Jeddah has typically been the circuit of some tightly contested battles. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has gotten into it with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in the last two races. But as the F1 lines indicate, this year is where Verstappen leaves all his rivals in the dirt.
Only two Grands Prix so far… but loads of wheel-to-wheel action!
Check out five of our favourite duels on track in Jeddah, including this breathless clash between Max and Lewis ⚔️#SaudiArabianGP #F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 14, 2023
Verstappen, Red Bull Runaway Favorites
Go by the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 odds and find the two-time defending champion as the favorite in every market. This includes being the fastest in practice (+150), achieving pole position (top in qualifying) (+120) and even recording the fastest lap. Winning the race itself is juiced to -225 as Verstappen looks to repeat in Saudi Arabia.
Thanks to his peerless finish in Bahrain, Verstappen is now down to -400 to win the F1 Drivers Championship. Ferrari and Mercedes struggled as Aston Martin displaced these two would-be contenders. The constructors seem to be still working out the kinks of their new cars, while Red Bull’s RB19 is a more polished version of last year’s car that went unchallenged for the latter half of the season.
Recharging for Jeddah 🔋Happy weekend✌️ pic.twitter.com/kBN9sMMdV6
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) March 10, 2023
As for Verstappen’s mate, Sergio Perez, he’s a sneaky bet online to finish atop practice (+350) or qualifying (+550) as he did last year. “Checo” is also heavily expected to finish back on the podium (-225). Another double podium finish for Red Bull is at -165, which is down from an even price (+100) in Bahrain.
Alonso, Aston Martin Ready to Prove Legitimacy
Fernando Alonso and his new team stole the show two weeks ago. Even heading into Bahrain, the new Aston Martin drew rave reviews with its performance in the test run. Both Alonso’s and Aston Martin’s outright F1 betting lines went down as sharp bettors expected the constructor to make noise. And that it did as Alonso finished third while Lance Stroll came in sixth.
Aston Martin’s finish has it second in the constructor championship standings with 23 points, which is seven ahead of Mercedes. It still trails Ferrari and Mercedes in the team championship outrights at +1400 odds, but that’s a sharp drop from where it opened at +5000 in the sportsbook.
But as good as Alonso was, Leclerc’s retirement played a part in his podium finish. Still, Alonso has a good chance to return to the podium at -120 odds, even ahead of all the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers, including Leclerc. At the least, a top-six finish for Alonso is at -350.
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso was delighted with his Formula 1 car’s performance in the first race of the 2023 season in Bahrain, and he expects it to get even better as the season goes along | #F1. https://t.co/kqu84qK5M0
— News24 Sport (@Sport24news) March 14, 2023
Ferrari, Mercedes Struggling
While Aston Martin celebrated, Ferrari and Mercedes fumed. It was a nightmare start for Ferrari as Leclerc’s car failed on him while Carlos Sainz got overtaken by Alonso and failed to finish on the podium. This was the Italian constructor’s worst season opener since 2012 when, ironically, Alonso was the team’s lead driver.
Last season, Alonso finished strong and had podium finishes in seven of the last eight races. Leclerc also finished strong, but the car’s unreliability saw nine total retirements from Ferrari. The online gambling lines have Ferrari as the first constructor to retire here in Jeddah at +1000.
Mercedes also saw its worst start to a season since 2013, when Hamilton finished fifth while Nico Rosberg retired. Now, the constructor is a distant third or fourth in most F1 betting markets here and is somehow still +800 to come from behind and win the title. At the least, fans can bet the odds at -120 for Hamilton and George Russell to finish in the top six.
If you’re a die-hard Formula 1 fan, make sure to also take a look at the lines and odds we have available for the Valtteri Bottas vs Pierre Gasly matchup in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Race Information
- Race: Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Day/Time: Sunday, March 19, 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Live Stream: Formula1.com
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Betting Odds
| F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Moneyline |
| Red Bull | -165 |
| Ferrari | +600 |
| Aston Martin | +1100 |
| Mercedes | +2000 |
The odds in this chart are based on the time of publication. They are subject to change.
F1 Saudi Arabian Picks and Prediction
While Ferrari and Mercedes scramble to fix their cars, Red Bull is busy just winning. The champion has a leg up over its competition and should see both Verstappen and Perez run away yet again.
