Red Bull, COTA, and Mercedes’ Mr. Consistent: Betting News for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
Red Bull can win the constructors championship this week, but Sergio Perez will need to charge through the field to make it happen. Read on for the news and information that will affect your United States Grand Prix betting picks.
Red Bull, COTA, and Mercedes’ Mr. Consistent: Betting News for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is the first time Red Bull can win the Constructors Championship this season. While they have four races to claim their first double championship since 2013, Red Bull only needs to outscore Ferrari by 19 points to win the Championship this weekend. Teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Alpine keep bringing upgrades to their cars but mainly testing for next year.
You can find prop bets on Red Bull to win the championship at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday Afternoon. Aside from selecting a variety of Red Bull-Verstappen combo wagers, you’ll need the inside line to turn 1 to get an advantage for the weekend. We’ll review the betting news and information you’ll need to make your Formula 1 United States Grand Prix betting picks to most successful.
Circuit of the Americas – Formula 1’s American Home
There is something special for North American fans when Formula 1 is on the American continent. Most North American Formula 1 fan have a strong connection between early Sunday mornings, coffee, and the pinnacle of motorsports. But I love Circuit of the Americas.
I love the sprint up the 11-degree gradient to the blind left hairpin of turn 1. Turns 3-5 are COTA’s tribute to Silverstone’s “Maggots-Becketts-Chapel” fast s-turns, and is a remarkable stretch to watch Formula 1 cars stick to the track through this section. The inverted Istanbul-style four apex turns 17-18, fondly called “the Carousel corner” by IndyCar veteran and guest Formula 1 commentator James Hinchcliffe, challenges drivers to take them flat out and hang on before sharply cutting across the track for turn 19 is among my favorite sections on the calendar to marvel at the capabilities of Formula 1 cars.
One lap around the Circuit of the Americas is 20 turns over 3.426 miles (5.513 km), with the United States Grand Prix completing 56 laps for a total race distance of 191.835 miles (309.728 km). Drivers will be at full throttle for 59% of the lap.
Mercedes Always Downplay Their Chances, Don’t They?
Mercedes may be downplaying their chances at COTA, and for a good reason: the W-13 doesn’t have the straight-line speed of the RB-18 and seems to struggle with speed through the apex of a turn, of which COTA has 20. However, you may want to consider a Mercedes driver to overcome the problems COTA presents for the W-13.
Mercedes’ George Russell should be someone you consider for a top ten (or points) finish or top six finish. Mercedes have brought new wings to test, but these are only for testing. Russell has been unbelievably consistent this season, scoring in the points (top 10) in 16 of 18 Grand Prix in 2022 and in the top 6 in 15 races.
Russell to finish in the top 6 has been a consistent wager that has paid of almost all season long. You can find favorable odds on Russell to be Mr. Consistent, as he has been all year long for Mercedes.
Penalties Affecting Your Betting Picks
As of publication, a few drivers will take grid drop penalties for the United States Grand Prix. The most important to note is Red Bull’s, Sergio Perez. Perez is taking a new power unit component at COTA rather than Mexico City, reviving a five-place grid top penalty.
Perez will be starting from the middle of the pack and has been swallowed up in first-lap chaos before. Perez will work through the midfield and toward the front in the RB-18, but we’ve seen him struggle to do so quickly at times. This always hurts his gap to the leaders, who will sprint off into the distance while Checo fights to the front.
With this penalty, a wager on Perez to with the Grand Prix is something we would avoid. There is plenty of money to be made on Perez finishing in the top 6. The RB-18 has the pace for Checo to cut through the field, and he has a World Championship to help win, but he is not going to Verstappen and Leclerc out front starting further back. Perez to land on 3rd on the podium is a long shot but is a genuine possibility.
Zhou Guanyu is also taking a power unit penalty. Zhou has looked good at times this season but was unlikely to make it out of Q2 in qualifying and will struggle and need the luck to make it into the top 10. Zhou and Alfa Romero should be longer shots than the betting odds suggest.
Formula 1 United States Grand Prix Information
The United States Grand Prix takes place from Formula 1’s American home, Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, on October 23, 2022. It’s lights out, and away we go shortly after 3 P.M. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, and F1TV.
