After winning the opening race of the F1 season at a canter, Max Verstappen will be looking to make it back-to-back wins when he lines up for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this Saturday. Verstappen goes into the race as a heavy odds-on favorite. But Sergio Perez won here in 2023, and in our latest Formula 1 betting picks, we tell you if the Red Bull No.2 can upset the odds and Max Verstappen again.
- What: 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix - Round 2
- Where: Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- When: Saturday, March 9th, 2024
- Time: noon ET
- Laps: 50
- Track Length: 6.174 km
- Race Distance: 308.45 km
Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 season last Saturday.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix for RED BULL at the season-opening race!
It's his 55th win, picking up where he left off 2023.
He gets the EXTRA POINT for FASTEST LAP 1:32.608#F1 #F124BAH #BAH #BahrainGP #Formula1 #MV1 #MV33 #win #podium #points #fastestlap pic.twitter.com/OXNHcrO2Ei
— F1 Racing (@F1racing) March 2, 2024
This weekend, he will be looking to make it two-from-two in Saudi Arabia, and with this being one of only three races he didn’t win in 2023, the triple-world champion will no doubt be looking to put the record straight this year.
The Jeddah circuit is a modern sweeping circuit that - according to the F1 official website - is the fastest street circuit ever seen in Formula 1. Like the other races in this region (Bahrain and Abu Dhabi), the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix will also take place under floodlights.
The circuit has a total of 27 bends. But with this being a new and modern race course, the turns are fast, making for a thrilling race that favors the brave.
Who is the favorite to win the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen went into the opening race of the season as the -325 betting favorite. He is again the favorite to win this weekend. But this time, the best Formula 1 online betting sites have Max Verstappen at shorter odds of -375 to win in Saudi Arabia.
Second in the betting is Sergio Perez at +1100. Perez was third in the betting at +1400 in Bahrain. But with Jeddah being a street circuit, and with Perez taking the pole and winning here in 2023, the Red Bull No.2 is the second favorite to win this race.
Charles Leclerc is third in the betting at +1200, with his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz fourth at +1600. Then comes Lando Norris at +1800 and Lewis Hamilton at +2500.
Full odds on the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix are available on our F1 odds table. For more information about the bookmakers on our Formula 1 odds table, please check out our betting bonuses and promotions page.
| Drivers |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | -375 | -375 | -375 |
| Sergio Perez | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Carlos Sainz | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Lando Norris | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| George Russell | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Oscar Piastri | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Lance Stroll | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Alex Albon | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Logan Sargeant | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Guanyu Zhou | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
Finding value in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix betting markets
Trying to find betting value when the same guy wins every race is difficult. The Red Bulls and the Ferraris are regarded as the fastest cars, as a result, their drivers have the shortest odds to win the current races.
What about Mercedes and McLaren? Last season, one team seemed to have a good race one week, followed by the other the next. But the McLarens also seemed to do better on the circuits with the faster bends. Take Silverstone, for example, where Lando Norris finished second and his teammate Oscar Piastri fourth.
But last weekend, the British-based team performed disappointingly in Bahrain. Norris could only manage a sixth-place finish, with Pisatri down in eighth, in a poor start to the season.
This week, Norris is +210 for a top-three finish and -400 to finish in the top six. As a fast circuit, Jeddah could suit McLaren. But it’s debatable if they can push for a top-three finish at this early stage. And it’s not worth backing Norris for a top-six finish at -400.
Lando’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri is +120 to finish in the top six, which looks a better value bet.
Head-to-head betting
In the head-to-head betting markets, Max Verstappen is -600 to beat Sergio Perez (+400). Could Perez be worth a wager? He did win here last year, after all.
IT'S CHECO TIME! SERGIO PEREZ WINS THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX! 🇸🇦🏆 pic.twitter.com/TTRhzp0Oci
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 19, 2023
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton is -125 to beat George Russell (+105), and Lando Norris is -225 to beat Oscar Piastri (+180).
One bet that has caught our eye is Charles Leclerc against Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard won out last Saturday, finishing over 14 seconds ahead of Leclerc. But it’s now well documented that Leclerc had problems with his car.
This weekend, we expect to see those problems dealt with, and we make Charles Leclerc (-130) our pick to beat Carlos Sainz (+100) in the head-to-head market.
Our Pick to win the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Even though it’s likely that Max Verstappen will canter to victory this week, we don’t want to make him our pick to win at -375. Back him if you want to. But we are backing the field against Max Verstappen to win the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at +275.
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