Formula 1 is back, with the teams and drivers ready to kick things off in the 2023 season at the Bahrain International Circuit. With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen aiming to win his third straight Driver’s Championship, which team, and more importantly which driver, has what it takes to challenge the flying Dutchman.
And with the pinnacle of motor sports back for another year, so is the crew at Before You Bet, where we will have previews and best bets for all 23 races this season. Let’s kick the Formula 1 season off with our preview of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
And if you’re going to have a bet on the Formula 1 this season, why not bet with Betr?
2023 Formula 1 Betting Tips
Pre-Season Testing
The main takeaway from testing last week was the Red Bull looks to be picking up right where it left off last season. Verstappen was quickest right out of the box, going fastest on day one, whilst also pumping out 157 laps, almost double the next best (Nyck De Vries – 85). After Zhou Guanyu managed to go fastest on day 2, order was restored, with Sergio Perez going fastest on the final day of testing, 0.359 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton in second.
So the Red Bull once again looks the team to beat heading into the season, with the two early season surprise packets looking like Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo, with Fernando Alonso looking very quick early with his new team Aston Martin.
Bahrain Grand Prix Preview
With the first race of the season bringing minimal data to the table, it makes handicapping the Bahrain Grand Prix a little difficult. At the same time, the market only has pre-season testing data and historical trends behind their prices, which gives us a chance early to get ahead of the market.
If we look at last season’s testing, Red Bull had a massive 0.695 second advantage at the end of Day 3. Red Bull seemed to take this advantage into the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading the way early during practice sessions, however it was the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who snatched Pole Position. Leclerc turned this Pole Position into a victory and the early lead in the Championship, leading home a Ferrari 1-2 after Verstappen retired with a handful of laps remaining.
Historically, Mercedes and Ferrari have dominated the Bahrain Grand Prix. In fact, Verstappen has never won here, with Red Bull’s last win coming from Sebastian Vettel in 2013. Despite this, I can’t go past Verstappen in the first race of the season. Red Bull dominated last season, and with the regulation changes at a minimum heading into this season, an evolution of the Red Bull winning car from last season appears quick and bullet proof early. Until proven otherwise, Verstappen is the man to beat in the early races of 2023.
Further down the field, I’ll take a couple of longer shots on Alfa Romeo having a good start to the season. Zhou Guanyu really came on at the back end of last season, and I’m willing to take a flyer on him in the first practice session. Pierre Gasly was fastest in FP1 here last year at 50/1, and I’m willing to bet on another long shot.
Other Bets
Zhou Guanyu (Fastest in FP1) - $151 @ Ladbrokes (0.5u)
Zhou Guanyu (Top 10 finish) – $2.25 @ NEDS (1u)
Lance Stroll (Top 10 finish) - $1.78 @ Betr (1u)
Max Verstappen (Race Winner)
$1.89 (2.5 Units)
