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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix predictions
- Lando Norris podium finish – 5/2 with William Hill
- Kevin Magnussen points finish – 10/3 with BoyleSports
- Winning margin between five and 10 seconds – 5/2 with bet365
Max Verstappen was a predictable winner of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and betting sites expect the world champion to follow up in Saudi Arabia this weekend as he seeks his 100th career podium.
Verstappen started from pole and lead from lights to flag in Sakhir to record his eighth successive race win. It was an ominous victory for the rest of the grid, who had already expressed a fear that Red Bull had increased their advantage during the winter.
Gambling sites don’t go any bigger than 1/4 on another win for the Dutchman, who was quickest in first practice on Thursday before Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin top of the time sheets later in the day.
Red Bull are chasing their third straight victory in Saudi Arabia, where qualifying will take place on Friday and the race Saturday, with Sergio Perez taking the chequered flag last year, albeit he had a helping hand with Verstappen starting from 15th after a driveshaft failure in qualifying.
Perez does have a good record at street circuits and those brave enough to take on Verstappen may be tempted by the Mexican’s price of 14/1.
While Red Bull stage a potentially exclusive fight for first, the battle behind them is far more competitive with Ferrari having been best of the rest in Bahrain, where Carlos Sainz took third and Charles Leclerc fourth.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit doesn’t share many similarities with its Bahrain counterpart though and there could be a shake up in the order for round two of the season.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tip: Jeddah just the ticket for McLaren
McLaren were pleased with finishing sixth and eighth in Bahrain having had low expectations entering the race following a tricky winter.
They were competitive throughout the weekend with Lando Norris only four tenths off Verstappen's pole time in qualifying while the race pace of both cars was good.
Bahrain has rarely been a happy hunting ground for McLaren and they should be far more comfortable around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which is the second longest track on the calendar and the fastest street circuit of the year.
McLaren thrived through the high speed corners last year and had an excellent record on the faster circuits after introducing the mid-season upgrades that turned 2023 around for the team.
Both Norris and Piastri qualified well at F1's faster venues after Austria, including starting in the top three at Silverstone, while Norris had five podium finishes in the final eight races of last season.
The Brit still has the edge over Piastri in terms of race pace and should have enough to challenge Ferrari, who didn’t fare so well at the high-speed circuits last year.
The Scuderia will also ave to cope with Sainz this weekend after he was ruled out with appendicitis and replaced by British teenager Ollie Bearman.
As for Mercedes, the worries for them are a lack of straight line speed and cooling issues. The Silver Arrows reported having to unexpectedly cool their power units in Bahrain, where temperatures were below 20, and that doesn’t bode well for Saudi Arabia and their higher forecasted temperatures.
McLaren took second and third in the stifling heat of Qatar last season, adding to the belief Norris could crack the top three on Saturday.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tip 1: Lando Norris podium finish – 5/2 with William Hill
Haas better than advertised
The opening race of the season often throws up a surprise or two, and Haas certainly caught many off guard with their decent showing.
Nico Hulkenberg qualified in 10th, only for a first lap incident to ruin his race, while team mate Kevin Magnussen climbed from 15th on the grid to finish 12th.
The Dane came home ahead of both the much-hyped RBs, who will expect to do better this weekend but may struggle amid a fiercely competitive battle between several teams who harbour points aspirations.
Magnussen was 10th in Saudi Arabia last year and ninth the year before that so he seems to enjoy this track, while all his point-scoring performances in 2023 came at street circuits.
The former McLaren driver has beaten Hulkenberg in both previous races in Jeddah and is a bigger price on betting apps than his team mate to score for a third Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in a row.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tip 2: Kevin Magnussen points finish – 10/3 with BoyleSports
Perez and co may stay on Verstappen’s coattails
Verstappen took victory in Bahrain by a pretty mammoth 22.46 seconds, but his margin of victory could be cut on Saturday.
As mentioned, his Red Bull team mate Perez is a good street racer and has an impressive record in Saudi Arabia, consisting of one win and two pole positions.
There’s a chance he gets closer to Verstappen in Saudi Arabia, while if he does get himself ahead it's unlikely he’ll pull clear of the world champion.
Last year, Perez won by just over five seconds and a similar gap to the winner is a distinct possibility given 13 out of 22 races in 2023 were decided by between five and 10 seconds.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tip 3: Winning margin between five and 10 seconds – 5/2 with bet365
Best free bet offers for Formula 1
Verstappen may be threatening to run away with the world title once more in 2024, but there are still plenty of Formula 1 betting opportunities out there.
As such, it may be worth checking to see if you are eligible for any free bet offers ahead of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, such as Betfred’s bet £10, get £40 welcome bonus.
To qualify, enter the Betfred promo code WELCOME40 when registering and deposit a minimum of £10 via debit card into your account. Then place a bet of £10 or more on a selection at odds of evens or greater.
Once the qualifying bet has been settled, the welcome bonus will be credited to the account, consisting of £30 in free bets to wager on Formula 1 and a £10 UK casino credit.
Before signing up with Betfred or any new betting sites, read the terms and conditions of the welcome offer first. If you do have a bet this week, please gamble responsibly.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
