Formula 1 betting: Monaco native Charles Leclerc is favored to win his home race
Charles Leclerc could be the first Formula 1 driver from Monaco to win the Monaco Grand Prix in nearly 100 years.
The Ferrari driver is the favorite at +100 at BetMGM ahead of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix (9 a.m. ET, ESPN) after he missed a great opportunity to win the race in 2021. Leclerc won the pole for the race but had a crash in qualifying after his pole lap. Ferrari wanted to fix his car so he could keep his starting position but the fix wasn’t good enough. Leclerc noticed something was amiss before the race and he wasn’t able to start.
If Leclerc wins on Sunday, he’ll be the first Monaco native since Louis Chiron in 1931 to win his home country’s Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen won the race a year ago and is the No. 2 favorite to win at +125. No one else’s odds are even close to Verstappen and Leclerc either. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz is the No. 3 favorite at +1200 while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez are at +1600.
Sunday’s race is going to be dominated by track position like it always is. Qualifying on Saturday for the Monaco Grand Prix is perhaps the most important qualifying session of every season given the lack of passing on the extremely tight track. Barring a pit road or mechanical issue, the drivers that start in the top five usually finish in the top five.
But we don’t watch Monaco for the passing on track. No, Monaco is about the history and the scenery. It’s the most picturesque race of the season and it amazes how these F1 cars can navigate their way around the city streets. The race would be enjoyable even if there wasn’t a single pass throughout the field.
Here are a few of our favorite bets ahead of the race weekend. All odds are from BetMGM.
Carlos Sainz to finish top six (-250)
We’ll start with one that should be pretty easy to cash. Sainz was second a year ago and should be extremely competitive again.
Charles Leclerc to win the pole (-110)
Leclerc has shown pole speed at all types of tracks so far in 2022 and the Ferrari could be more suited for Monaco than any other car type. You’ll notice a theme here this week.
Lance Stroll to finish ahead of Guanyu Zhou (+100)
Stroll has experience at Monaco in an F1 car and this is a bet banking on the upgrades Aston Martin installed on its cars to make them more like Red Bull’s is going to pay off.
Charles Leclerc to win the race (+100)
Verstappen won in Spain a week ago at +100 so we’re going to go with back-to-back even money wins. Leclerc should avenge last year’s heartbreak.
Charles Leclerc to win Free Practice 1 (+120)
Leclerc has been posting fast laps to start a weekend all season long and that shouldn’t change at Monaco on Friday.
