Round 2 of the 2023 Formula 1 season sees the teams and drivers head back to Jeddah, for the third instalment of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. With Max Verstappen kicking off his title defence in dominant fashion two weeks ago in Bahrain, who will be able to take up the challenge of Red Bull and the Flying Dutchman?
Here, we will give you a quick review of the first round of the season, before we preview the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, giving you our best bets and a few other nuggets to hopefully win you some money this weekend.
Our results from the Bahrain Grand Prix were mixed, however our Best Bet got up and we finished with 2-2 (+1.505u).
2023 Formula 1 Betting Tips
Bahrain Grand Prix Review
From opening practice on Friday, Red Bull once again appeared the team to beat. Sergio Perez took the top spot, but it was the driver in 2nd that took the headlines, as Fernando Alonso showed the Aston Martin’s pre-season testing wasn’t fuel related, and the Aston’s had genuine pace. Alonso topped the timesheets in both Practice 2 and Practice 3, before qualifying 5th, behind the Red Bulls and Ferraris.
It was obvious early on that Verstappen and Red Bull were in a league of their own, as he opened up a substantial lead early. He was never headed and won the race by almost 12 seconds from his teammate Sergio Perez. Alonso finished an amazing 3rd, 10 seconds ahead of the chasing Mercedes’ pair, Carlos Sainz, and teammate Lance Stroll.
It was an ominous first up result for the Red Bull team, who appear to be even further ahead than they were last season. Can the Ferrari’s get closer in Jeddah, or will we have another dominant Red Bull victory?
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Preview
Jeddah appeared to be a pro-Ferrari track last season, with Charles Leclerc dominating the early part of the weekend. Leclerc was fastest across all three practice sessions, before Sergio Perez pulled out a blistering qualifying lap to take Pole Position. Leclerc looked good for most of the Grand Prix, however after a spirited battle with Verstappen towards the end of the race, had to settle for 2nd place, just 0.549s behind the Red Bull.
This year, the threat of Leclerc is almost non-existent. Leclerc has already been hit with a 10-place grid penalty, due to having components of two separate control electronics failing on his Ferrari during the opening weekend of the season. There is a chance of further penalties being handed to Leclerc, depending on whether any other engine components have to be replaced.
So, finding value on the race winner looks to be a tough prospect. You’d be a brave man to bet against Max Verstappen making it two wins in a row. The two possibilities for mine would be Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. Perez took Pole here last season, and finished the race just 10 seconds behind Verstappen. This shows he does have the pace here, and with the constant chatter of Daniel Ricciardo taking over Sergio’s race seat, he needs a strong result here. As for Sainz, the Ferrari appeared the equal of Red Bull here last season, and if their car once again suits this type of high-speed street circuit, Sainz should be right in the mix.
The top 4 teams seem to have distanced themselves from the pack, with the remaining 6 teams all extremely close. This is where the value likely is when betting the second race of the season.
McLaren went from back of the grid in Bahrain in 2022, to Lando Norris finishing a solid 7th in Jeddah 2 weeks later. If McLaren can fix their teething problems (big if), I see Norris as good value for a points finish.
Pierre Gasly is another who enjoys the circuit at Jeddah, and after his impressive showing two weeks ago in Bahrain (20th to 9th), I’ll bank on the Frenchman to be in and around the points again.
Other Bets
Pierre Gasly (Top 10) - $1.93 @ Betr (1u)
Lando Norris (Top 10) - $2.70 @ Betfair (1u)
Max Verstappen (Race Winner)
$1.56 (3 Units)
