USA F1 Grand Prix 2022: Odds, Preview and Top Storylines – Bleacher Report

The second race in the United States on the 2022 Formula One calendar is also the first since Max Verstappen claimed his second world championship.

Verstappen has been the most dominant driver all season and clinched the drivers’ championship in Japan two weeks ago.

Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez can confirm the Red Bull double by finishing off the constructors’ championship at the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.

Red Bull needs to score 26 points to confirm its team title, but that challenge may be a bit more difficult since Pérez is starting in ninth place after taking a grid penalty.

Ferrari and Mercedes will be lining up to attack Verstappen, who starts in second, from the start of the race.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won pole position in Saturday’s qualifying, and Mercedes took third and fourth on the grid.

The top three teams in the sport are expected to duel for the podium positions, but there could be a few surprises elsewhere in the top 10 based on how qualifying played out in Texas.

Max Verstappen (-215; bet $215 to win $100)

Lewis Hamilton (+475; bet $100 to win $475)

Carlos Sainz (+550)

Sergio Pérez (+1500)

George Russell (+2200)

Charles Leclerc (+2200)

Lando Norris (+30000)

Lance Stroll (+30000)

All Other Drivers (+50000 or +90000)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Red Bull can wrap up its second title of the season by scoring 26 points in Austin, Texas.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez have been the best pair of teammates all season, and it is only a matter of time before Red Bull confirms its constructors’ championship.

A win would also confirm Red Bull’s second title of the 2022 campaign. Verstappen carries the best chance to win in Texas for F1’s top team.

Verstappen is lined up second on the starting grid next to Carlos Sainz, and he could take control of the race from the beginning, as he has on many other circuits in 2022.

Pérez is unlikely to win from his ninth starting spot, but he can still challenge for a podium position. Pérez had the fourth-fastest car in qualifying, but he dropped five spots on the grid following a penalty for taking his fifth internal combustion engine of the season.

If Red Bull can’t clinch the constructors’ championship in Texas, it will surely earn enough points to set up a much easier clinching scenario next week in Mexico.

Mercedes has four more opportunities to earn its first win of the 2022 campaign.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start next to each other on Row 2, and either of them could overtake Verstappen and Sainz on the opening lap.

The Mercedes cars have been well behind Red Bull and Ferrari in some instances. Mercedes has challenged at a few races, but the overall pace has not been there to trouble the top two teams.

Hamilton and Russell are set up in an ideal spot on Sunday because Red Bull and Ferrari are as vulnerable as they can be to start a race. Pérez starts in ninth, and Charles Leclerc has the other Ferrari back in 12th place—he received a 10-place penalty for taking his sixth engine of the season and his sixth turbocharger.

Mercedes could attack Sainz and Verstappen as a duo and move into the first two positions on track in the ideal scenario.

Mercedes may still need some better strategy than Red Bull and Ferrari to finish the deal in an ideal situation, but this is one of the best chances the team has had all season to fight for a win.

A victory would be a welcome sight to anyone inside the Mercedes garage after the team dropped from a championship contender in 2021 to a clear third in 2022.

The grid penalties to Leclerc and Pérez opened up the chance for drivers typically lower on the grid to start in high positions on Sunday.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is fifth, Valtteri Bottas has his Alfa Romeo in seventh and Alex Albon put his Williams in eighth.

Stroll has three points finishes in the last nine races and has finished above 10th place in just one race this season.

Bottas finished outside the points positions in the last nine races. The former Mercedes driver has three retirements during that stretch.

Albon produced a pair of top-10 finishes in the first five races and has one points finish since then.

Each of those three drivers would be ecstatic with a top-10 finish, and that would give them and their teams a massive confidence boost.

McLaren and Alpine have typically slotted into the positions behind Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes, but three of the four cars between those two teams are starting in 14th and beyond.

The best cars on track could still rise to the front of the grid, but we could see the lower-tier teams benefit from strong qualifying runs to finish in the points.

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