French Grand Prix F1: Betting Tips, Race Prediction and Latest Odds

Formula 1 returns to France this weekend as Ferrari bid to carry recent momentum with them at Circuit Paul Ricard.

In the three races since their double retirement in Baku in June, the Prancing Horses have two race wins and a close second between them. In Austria they had looked well on course for a first one-two since the opening weekend before Carlos Sainz’s engine decided to call it a day about 15 laps from home.

The recent Ferrari uptick will certainly have caught the attention of the Red Bull garage, with Max Verstappen’s title lead reduced to 38 points, while the threat of Mercedes joining the party at the front grows more genuine by the week as they continue to make gains.

French Grand Prix betting tips from Squawka Bet

Race prediction: Ferrari resurgent, Mercedes closing the gap

Just as it looks like Ferrari have booted their reliability issues into the long grass, one of their engines goes pop. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have suffered two mechanical failures each this season, with the latter denied what looked a certain second place in Austria last time out.

But it was the strength of the Ferrari on the other side of the garage that will give Mattia Binotto hope going into the French Grand Prix this weekend. Leclerc passed title rival Max Verstappen three times on track to take a dominant victory at the Red Bull Ring, though he was forced to nurse his Ferrari home as he managed a late throttle issue.

That win was Ferrari’s second on the spin, with Sainz winning at Silverstone two weeks after he had pushed Verstappen all the way to the flag in Montreal. Though the straight-line speed of the Red Bull will theoretically give them the edge at the fast-paced Circuit Paul Ricard, the same was said ahead of Leclerc’s dominant win in Spielberg — a traditional stronghold for Red Bull.

If the engines don’t buckle under the heat of the white hot midsummer sun and Leclerc can capitalise on Ferrari’s recent momentum, the opportunity is there to take another chunk out of Verstappen’s title lead.

Meanwhile, the circuit should suit Mercedes in much the same way Silverstone did earlier this month. Their difficulties this season have been well documented, but Circuit Paul Ricard perhaps presents them with their best chance to join the squabble at the front on merit.

If they can put their Austrian qualifying woes behind them and park themselves high enough up the grid, the W13 should be racy enough to compete. And while the Le Castellet heat might scupper some races on Sunday, Mercedes can be confident their cars will make it to the flag. Lewis Hamilton is the only driver on the grid who has finished every race so far this season.

French Grand Prix latest odds

You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing (11:30, 21/07/2022). GambleAware.

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