Dutch F1 Grand Prix 2022: Odds, Preview and Top Storylines

Max Verstappen sits in a perfect position to win his home Formula One race for the second straight year and extend his lead in the drivers' championship over Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen earned the pole position for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, a spot in which he won the race from a year ago in Zandvoort.

Verstappen led every lap of the 2021 edition of his home race, and he could be set up to do the same thing on a circuit that is tough to pass on.

Leclerc and others will try to get past Verstappen on the start, and there is a real belief among Ferrari for that to happen since the qualifying lap pace between Ferrari and Red Bull was not too far off.

Verstappen bested Leclerc by 21-hundredths of a second for pole. Carlos Sainz was 92-hundredths behind the championship leader in the other Ferrari car.

The two Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez and McLaren's Lando Norris were all put together fast qualifying times as well and that could give us a terrific battle for the podium spots.

Some sort of drama could play out if the cars are level on speed again on Sunday, but it feels inevitable that Verstappen will lead the field to the checkered flag for the 10th time in 2022.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Max Verstappen (-265; bet $265 to win $100)

Charles Leclerc (+450; bet $100 to win $450)

Lewis Hamilton (+800)

Carlos Sainz (+1300)

George Russell (+2200)

Sergio Perez (+3000)

Lando Norris (+13000)

Yuki Tsunoda (+60000)

Mick Schumacher (+60000)

Pierre Gasly (+60000)

Fernando Alonso (+60000)

Esteban Ocon (+60000)

Lance Stroll (+60000)

All Other Drivers (+100000)

Max Verstappen is the best driver on the Formula 1 grid in the best car on the circuit.

So of course it was not a huge surprise that he won from the 14th starting position last week in Belgium.

Verstappen has been the best and most consistent driver on Sundays this season and he has a great chance to extend his winning run in front of his home fans at Zandvoort.

Verstappen claimed the pole position in a high-speed battle with Ferrari on Saturday. He won from the pole position in 2021, which marked the return of the Dutch Grand Prix for the first time since 1985.

The Red Bull driver will not be handed the victory, but if he gets off to a fast start, he may be untouchable for every lap contested on the Dutch circuit.

That means the two Ferrari cars directly behind Verstappen on the qualifying grid need to get off to incredible starts.

Even if Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz put Ferrari in front at the beginning of the race, Verstappen could overtake either car with his dominant pace.

Ferrari must get its race strategy perfect to compete for the entire race, but that is something that has escaped the Italian-based team for most of the season.

Verstappen has had the perfect combination of car pace, driver ability and race strategy to put himself in front of all of his competitors throughout the season.

It may take a driver or team error from the world championship leader to lose the Dutch Grand Prix, but his rivals will try to outdrive him before it turns into an unsuccessful venture.

Mercedes is closer to Ferrari in the constructors' standings than Ferrari is to Red Bull.

Ferrari enters Zandvoort with a 41-point advantage for second place over Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton retired from the Belgian Grand Prix on the first lap.

Ferrari holds the edge on the starting grid with Leclerc in second and Carlos Sainz in third, but the Mercedes cars of Hamilton and George Russell are not far behind in fourth and sixth.

Mercedes was more reliable before the summer break, as it put both cars in the top four in three straight races.

Ferrari's gone through a litany of race day issues in 2022 and it needs a little more consistency to avoid a threat from Mercedes for second in the constructors' championship and potentially go after individual race wins.

The good news for Ferrari is that the top five cars on the grand at the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix finished in the top five positions. None of those cars changed spots from the final qualifying session to the end of the race.

Mercedes benefited from the difficult passing structure at Zandvoort in 2021, as it placed its cars in second and third.

Mercedes pay need to use fast pit stops and a different pit strategy to break up the potential of Ferrari's double podium.

If Verstappen runs away with the lead, the Ferrari-Mercedes battle could become the most fascinating storyline at the front of the field.

Pierre Gasly is the hottest name on the Formula 1 silly season rumor mill.

The current AlphaTauri driver is at the center of speculation to fill the open Alpine seat alongside Esteban Ocon. Gasly is under contract with AlphaTauri for 2023, but he may be intrigued by a better seat on the grid.

Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull's development program, admitted talks were ongoing for Gasly, per Motorsport.com's Luke Smith. AlphaTauri is a junior Red Bull team.

"We have a valid contract for 2023, but in the meantime there are talks," Marko said on Sky Germany after Friday's practice running at Zandvoort. "If our conditions are met, we wouldn't stand in Gasly's way. It would be a dream come true for him to drive in a French factory team But not all the conditions have been met yet."

Gasly starts Sunday's race in 11th place and he is in search of back-to-back points finishes for just the second time this season. He landed in ninth place in Belgium last week. Gasly's last two straight podium places came from the second and third races of the season in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The French driver may be driving with a bit more confidence on Sunday because of the increased attention in his talents and the potential to move away from the Red Bull umbrella where there does not appear to be an upward progression happening for him.

Gasly will start one spot out of the points and he knows how to have success at Zandvoort. He had a surprise fourth-place finish there last year.

His performance will be more under the microscope than most drivers on the midfield teams and another top 10 finish could give Alpine more confidence in its decision making for 2023.

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