At its heart, F1 betting is like placing wagers on any other major sport, with people just having to accurately predict what is going to happen over the course of a race weekend.
Of course, one of the great things about F1 is it is particularly unpredictable, which makes it a big challenge when it comes to betting. After all, it only takes a driver to make a small mistake when taking a corner at high speeds to have an accident and be ruled out of the rest of the race.
Various different F1 betting markets are available these days and we will cover them in detail later. But there is a lot more to F1 betting than just the race on a Sunday. Pre-race and in-play betting is available, so those tuning into the action can have a bet to make it even more exciting.
Ante-post F1 betting is also widely available during the off-season. Those who follow the sport particularly closely will be able to bet on who will win the next World Championship before the first race even takes place, which can result in much better value odds being available.
As well as ante-post betting on the driver who will top the standings at the end of the season, it is also possible to bet on which of the constructors will amass the most points over the year too.
Various race prop bets, such as if the safety car will make an appearance, are also offered, while some of the other popular markets include whether or not a driver places in the points.
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Formula 1 is a sport that is definitely on the rise, with more UK sports fans placing wagers on the outcome of races as a result of the increasing popularity of the planet's premier motorsport.
While the dominance of Red Bull's outstanding driver Max Verstappen seems unlikely to come to an end any time soon, betting on Formula 1 still provides plenty of opportunities to profit.
With the season getting longer all the time and there being more action than ever before thanks to the rise in sprint races taking place too, there are more Formula 1 bets to place as well.
From the best Formula 1 odds to Formula 1 betting promotions, our full guide covers absolutely everything that racing fans need to know about betting on their favourite sport.
While some F1 betting sites cover the basics and little more, Bet365 provides a massive range of depth, just as it does with most of the other popular sports around. Formula One fans can read up on the latest Formula One updates in the Bet365 news section, with in-depth guides and even Formula One betting tips available for readers to brush up on ahead of the weekend.
When it comes to Formula One betting markets, Bet365 has everything motorsport fans could want. It is possible to bet on the outcome of practice sessions at the start of race weekend, as well as the sprint races that have been introduced into the calendar over the past few years.
Bet365 also has Formula One betting markets such as the number of times a safety car will need to be brought out in a race, along with a massive range of choice for finishing positions. Fans can also bet on both cars from a certain team finishing a race, whether a specific driver will have to retire on the first lap, or who will make the final pit stop during a grand prix race.
The options are almost overwhelming, but it is the Formula One bet builder tool where Bet365 truly thrives. Working in the same way as a football bet builder, there is outstanding flexibility so motorsport lovers can create their own wagers for the next race, often with excellent odds too.
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A British bookie with a long and proud history, William Hill is an excellent choice for betting on Formula One. Motorsport lovers can request their own wagers through the #YourOdds facility at William Hill, which also has some of the best Formula One betting odds in the business as well.
William Hill's F1 betting markets include a range of specials for each race weekend, such as enhanced odds that will boost prices to be even more appealing. Flash odds, which WH says are in-the-moment price boosts, are also offered on Formula One.
A fastest qualifier/race winner double is among one of the most intriguing betting markets on offer in the strong William Hill F1 section. Naturally, the ante-post options include a market for the F1 Constructors' Championship winner, as well as the driver's champion. NASCAR is among the other motorsports covered.
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Formula One fans who want to be rewarded for their loyalty to a betting site will be pleased with the offer from Betway. Up to £10 in Formula One free bets can be earned every week here.
Sponsors of Premier League side West Ham, Betway has a focus on football as a result but Formula One is definitely another strength of the betting site. Betway's F1 markets include #betyourway requests that have been made by customers, as well as a variety of specials.
Action continues all race weekend at Betway, which provides markets for the practice and qualifying sessions that take place in advance of the Grand Prix itself. Season match bets offer a more long-term view.
Betway customers are able to bet on which driver or constructor will pick up the most points from a range of potential combinations, for example Williams v Sauber. However, Formula 1 betting tips, news and predictions used to be provided by the Betway Insider blog, but for the 2024 season these appear to have been cut, which is a bit of a shame.
Pros
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One of the oldest betting brands in the world, Ladbrokes has a lot of loyal customers in the UK. Many of them will be F1 fans drawn to some of the highest Formula One betting odds around, along with a strong range of motorsport markets to pick from all through a busy race weekend.
Race specials such as the winning margin and how many cars will finish the GP are provided. Ladbrokes occasionally covers Formula One on its news, blogs and tips site but the level of content for the sport is lacking when compared to heavy hitters like football and horse racing.
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Although F1 does not feature in the list of top sports to bet on at Betfred, there is a surprising level of depth in the markets for motorsport fans to dig into at this British betting brand.
Outright winner and podium finishes are some of the basic Betfred markets for Formula One lovers, with markets for sprint races, qualifying and even practice sessions available to pick from as well.
Betfred has a solid mobile betting app that can be downloaded for Android or iOS, making it one of the best options for those who would like to bet on live Formula One races while on the move.
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Spreadex Sports is an increasingly popular name in the UK's online betting world, with the site's mix of fixed odds and spread betting markets ensuring it has something different from the norm. Keep in mind losses with spread betting can be substantial, so this is not for the faint-hearted.
Spreadex - which used to be the shirt sponsor for Burnley - has more than 20 markets for sprint races and regular GPs. This is not as many as some of the other top Formula One betting sites, meaning some of the more niche options found elsewhere are unfortunately missing here, but the site still provides enough depth for motorsport lovers to check out.
Indeed, its Formula One betting odds are often better than those provided by more traditional companies in the sector.
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Another long-established British betting site, the high-value sports odds at BetVictor are just one reason why Formula One fans should consider signing up for a new account with the bookie.
One of the biggest welcome bonuses in the business awaits, with up to £40 in free bets - some of which can be used on Formula One - available to new customers joining BetVictor right now.
BetVictor's live in-play offering is one of the best around for Formula One fans, with a wealth of information at customers' fingertips to help them decide what to bet on. Cash out is also possible on BetVictor's live Formula One bets, which can allow users to lock in some profit.
Anyone who is feeling fortunate can have a go on the BetVictor lucky dip function at race weekend. For the next GP when we checked it out, options included 15/1 on the race winner with the dominant Max Verstappen excluded, or a whopping 325/1 on a straight forecast.
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Part of the same betting empire as Ladbrokes these days, the Formula One markets and options available at sister site Coral are unsurprisingly pretty similar. Coral's F1 markets run for practice and qualifying sessions as well as the GP event, while sprint races are covered too.
Coral's strengths include its long history and the fact its mobile betting app - offered for both iOS and Android - is up there with the best betting apps in the UK right now. But the lack of F1 content on the Coral news and blog section is a shame, with horse racing the main focus.
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With a reputed 12 million customers around the world, Unibet has grown into one of the planet's largest online sports betting sites, even though it does not have a huge public profile in the UK.
Unibet's customers get access to an impressive sportsbook with plenty of Formula One markets offered, with options to browse for the practice sessions and qualifying ahead of GP events.
There are some specials for most of the drivers on the F1 grid to check out as well as season bets, while fans of F2 will be happy to see that the races are available to bet on at Unibet as well, which is not the case at many rivals.
Some occasional technical issues can be experienced with the Unibet desktop site, but the mobile betting apps from the company tend to run fairly smoothly on both Android and iOS.
Pros
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Formula One fans who prefer to bet on mobile devices should certainly consider Kwiff, which has a unique selling point compared to a lot of the other top sports betting sites in the UK.
Every time a user places a bet with Kwiff, they have the chance to get the price supercharged in a process that the site calls being 'Kwiffed'. It is not unheard of for massive changes in the potential profit up for grabs from a wager being created as a result of Kwiff's odds boosts.
Built for mobile, Kwiff's sports betting apps provide an excellent live in-play experience, with the interface during Formula One races simple to use and, more importantly, rapid to load up. But the list of Formula One markets to pick from at Kwiff is not as long as can be found elsewhere.
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Our experts assess a wide array of criteria when reviewing and ranking the top Formula 1 betting sites we recommend. Here are some of the most important factors under consideration:
All Formula One betting sites in the UK offer outright championship markets and prices for the winner of each race, but fans will be looking for something more. Prior to the weekend's action, F1 bookies run markets such as which driver will qualify the fastest to claim pole position, along with who will get the fastest lap.
Some top Formula One betting sites also have bet builders available, where customers are able to build their own wagers by picking the winning driver, as well as places for their rivals. Podium finish, tricasts and group betting are some of the other F1 markets to look for.
Although a lot of British betting brands focus their promotions around football and horse racing, some great Formula One betting promotions can still be found. Price boosts and enhanced odds are often available in the days leading up to a race, while new customers can earn free Formula One bets by signing up for accounts too.
Unfortunately, broadcast rights for Formula One are very tightly controlled. As a result, no UK-based sports betting sites have yet been able to secure any Formula One live streaming to offer their customers. This means F1 fans who want to see all the action will need to subscribe to Sky Sports, which shows all the races live.
How a betting website works on a range of devices is key for a lot of F1 fans in the UK. This is particularly the case when it comes to live in-play F1 betting, when a moment's delay can cost a user the chance to place a good value bet. The in-play interface on a betting site should offer as much Formula One info as well.
Some online bookmakers now even publish Formula One news articles and previews. With a lot of people now preferring to place their wagers on a mobile device like a tablet or a smartphone, Formula One mobile betting apps are becoming a lot more popular.
Lots of different F1 betting markets are offered these days - here are some of the most popular:
Championship winner: One market that is available throughout the year - even when F1 is in the off-season - regards the winner of the driver's championship. Familiar faces are almost always among the favourites, but up-and-coming drivers may be worth a punt here as well. Along with the driver's championship winner, it is also possible to bet on the top constructor too.
Top 3/5/10 finish: As well as backing the driver that wins the championship overall, F1 fans can opt to bet on their favourite to finish in the top three of the final standings instead. Other options that are widely available include backing drivers to finish in the top five or 10 of the standings.
Race winner: On race weekends, the most popular betting market for F1 in the UK is a simple one, with users having to guess which driver will take the chequered flag in first place. Race winner markets are also available in-play, which is handy for those F1 fans who watch all the action and want to give themselves a chance to profit from their favourite sport on Sundays.
Podium place: Sports lovers who are not sure which driver will finish first can instead opt to have a bet on them to finish in the top three, claiming a podium place. This is a bit similar to each-way betting in other sports, with users able to be paid out for a top-three finish. Some drivers tend to consistently finish on the podium but rarely win - they are a good option here.
Fastest lap: This F1 market is fairly self-explanatory, with users able to bet on which driver will record the fastest lap over the course of the race. Often, the winner of the race also gets the fastest lap, but this is not necessarily the case. Some of the younger drivers in a race are fully capable of putting together a perfect lap that puts them in contention for this market, but they might lack the consistency to put a full race together at this stage of their careers in the sport.
Pole position: Qualifying in F1 can be very confusing for those who do not follow the sport that closely, but the most simple betting market for this part of a race weekend is the pole position. All this market means is users have to predict which driver performs best over the course of qualifying, securing that all-important pole position for the start of the main race on the Sunday.
Driver v driver: F1 betting sites in the UK are starting to offer more markets for their users and one of them that is getting a lot more popular right now is driver v driver. This means fans of the sport have to predict which of two drivers will cross the finish line ahead of the other. Of course, if one of the drivers in this market cannot finish for whatever reason, perhaps they have an accident or a technical fault with their car that forces a withdrawal, the other wins automatically.
Future world champion: F1 fans happy to take a long-term bet could browse ante-post markets such as those offered for a particular driver to become world champion in the future. Young drivers are naturally the most popular to go for here but while the odds can be a
When betting on Formula 1 in the UK, many people will benefit from using tips or strategies. Plenty of internet sites offer Formula 1 betting tips and it is always worth checking these out to get a range of opinions before deciding what to bet on when race weekend gets underway.
Like with other sports, studying the form can be very useful in picking winning wagers in F1. Drivers who have performed well in the last couple of races are likely to be full of confidence and could be a threat to win the next Grand Prix, or at least finish on the podium, as a result.
The opposite is true too, with drivers who have been struggling for performance likely to be best avoided if they have been struggling to finish in the points over the last few races of the year. Checking practice and qualifying times will show both a team and driver's performance going into the race, with any improvements that have been made likely to be evident here as well.
Past performance tends to be a good indicator of which teams and drivers will be the most effective at a particular race. Weather cannot be forgotten when it comes to betting on F1 either. Indeed, the races are perhaps more affected by the weather than any other major sport that is popular in the UK. It is always worth checking the weather forecast ahead of the race to see whether or not rain is likely to affect the action, especially when betting live.
Track position is obviously going to have a big impact on a driver's chances of winning the race. While some drivers are great at moving up through the field, others are better at defending a pole position that was earned during the qualifying session on the Saturday. A lot of tracks in F1 these days are challenging for overtaking, so drivers who are not near the front of the grid on Sunday are likely to find it difficult to battle through the field to claim a place on the podium.
Finally, awareness of team strategies can be beneficial when using F1 betting strategies too. Even if a driver is the best performer on the day, this does not necessarily mean they win the race. Sometimes, their team might order them to allow a colleague to pass as they are in the hunt for the World Championship and are deemed to be more in need of the points as a result. Backing a driver to win a race when they are considered to be the second priority in the team can be risky.
Steven is an experienced iGaming content writer who has been working in the industry since 2018. He is passionate about sports betting and enjoys writing about all aspects of the industry, including bookmaker reviews, betting tips and strategies, and news and analysis.