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The Complete Guide to the Best Motorsport Betting Sites

Motor racing has been around for over a century and has a rich history full of tragedy, triumph and legendary personalities. We cover all the top motorsport betting sites in the UK and explain how to bet on auto racing so you can wager the next time the grid lights go out.

Ride along with us as we show you the top motorsport events to bet on, popular betting markets and differences between pre-race and live motorsport betting. We included the best five motorsport betting sites below so you can have a quick overview of what to expect:

Luke Andrews: Editor-in-Chief at BestBettingSites.com
Written by: Luke Andrews
Updated on: 14.09.2023
Dirtbike riders racing in a supercross event.

Top 5 Motorsport Betting Sites

  • 🥇 Ladbrokes ✪ Our Top Operator ✪ Best Motorsport Betting Site
  • 🥈 Unibet ✪ Weekly Promos ✪ Best Motorsport Bonus
  • 🥉 bet365 ✪ Fair Betting Exchange ✪ Top Motorsport Betting App
  • 10bet ✪ Great New Motorsport Bookie ✪ Quickest Withdrawals
  • 888sport ✪ Easy to Use ✪ Top-Notch Security Fetaures

The first step is finding a site you’re comfortable gambling with. Each site is unique and has different strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the right one for you goes a long way in your betting process, so here are the UK’s best motorsport betting sites by category:

Best Motorsports Betting Sites by Category:
🏆 Best Motorsport Betting Site Ladbrokes
👮 Most Secure Motorsport Bookie 888sport
▶️ Best Motorsport Livestreams 10bet
📈 Top Motorsport Market Selection Unibet
💰 Best NASCAR Odds bet365
🔎 Best IndyCar Betting Site Unibet
🎁 Top Formula 1 Betting Bonus 888sport
📱 Best Motorsport Betting App bet365
🔝 Top Isle of Man TT Bookmaker Ladbrokes
🆕 New Motorsport Betting Site 10bet

It’s important to consider what you’re searching for in a sportsbook before selecting one. The odds offered by an operator, its variety of markets and the events it chooses to make lines for are key factors in being a successful motorsport bettor before you even make your first wager.

Motorsport Betting Odds and Payout

Finding bookmakers with high odds is the most important thing you can do for your bankroll in the long run. Sportsbooks set their odds in a way they believe will attract equal amounts of money on all outcomes.

The way bookmakers generate a profit is by offering payouts that total less than 100% when all the outcomes are added up. This is called the vigorish and is best thought of as the commission a bookmaker charges its clients. Here are the payouts at the most popular motor racing sportsbooks:

Average Odds for the Best Motorsport Betting Events
Motorsport Betting Site Monaco GP Daytona 500 Indy 500 WRC
93.73% 92.22% 92.84% 92.24%
94.12% 93.31% 92.92% 91.85%
94.23% 93.13% 92.81% N/A
93.12% 92.85% 92.94% N/A
92.94% 91.85% 91.43% 91.09%

Notice in the table that Formula 1 has the highest payouts. This is because sportsbooks have loads of data and set the lines very accurately. For smaller series like the WRC, IndyCar or V8 Supercars, they may have less data, allowing you to capitalise on thorough research and superior knowledge.

The trade-off is a higher vigorish charged by the sportsbooks. Plus, they could enact other measures like a bet sizing limit. This caps the amount you’re able to bet, therefore limiting the operator’s risk.

Betting on Motorsport: Competitions & Events

Motorsport has some of the richest history in sports. There are various racing series globally, all with different formats and drivers. Learning the differences between NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar and WRC is crucial to successfully betting on motorsport.

If you’re serious about motorsport betting, we advise our readers to become familiar with the drivers, rules and formats of all the series. Doing your due diligence before making a bet is always recommended.

The Main Races You Can Bet on
Competition Name Competition Logo Since Season
Indianapolis 500 1911 Spring
Daytona 500 1959 Winter
Monaco GP 1929 Spring
24 Hours of Le Mans 1923 Summer
Isle of Man TT 1907 Spring

While the world’s most famous races attract lots of action annually, there is plenty of opportunity on a weekly basis. On weekends Formula 1 isn’t racing, there are usually other circuits in action like NASCAR, IndyCar or WRC.

Motorsports: the most important competitions are just a click away!

That’s why it’s crucial to find bookies offering odds on various motor racing series and not just Formula 1 or NASCAR. Once you start following and researching the tracks, drivers and rules in other competitions you can be more confident betting on them.

The Motorsport Events You Can Bet on

Motorsport has some of the oldest annual events in sports. The Indy 500, possibly the most famous race in the world, was founded in 1911. The Monaco GP has been around since 1929 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923.

As we alluded to in the previous section, these aren’t the only races each year. Additionally, it’s possible to bet on weekly sub-events like qualifying or the occasional practice session. If you’re just starting out with motorsport betting, it may be beneficial to specialise in one or two series at first.

Specialisation prevents you from becoming overwhelmed with decisions. Betting on motorsport is a decision-based process and reducing the potential for wrong choices allows you to make more profitable ones.

Over time, you’ll become more comfortable with the ins and outs of each series and with the bookies themselves. Once you are doing well in one or two series try adding a few more to your weekly bet slip until you can apply your process to all of them.

Markets to Place a Wager On

Motorsport online betting is unique because it combines aspects of both horse racing and traditional sports betting. Equestrian fans will find betting on outright winners quite similar to wagering on a horse to win, while traditional punters will have plenty of prop bets to find value in.

There are many angles you can take betting on motorsport events when you aren’t necessarily sure who will win. With up to 40 drivers or more taking part in some events, it may be easier finding value on head-to-head or group matchups.

Outright Winners

Driver celebrating a race win on the podium.The outright winner is another way of saying race winner. It tends to be quite difficult to pick correctly as most racing series have over 20 drivers, but can be quite profitable.

Group Winners

The field taking the green flag at the Daytona 500.This market gives you the opportunity to choose who will do the best between a subset of drivers. The market is usually four drivers, but can vary from three to eight.

Head-to-Head

An F1 driver overtaking another driver.Head-to-head markets will be the most familiar to traditional sports bettors. You are given two drivers and choose which one will finish higher. Though the odds are lower than in other markets, it can be quite profitable if you’re accurate.

Winning Constructor

The Mercedes F1 team celebrating a constructor's championship.The winning constructor lets you bet on the winning car’s manufacturer. In F1, each team is considered a constructor, whereas in a series like NASCAR there are multiple teams running one of four marques.

Live Betting

Live motorsport betting is much harder to find than with many sports. This is because it’s hard for sportsbooks to keep up with the pace of the on-track action. That being said, some bookies do let you pull up their live betting clients and get updates on the race as it unfolds.

This means you can see what’s been happening before placing your wager. If one of your favourites crashes out early, maybe you’ll recognise a dark horse on an alternate race strategy you think might be a good value play.

How Does In-Play Betting Look at the Top Motorsport Sportsbooks?
  • The live betting suite at Unibet.Best Live Betting Interface
  • The live betting suite at Ladbrokes.Top Live Sportsbook

Another benefit of betting on motorsport live is it provides you an opportunity to hedge your pre-race wager. If you’re not feeling confident in your original pick, you might be able to bet on some other drivers at decent odds later in the race.

However, this is an extremely advanced strategy and can be disproportionately more complex when compared to when you place a bet on football or basketball. Beginners should stick with smaller bets and not hedge until they’re confident enough in their bankroll to raise their stakes.

Ultimately, the difference between in-race and pre-race betting all comes down to personal preference. If you enjoy live betting but aren’t a fan of the operators listed above, check out our list of the best live betting sites.

Bonuses on Offer

Since motorsport online betting is so different to other sports, it’s rare to find motorsport specific promotions. Occasionally, a site offers enhanced odds or a free bet on a huge event like the Indy 500 in return for a wager to entice new gamblers. Check out our Unibet review for some great motor racing promotions.

It’s also possible to take advantage of a site’s welcome bonus when you’re betting on motorsport. You can check out our list of the sites with the betting bonus offers for the most generous ones.

The Indianapolis 500 race start.
  • Best Motorsport Betting Site
  • Loads of Motorsport Markets
  • Solid Odds
ESSA eCOGRA Licensed by:

While there aren’t many bonuses for auto racing in particular, operators occasionally make offers applicable to the entire sportsbook. An example would be an operator giving free bets in return for wagers totalling a certain amount over the course of a month.

That being said, it pays to be aware of bonuses offered on specific sites. When there is a popular auto race on the calendar, operators tend to compete with each other for traffic by making promotional offers.

How to Bet on Motorsport

Motorsport betting strategy can be quite complex when compared to typical team sports. This is due to the large field size and potential for wagers on peripheral stats like fastest lap or total laps led. However, much of it comes down to the drivers, cars and tracks.

Often some tracks will fit certain cars or drivers better than others. You can find this information by researching the past form of the competitors. Using this information you can tell if a driver performs better on a certain track type over others and use that to find value.

At the end of the day, motorsport betting, and sports betting in general comes down to your ability to find value over the long term. That might mean betting on different markets each weekend. See our football betting guide for a super useful overview on calculating expected value.

Facts, History, Stats

Motorsport has a reputation for being the most dangerous mainstream sport in the world. Since the late 19th-century man and machine have been pushing the boundaries of speed and safety, occasionally crossing the line with tragic results. Luckily, technology has made the sport much safer over the past decades.

The First Auto Race

A 19th century race car.The world’s first auto race was held in 1894 and went from Paris to Rouen, for a total distance of 127 km. The race took over six hours to complete at an average pace of 19km/h. The first professional race, held in 1895, was from Paris to Bordeaux and back for a whopping 1,178 km. Only nine of the 22 starters finished the course over the two-day event.

The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race

Action from one of the first Indianapolis 500 Mile Races.A race steeped in tradition, drivers have been coming to the Indy 500 since 1911. The track is known as “The Brickyard” because bricks were used to pave the original 2.5 mile circuit. One of the fastest circuits in the world, drivers routinely lap the rectangular oval at average speeds of over 230 mph. It also sees the most betting action each year out of any race in the world.

The Rise of Formula One

Ayrton Senna at the Monaco GP.Formula One is considered the premier motorsport series in the world. Featuring some of the world’s most famous manufacturers like Ferrari, McLaren and Renault, F1 history is full of legendary stories and massive personalities. The World Championship for Drivers was first contested in 1950, and The World Constructors’ Championship in 1958. The series has since grown into symbol of luxury, with the world’s rich and famous clammoring to be seen at the next GP.

While motorsport viewership peaked in the early 2000s in the United States, Formula One’s international format means it’s only becoming more popular throughout the rest of the world. Each year F1 finds new tracks to include, providing bettors with the unique opportunity of being on equal footing with the bookies.

Conclusion About Motorsport Online Betting

At the end of the day, betting on motorsport offers punters a great wagering experience. Very different to stick and ball sports but also not quite similar to horse racing, motorsport online betting represents a unique niche.

Though not quite popular enough for major sportsbooks to offer exclusive motorsport betting bonuses, the sport is growing quite quickly across the world. It will be interesting to see which betting sites in the UK will start capitalising on this increasing demand for motorsport bookies.

FAQ

While we tried to make our motorsport betting guide as comprehensive as possible, occasionally our readers have more specific questions. Check out some frequently asked questions in the section below:

🏆 What are the best motorsport betting sites?

The best motorsport betting sites are ones licensed by a regulatory authority like the Gambling Commission. You can see our list of the best motorsport bookies by clicking the link.

✔️ Is betting on Motorsport allowed?

Yes, betting on motorsport is allowed where sports betting is legal. If you live in an area where sports betting is allowed and want to start betting on motorsport, begin by looking at the best motorsport betting bonuses and choosing an operator meeting those criteria.

💰 What are the average Motorsport betting odds levels?

The average motorsport odds levels vary by sportsbook. Some bookies charge more vigorish than others and some offer better odds on favourites versus underdogs. Click the link for a table showing the average motorsport odds at top bookmakers.

❓ Is there a strategy I can follow to bet on motorsport?

Yes, there is a strategy you can use for betting on motorsport. Though this is great for beginners, its best to experiment and develop your own process until you can create your own motorsport betting strategy.