2022 Dutch Grand Prix Odds: Can Anyone Spoil Verstappen’s Home Coming?

Max Verstappen pulled off a historic feat in winning the Belgian Grand Prix despite starting the race at 14th. This made him the first driver in over 60 years to win consecutive races after starting 10th or lower. As an encore, the Dutch Grand Prix Odds predict Verstappen will come home to the Netherlands and defend his title. After what he just pulled off, can anyone even beat him anymore?

2022 Dutch Grand Prix Information

• • Race: Dutch Grand Prix
  • Location: Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, Netherlands
  • Day/Time: Sunday, September 4, 9:00 a.m.
  • Television: ESPN

Verstappen Is on Pace to Make History

Verstappen just made history last week and he is on pace to make even more history. The Red Bull driver has already won nine races this season and with eight more to go, he could just tie or break the single-season record for most races won at 13. If Verstappen maintains his pace, which is a win percentage of 64.2 percent, he will finish the year with 14 wins.

“I don’t think we expected it to be like this,” Verstappen said after winning at “The Spa” on Sunday. “But you know, sometimes it’s nice when things positively surprise you. And yeah, it’s been really enjoyable to drive the car around here this year.

The F1 betting odds already have Verstappen as the near-guaranteed winner this season. His line of -3300 has an implied probability of 97.1 percent. His closest competitors have fallen by the wayside. Charles Leclerc has one podium finish in his last nine races. Carlos Sainz is over a hundred points behind. And teammate, Sergio “Checo” Perez is the beta to Verstappen’s alpha. It seems Verstappen’s biggest rival now is history.

Ferrari is Now Competing With Mercedes for Second

For a good part of the first half of the season, it seemed like Ferrari was going to give Red Bull a real challenge. But it’s clear now that the best Ferrari can hope for is a second-placed finish, which will be their best result in three years. But it’s not that guaranteed yet even if Ferrari is consistently the second-likeliest winner as the Dutch Grand Prix odds have it.

Mercedes has made quite a run lately. Lewis Hamilton crashed out of The Spa and George Russell finished fourth, which snapped the constructor’s six-race streak of having at least one driver on the podium. In fact, Mercedes has gained more points than Ferrari in four of the last six races. Both Hamilton and Russell finished on the podium in France and Hungary. The last time Ferrari achieved this feat was back in Miami, the fifth race of the season.

Mercedes has also been more consistent than Ferrari. Russell and Hamilton have retired just once each and in Russell’s case, he has finished in the top five in all the races he’s finished. And prior to Belgium, Hamilton had a streak of five podium finishes. The constructor now sits just 41 points behind Ferrari despite never having won a race all season.

Zandvoort’s Second Run

It was a storybook result in Zandvoort last year. After not being held for 15 years, Formula One returned to the Dutch circuit, and its native son, Verstappen, won the race. This was the first time a Dutch driver had won the Dutch Grand Prix as Verstappen won the pole position and never looked back. Hamilton finished a good 20+ seconds behind him.

Now, Verstappen is favored per most of the Dutch Grand Prix odds. He’s favored in practice, in qualifying, to run the fastest lap, and to win the race, of course. In fact, at -175, this is the largest of a favorite Verstappen has been this season. Leclerc is a distant second at +7-2 (+350) while Sainz is at 9-1 (+900).

Should Verstappen prove the Dutch GP betting lines accurately, he will be the first driver since James Hunt in 1975 and 1976 to win Zandvoort in consecutive years.