Key facts
- Under the TAB's Victorian rules, motor races are settled on the initial declaration of the official result; later protests, disqualifications or amended placings do not change bets.
- In a head to head between two drivers, if either fails to finish, the one who completed more laps wins; equal laps means the dead heat rule applies.
- The same rules say team orders have no bearing on the outcome of a bet.
- The 2027 F1 calendar has 24 Grands Prix and 10 Sprints; the Australian Grand Prix is round 3, on 2 to 4 April 2027, and hosts a Sprint for the first time.
- With example terms of a third the odds for the podium, $10 each way at $13 on a driver who finishes third returns $50 for a $20 outlay, in our calculation.
F1 betting in one minute
F1 betting is fixed odds betting on a Formula 1 race, qualifying session or championship with a licensed Australian bookmaker. You can back the winner, a podium finish, one driver against another, or the title. The rule that matters most is which result your bet is settled on, because in motorsport the classification can change after the race. The rules quoted here are the TAB's published Victorian sports betting rules, which have a motor racing section; other bookmakers publish their own.
Formula 1 betting markets
| Market | What you pick | Settled on |
|---|---|---|
| Race winner | The driver who wins the Grand Prix | Initial official result |
| Podium finish | A driver to finish in the top three | Initial official result |
| Top 6 or top 10 finish | A driver to finish in that range | Initial official result |
| Head to head | Which of two drivers finishes ahead | Laps completed if either fails to finish |
| Qualifying or pole position | Fastest in qualifying | Official qualifying result |
| Winning constructor | The team of the race winner | Initial official result |
| Sprint markets | The Sprint race result | The Sprint, not the Grand Prix |
| Drivers' and constructors' championships | The season champion | Points at the first declaration after the final race |
Season championships are futures bets, open for months and exposed to every crash, penalty and upgrade along the way.
The result that settles your bet
Two rules in the TAB's Victorian rules decide motorsport bets:
- Rule 10.7: bets are settled on the official or podium positions as adjudicated by the recognised governing body, and subsequent disqualification, promotion of competitors or any other change is irrelevant.
- Rule 11.1.6.1: individual races are settled on the initial declaration of the official result, and later protests, processes or amendments to placings do not affect it.
Here is how that plays out in three made-up scenarios:
| What happens | Counts for betting? |
|---|---|
| A time penalty applied in the race, included in the first official result | Yes: the penalised position stands |
| A driver disqualified hours later after a technical check, after the first result was declared | No: bets stay settled on the first declaration |
| A protest by a rival team upheld the following week | No |
So a driver who crosses the line third and keeps third in the first official classification wins you a podium bet, even if that driver is later excluded.
Team orders
Rule 6.13 of the same rules says that where team orders, or anything like them, stop a competitor competing on its merits, the team orders have no bearing on the outcome. If a team tells one driver to let the other through, your bet is settled on where the cars actually finished, not where they would have finished.
F1 head to head betting
A head to head between two drivers takes the rest of the field out of the bet, which makes it a useful head to head bet in a sport with a full grid of starters. The TAB's rules settle retirements on laps:
| Situation | Who wins the bet |
|---|---|
| Both finish | The driver classified ahead |
| One retires | The driver who completed more laps |
| Both retire on different laps | The driver who completed more laps |
| Both retire on the same lap | Dead heat: the payout is halved |
$10 on a driver at $1.80 who goes out on the same lap as the rival returns $9, not $18. The dead heat calculator works out any split.
One more rule: if the drivers for a car are not known 48 hours before the race, betting is on the car, not the driver.
Each way and podium bets, worked through
Race winner prices on favourites can be short, and on the rest of the grid they can be long. An each way bet on a longer-priced driver splits the stake between the win and a place, with place terms set by the bookmaker. The example below uses example terms of a third the odds for the top three, not any bookmaker's actual offer.
| $10 each way at $13 (example terms 1/3, top 3) | Win part | Place part (at $5.00) | Total return | Profit on $20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins the race | $130 | $50 | $180 | $160 |
| Finishes 2nd or 3rd | $0 | $50 | $50 | $30 |
| Finishes 4th or lower | $0 | $0 | $0 | -$20 |
A separate podium market prices the top three finish directly. Compare the podium price with the place part of an each way bet before you choose. The each way calculator handles any terms.
The 2027 calendar and the Australian Grand Prix
Formula 1's 2027 calendar has 24 Grands Prix across 22 countries and 10 Sprint events. Pre-season testing is in Bahrain from 24 to 27 February.
| Round | Event | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain | 12 to 14 March 2027 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 19 to 21 March 2027 |
| 3 | Australia (with a Sprint) | 2 to 4 April 2027 |
| 24 | Abu Dhabi | 10 to 12 December 2027 |
Australia is one of five events hosting a Sprint for the first time in 2027, with Bahrain, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi. The Sprint and the Grand Prix are separate races, so check which one a market names.
F1 betting and Australian law
Formula 1 betting is legal with a bookmaker licensed in an Australian state or territory, placed before the race starts if you bet online. ACMA lists in-play betting on sporting events among the services that are illegal to offer online, and says betting services not licensed in Australia are illegal too. A long race does not open a second online window. Licensed providers cannot accept credit cards or crypto.
Pundit tip: for podium and head to head bets, ask what happens if your driver is penalised after the flag. Under the first-declaration rule, a late penalty can work for you or against you, and the price does not reflect either.
Golf uses the same each way and dead heat logic across a much bigger field; see our golf betting guide. For prices from scratch read how to read odds, and for every bet type our bet types guide.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to an F1 bet if a driver is disqualified after the race?
Under the TAB's Victorian sports rules, races are settled on the initial declaration of the official result by the governing body. A later disqualification, protest or change to the placings does not change the result for betting. Other bookmakers set their own rules.
How does F1 head to head betting work?
You pick which of two drivers finishes ahead. Under the TAB's rules, if either driver does not finish, the one who completed more laps wins. If they completed the same number of laps, the dead heat rule halves the payout.
When is the 2027 Australian Grand Prix?
Formula 1's 2027 calendar lists the Australian Grand Prix as round 3, from 2 to 4 April 2027, after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It is one of five events hosting a Sprint for the first time.
How is the F1 drivers' championship settled for betting?
Under the TAB's rules, on the official points standing at the initial declaration of the result of the final championship event. The 2027 season finishes in Abu Dhabi on 10 to 12 December.
Can you bet on F1 during a race in Australia?
Not online. Online in-play betting on sport is prohibited, so app and website markets close before the start. A bet placed wholly by phone is the only exception.
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