Max Verstappen Predicted to Win Big at Extreme Interlagos
The penultimate round of the 2022 Formula One season takes place at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil this weekend. An iconic track, the 82-year-old venue has been the scene of countless special F1 moments. They include Lewis Hamilton’s spectacular performance in last year’s Saturday Sprint and Sunday’s full race.
Lewis Hamilton, who won the 2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, was awarded honorary Brazilian citizenship earlier this week. ©JiriKrenek/MercedesF1
The Brit – a three-time winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix – was made an honorary Brazilian citizen earlier this week. He will be keen to improve his record on Sunday and, in finishing second in the last two races in Texas and Mexico, his chance would normally be described as ‘strong’.
However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has already tempered fans’ enthusiasm. Earlier this week he declared: “On paper, it shouldn’t [the Interlagos track] be quite as strong a circuit for us as Mexico. But regardless, we want to keep up our momentum from recent races. So, we will keep working hard to hopefully be in the mix once again.”
Extreme Forces Will Be at Work
Interlagos is a track of two extremes. The first and third sectors require a low-drag car for the long straights. But the middle sector is twisty, requiring high downforce. The second DRS (drag reduction system) zone means the focus is typically on higher downforce for the ultimate fastest lap.
A flowing circuit with numerous combined corner entries – where drivers are cornering and braking simultaneously – means good stability is important. Ultimately teams need to strike a fine balance to get the best race pace from their cars.
With a long straight – there is a 1.2-kilometer stretch of driving at full throttle between the exit of Turn-12 and the braking zone for Turn-1 – Interlagos is one of the best tracks of the season for overtaking. However, it can be difficult for the defending car to manage its battery, as there are few major braking zones to recover energy.
Interestingly, track temperatures can reach some of the hottest of the season in Brazil. 27 degrees is predicted for Sunday’s race. Thunderstorms are common at this time of year and they have the potential to spice up the weekend.
Will Max Be Best by a Wide Margin?
Nevertheless, Max Verstappen is an odds-on favorite with every Formula 1 betting site to win both Saturday’s sprint – which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s contest – and the centerpiece race itself.
The Dutch driver is on a three-race winning streak. He has won eight of his last nine starts and 14 times this season. Driving a superior car and at a circuit that will play to its strengths, the current world champion is unopposable. 4/9 could be described as a ‘value price’ but it will be unattractive to most armchair punters.
What does appeal is the 5/4 offered by the best sports betting sites about a 10 seconds-plus winning margin. When Max wins, he wins big! He took the French, Spanish, Azerbaijan, Belgian, Japanese and Mexican races by over 10 seconds.
This contest regularly produces a wide-margin winner too. Last year Lewis Hamilton streaked home more than 20 seconds clear of his rivals. All factors considered, online betting sites appear to have made some miscalculations, and, at the price, the proposition appears a sound bet.
Brazilian Grand Prix Schedule and TV Times
The first free practice session begins at 3.30 pm UK time on Friday. It is followed by qualifying for the sprint race at 7.00 pm. There is more practice beginning at 3.30 pm on Saturday. The sprint race starts four hours later.
The race begins at 6.00 pm on Sunday. It will be broadcast on Sky Sports’ dedicated F1 channel – as will all elements of the weekend’s action – live. Channel 4 will air sprint race highlights on Saturday at 11.10 pm. Its race highlights show will be broadcast on Sunday at 10.55 pm.
