s no doubt that this race will center around the title contenders, mainly Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, with Serio Perez slowly but surely creeping up behind them at what looks like his best title shot yet. Charles by right should be leading this world championship but due Ferrari and Charles had a relatively poor first half of the season with bad strategy calls and silly driver mistakes. This places Charles eighty points behind current championship leader Max. Red Bull on the other hand had immediately jumped on their reliability issues and just maximized every single weekend. Max, who considers Spa to be his second home race as he is Belgian born, has been absolutely outstanding, making sure he is always ready to make the jump on every race, on every weekend. Whether he’s started p10 in Hungary and won, or just being a ‘leader’ at Red Bull he seems to be much more calmer and in control of his car than any of the other seasons I’ve seen him race in. Ferrari really do need to focus and stop shrugging off their mistakes like they’re nothing if they want their driver in car number sixteen to win the championship. Charles’ championship hopes utterly depend on a highly successful second part of the season, otherwise this is going to be Max’s second consecutive championship. Not sure who’s offering the best outright odds? Compare the best Formula 1 odds in our comparison page!
The Mercs
Mercedes seem to have found their mojo once again for the last few races as the team have had both their drivers reappear on the podium consecutively. It’s without a doubt that the team at Mercedes works like a well oiled, finely tuned machine. Sure they haven’t had the best start of the season and they might have lost out on a mammoth ninth consecutive constructors championship but they have shown us through the first half of the season that they will always maximize with whatever machinery they have. Russel had a great start of the season undoubtedly because he was more used to having a ‘bad’ car, spending his previous years in F1 at backmarker team, Williams. Lewis on the other hand had to adjust his driving style to suit the W18. The Mercedes power unit is probably the best on the grid and with the right aerodynamics and no bouncing, they’re surely going to be somewhere up at the front in Spa. I suspect more poles and that ever alluring win will come for them soon enough, they might even surprise us with an outstanding performance this weekend. Here at The Grueling Truth we’re actually thinking that the Mercs might clinch a second place in the constructors championship!
First deposit only | 21+ & located in VA | Promo code as seen| A qualifying bet is $20 or more | Min odds of +120 or more | Free Bet Tokens credited after bet is settled and expire after 7 days | Free Bet stakes not included in winnings | Please Gamble Responsibly – Gambling Problem? VA: CALL 1-888-532-3500 | Full T&C apply
Other Drivers and the Weather
We might be expecting a wet qualifying session and race this weekend which might put some of us on edge after last year’s shenanigans. The Silver arrows and George Russell go well in the rain and so does Lando Norris, who by the way is the only other driver from any other team other than Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes to have stepped on the podium this season. Lando was shaping up quite a lap last year in the rain before he spun out coming up from the famous Eau Rouge corner, someone to keep an eye on for sure. Other potential drivers fit for a podium this weekend will be Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. Sergio who is currently third in the driver standings is looking to potentially threaten the top two for a chance at a championship. It’s a longshot but it’s the closest he’s ever been in his ten year career in F1. Carlos on the other hand simply wants to ride a wave of success after a mediocre first half of the season, which was due to some mistakes he made as well as due to Ferrari continuously tripping on their own feet. He needs to make a statement and he needs to deliver and help his team clinch the constructors title.
Driver Markets
During this time we start seeing contracts being written up and extended and some potential movement in the drivers market. We can’t not talk about Daniel Ricciardo and his unfortunate announcement that he will be departing the Mclaren team at the end of the season. As of yet, the Australian hasn’t announced that he has a seat for next year with some rumors saying that he will go to Haas for 2023. If this is true, Haas will need to prove to Daniel that they can provide him with a decent package to fight at the front of the team and with a name like Daniel Ricciardo, they better hope that Haas are on top of their Finances if they want to sign the Australian driver. So who’s his replacement? The obvious choice is F3 & F2 champion, Oscar Piastri. The Aussie native broke the F1 driver market earlier this month when Alpine announced that Piastri would replace Alonso who left for Aston Martin. Oscar quickly pointed out that this was not the case and he had not accepted any deals put forward by Alpine quoting ‘’I will not be driving for Alpine in 2023’’…ouch. There’s clearly something going on with Alpine which seems to push drivers away, back when they were still branded as Renault they lost Danny Ric to Mclaren, former team principal Cyril Abetiboul, now Alonso and Piastri however, Ocon seems to be pretty happy with where he is but what French racing team wouldn’t want a French racing driver anyway?
Place Your Bets on The Driver Markets Using These Great SportsBooks!
First deposit only | 21+ & located in VA | Promo code as seen| A qualifying bet is $20 or more | Min odds of +120 or more | Free Bet Tokens credited after bet is settled and expire after 7 days | Free Bet stakes not included in winnings | Please Gamble Responsibly – Gambling Problem? VA: CALL 1-888-532-3500 | Full T&C apply
First deposit only | 21+ & located in VA | Promo code as seen| A qualifying bet is $20 or more | Min odds of +120 or more | Free Bet Tokens credited after bet is settled and expire after 7 days | Free Bet stakes not included in winnings | Please Gamble Responsibly - Gambling Problem? VA: CALL 1-888-532-3500 | Full T&C apply
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.
