The summer break is over and the drivers are back for the final nine races of the season. Teams will be hard at work to improve their performance and results to help them build a more competitive car for the upcoming season. The driver market is also an interesting topic as we head towards the end of the season, with Alpine, McLaren and Oscar Piastri all occupying headlines. We will be diving into more detail on that and more of what is expected to unfold this coming weekend.
Changes coming to effect.
As you might be aware, this season saw many regulation changes with the aim to improve the spectacle of races, making it bearable for cars to follow each other at high speeds without dirty air. These regulation changes seem to have been mastered from the get go by RedBull and Ferrari as they emerged to be the teams to beat in the opening few races, with Mercedes falling down the pecking order.
As one would imagine, Mercedes has complained to the FIA that both Ferrari and RedBull have found a loophole that goes against the initial set of changes. So let the drama and politics begin.
From Spa onwards, the FIA will now have a metric in place following its investigation into vertical oscillation data, with all 10 teams now required to meet updated parameters relating to plank wear and skid stiffness. These changes aim to eliminate any teams using the flexi-floor loophole, giving a good chance to Mercedes an equal playing field.
During the past few months, the long and tricky circuit of Spa-Francorchamps has been resurfaced and the famous Eau-Rouge and Raidillon have been modified to make it a safer part of the circuit whilst not reducing the challenge. The run-off at the top of the hill, particularly on the inside, has been a major talking point for some time as many accidents occured over the time.
Some slight tweaks have been made to the radius of Eau Rouge itself, but there is now far greater run-off on either side of Raidillon. The barriers have been moved further back, creating lots more run-off for drivers in case they need it. More run-off space was added in various other corners such as La Source.
Pirelli also commented on these changes, saying that these changes are of epic proportions that will surely pose a bigger challenge on the drivers with more gravel traps punishing any mistakes.
Formula 1 Belgium GP: Betting tips
Much like what transpired in the race that never happened at Spa in 2021, we are expecting some more rain, although not as severe as last year. Rain is mainly forecasted to hit the newly resurfaced track on Friday and Saturday’s session, with the race hopefully being a dry one.
Drivers and teams will surely be looking to gather data during the practice sessions on how the car behaves with the circuit changes, and more importantly on the tyre temperatures.
Race Winners
Max Verstappen
The Championship leader is looking like a man on a mission with very few mistakes made, and when that rare mistake happens, Ferrari doesn’t seem to have what it takes to punish that mistake. The Dutch reigning World Champion has a comfortable lead of 80 points over Charles Leclerc with no signs of slowing down. With a long lap incoming, the straight line speed advantage of the RedBulls will be a huge factor in the race. We are pricing Max Verstappen at 9/10 (1.90)
George Russell
The British driver is coming off a great qualifying session in Hungary when he stuck it on pole, which was the first driver this year to do so for Mercedes. Encouraging signs from car performance and also the regulation change that might push them even closer to the front runners might give the Brits of Mercedes a better chance to fight for wins in the closing stages of this season. George Russell is priced at 10/1 (11.00) to win the Belgian GP, where he had his best ever points finish with Williams.
Charles Leclerc
The title push from Leclerc has been filled with disappointing results, some because of reliability and strategy calls which threw away vital points, and he now has to play catch up. We are pricing Charles Leclerc at 3/1 (4.00) to kick things off positively in Belgium, which might spring the title chase back on.
Top 3 finishers
Who will be reaching the top steps this weekend? We are gunning for Lewis Hamilton at 9/11 (1.82) to get onto the podium together with Sergio Perez at 11/8 (2.37). Both drivers are in very fast machinery, and you wouldn’t put it past either of them to gain on each other’s mistakes or misfortunes, especially on that tight first turn.
Constructor Betting
LV BET is offering you the chance to place some hot bets on teams betting:
- Mercedes, to be the winning car, is priced at 3/1 (4.00)
- Ferrari, to be one pole position, is priced at 6/5 (2.20)
- McLaren, to have both cars finish in the points at 8/5 (2.60)
Race times
Practice 1 – Friday, 26th August 2022, 14:00 – 15:00
Practice 2 – Friday, 26th August 2022, 17:00 – 18:00
Practice 3 – Saturday, 27th August 2022, 13:00 – 14:00
Qualifying – Saturday, 27th August 2022, 16:00 – 17:00
Race – Sunday, 28th May 2022, 15:00 – 17:00
Times displayed are track times.
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*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing