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Best bookmaker for Formula 1

| By Joanne Christie
Leading tipster site Betting Expert compares bookmakers’ offerings for Formula 1, exploring their markets and odds to determine the best in the UK.

Leading tipster site Betting Expert compares bookmakers’ offerings for Formula 1, exploring their markets and odds to determine the best in the UK.

The worldwide popularity of Formula 1 cannot be understated and therefore it’s no surprise that most UK bookmakers offer Formula 1 betting odds.

As well as covering outrights such as the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship, there are also a variety of individual race odds on offer.

Punters are driven by various factors, but these generally include the range of markets offered, how competitive the odds are and how early odds are released.

We researched the top UK bookmakers and compared what they offered on Formula 1. Specifically, we conducted our research on the British Grand Prix 2020 and investigated which bookies offered the best Formula 1 betting odds across a range of markets.

For this comparison, we researched what was available with the following bookmakers.

To determine the overall best bookmaker, we considered how many markets were on offer, along with the outright winner, podium finish, winning car, fastest qualifier and Top 6 finish odds.

Before we begin our review, it’s important to point out that our research was conducted between 21 and 29 July 2020. If we were to test bookmakers at a different time, our results may be different.

Overall best bookmaker for Formula 1 betting
First, we look at our results for our overall top bookmaker. There were a number of operators that performed well generally, but our top bookmakers were:

  1. Betfred
  2. EnergyBet
  3. GentingBet

Betfred excelled across all categories, but it particularly stood out in the outright winner and Top 6 finish markets.

The second- and third-placed operators may come as a surprise to some, but EnergyBet and GentingBet consistently perform well in our bookmaker comparisons.

Second-placed EnergyBet scored well across all categories, with particularly strong offerings in the podium finish and winning car markets.

GentingBet had especially good offerings in the winning car, fastest qualifier and Top 6 finish markets.

Best outright winner odds
Good odds and low commission are both vital factors that drive punters to choose certain operators over others. The most popular market is undoubtedly the outright winner market and here our top three bookmakers were:

  1. William Hill
  2. Betfred
  3. Sportingbet

During the process of comparing odds, we found that William Hill offered the best odds in general, as well as the lowest commission.

In second place was our overall winner, Betfred. A surprise addition in third was Sportingbet, but we were impressed by its commission margin and the quality of the odds available.

Best podium finish odds
The podium finish market has gained popularity in recent seasons and is now found at most UK bookmakers. In this category, the following operators were our top three:

  1. EnergyBet
  2. SkyBet
  3. Netbet

EnergyBet took top spot because its commission percentage was lower than its competitors, with great value odds on offer.

Sky Bet made its first appearance in our best bookmaker for Formula 1 results, impressing us with its commission rates, along with the odds available.

Netbet also made its first appearance in our top three lists here. Similar to the operators mentioned above, Netbet’s commission rates were also low.

Best winning car odds
While many bettors focus on the drivers, there are some who pay special attention to the constructors. The winning car market was available at the majority of bookmakers we tested, with the following three coming out on top:

  1. GentingBet
  2. Bet-at-Home
  3. EnergyBet

As we’ve seen already in this comparison, both GentingBet and EnergyBet have lots to offer the Formula 1 bettor. Second-placed Bet-at-Home, however, may come as a surprise to some.

Bet-at-Home is often overlooked by bettors, but its sportsbook offers some great odds and markets on a range of sports. This is particularly true of Formula 1, with competitive odds found across a variety of markets.

In the winning car market, its low commission margin and great odds mean that Bet-at-Home is a good choice for those betting on constructor race markets.

Best fastest qualifier odds
Betting on Formula 1 isn’t limited to the race; odds on the practice and qualifying stages are also available and can offer good value to punters.

The fastest qualifier market is arguably the most popular market for bettors, aside from the actual race markets. The following three operators offered the best odds in this category:

  1. GentingBet
  2. Virgin Bet
  3. BetVictor

Again, its low commission margins and competitive odds helped GentingBet take the number one spot in this category.

In second place was Virgin Bet. Relatively new to the online betting scene in the UK, Virgin Bet has a lot to offer the general sports bettor. Generally it performed well in our Formula 1 comparison, but it was in this category it performed the best.

In third place was BetVictor, which impressed us with its range of qualifying markets and low commission rates.

Best Top 6 finish odds
An ever-popular market, the Top 6 finish market can provide bettors with some great value odds. Our best Top 6 finish odds came from the following operators:

  1. Marathonbet
  2. GentingBet
  3. Betfred

Marathonbet took the number one place here as it offered greater value and lower commission rates than any of its competitors.

GentingBet, which impressed throughout this comparison, took second place, with our overall winner Betfred in third.

Best markets selection
We also considered the range of markets available at each operator, as having a good choice of markets is very important to bettors.

For this category, a number of bookmakers offered more than 20 markets on the British Grand Prix. Our top performers here were:

=1. Sportingbet (27)
=1. Betsafe (27)
  3. bet365 – 26

Sportingbet and Betsafe offered the highest number of markets on the British Grand Prix. In total, each offered 27 different markets for the race. Bet365, as you’d expect from a bookmaker that is renowned for its markets, also scored well with its offering of 26.

Conclusion
Although our top three were Betfred, EnergyBet and GentingBet, they faced some tough competition.

There were a number of other operators that also performed well. Sportingbet may not have gotten the headlines, but it does offer a good Formula 1 betting experience, coming out in the top three in a couple of categories.

Virgin Bet was another good choice for Formula 1 betting. Its overall score was impressive and it could challenge our overall top three when we next perform a similar comparison.

About bettingexpert.com
Providing expert tips and in depth betting theory, bettingexpert.com is the world’s biggest social network of sports betting tipsters. Its global community of experts compete for prizes by sharing their strongest tips on upcoming matches across 25 different sports to help millions of sports bettors place knowledge-supported bets, with the best odds available from a variety of bookmakers. Betting Expert is owned by Better Collective, the leading developer of educational platforms within the igaming industry.

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