When he takes to the track in front of his family and friends at this weekend’s 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, where he is the betting favorite with odds of -105, Charles Leclerc will be attempting to retake the top spot in the Formula One Drivers Standings.
Leclerc was in a position to win the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend in Barcelona, but he was forced to withdraw from the race due to technical issues. As a result, he was cheated out of what appeared to be an almost definite victory.
Because of this, Max Verstappen was able to capture the victory and regain his position at the top of the Standings. But despite the fact that he has won every race he has competed in so far this season and that he is coming back to Monaco as the event’s defending champion, Verstappen is only the +120 second favorite to win this competition.
Here is a look at the various odds and current trends in advance of Sunday’s running of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monte Carlo at 9:00am Eastern Time.
| Driver | Odds to Win | Odds to Finish Top Three | Odds to Finish Top Six | Odds to Finish Top 10 |
| Charles Leclerc | -105 | -300 | -500 | -600 |
| Max Verstappen | +120 | -300 | -450 | -600 |
| Carlos Sainz | +2000 | +120 | -300 | -450 |
| George Russell | +2000 | +200 | -300 | -450 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2000 | +210 | -300 | -450 |
| Sergio Perez | +2500 | +165 | -300 | -450 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +10000 | +475 | +175 | -360 |
| Lando Norris | +20000 | +1000 | +145 | -200 |
| Fernando Alonso | +25000 | +1600 | +275 | -190 |
| Esteban Ocon | +30000 | +2000 | +350 | -175 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +40000 | +2200 | +400 | +100 |
| Mick Schumacher | +50000 | +2800 | +1000 | +245 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +80000 | +13000 | +1400 | +165 |
| Pierre Gasly | +80000 | +4000 | +750 | +125 |
| Sebastian Vettel | +80000 | +20000 | +2200 | +265 |
| Lance Stroll | +80000 | +20000 | +2800 | +330 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +80000 | +1800 | +450 | -140 |
| Guanyu Zhou | +80000 | +13000 | +1400 | +200 |
| Alexander Albon | +80000 | +20000 | +6500 | +350 |
| Nicholas Latifi | +90000 | +40000 | +15000 | +1800 |
Leclerc Trying to Break the Pointless Track Record in His Home Race
The breakout performance of Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari colleague Carlos Sainz Jr. has been the biggest story of the Formula 1 season thus far. Both drivers have been extremely successful when they have been able to complete races, with Sainz finishing on the podium in three of the four races he has competed in and Leclerc claiming three victories and two runner-up places. But whereas Sainz has demonstrated consistent improvement in Monte Carlo, culminating in a second-place finish a year ago, Leclerc has struggled in his home race. Sainz finished second last year.
At the event that took place the year before, the 24-year-old driver was scheduled to begin on the front row of the starting grid, but he was forced to pull out just before the green flag was waved. As a whole, Leclerc’s record at Monte Carlo is now a failure to finish in each of his three previous attempts there in his career. The unexplained power unit failure that halted Leclerc’s day in Barcelona is a factor that is making things more difficult for him, as Ferrari has not provided a comprehensive explanation for what happened.
Leclerc is a worthy -125 favorite to once again finish first in qualifying and grab the pole position for the fifth time this season. This is despite the fact that he has had some problems in the past while competing in his home event. And despite suffering a spin early on in the race in Barcelona, Sainz is still a strong high-value bet at +120 to finish on the podium for the fourth time this season. He was able to overcome this early mishap to earn fourth position in the race.
| Year | Driver | Margin of Victory | Pole Position | Fastest Lap |
| 2021 | Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing | 8.968 sec | Charles Leclerc – Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes |
| 2020 | Race Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes | 2.062 sec | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes | Pierre Gasly – Red Bull Racing |
| 2018 | Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing | 7.336 sec | Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing | Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing |
| 2017 | Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari | 3.1450 sec | Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari | Sergio Perez – Force India |
| 2016 | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes | 7.252 sec | Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes |
| 2015 | Nico Rosberg – Mercedes | 4.486 sec | Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes | Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing |
Is it Possible for Verstappen to Make It Four Wins in a Row?
Max Verstappen’s success in Barcelona over the weekend was due in no small part to his consistent driving, his teammates’ efforts, and his own good fortune. The defending champion appeared to be headed for a second-place finish at best while dealing with mechanical issues that hindered his ability to take use of DRS. However, after taking the lead in the wake of Leclerc’s mishap, the champion was able to take home the title.
Verstappen is now riding high with a three-race win streak and a six-point lead over Leclerc in the Standings. In addition, Verstappen is well positioned to become the first driver in his career to win four consecutive races. Given his previous achievements in Monaco, the 24-year-old is still deserving of consideration as a value bet to take first place. In spite of this, concerns continue to linger over tensions within the Red Bull camp. These concerns stem from the fact that Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was forced by team orders to hand over the lead to the defending champion in Barcelona, despite having better pace and avoiding technical issues. This caused Perez to hand over the lead to the champion despite enjoying better performance.
Perez, who Verstappen dubbed the “Mexican Minister of Defense” for his impressive exploits on the track that directly contributed to Verstappen’s championship victory last season, appeared less than delighted at settling for second place last weekend. Verstappen gave Perez this nickname for his impressive exploits on the track that directly contributed to Verstappen’s championship victory. Is it possible that this will cause “Checo,” who has previously placed in the top four in Monaco on two other occasions, and who is currently a +165 betting favorite to finish on the podium this weekend, to take a more egotistical and risky approach to the race on Sunday? Because of all of these unknown factors, it is difficult to feel excited about supporting the talented 30-year-old athlete this time around.
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