The pack will be looking to chase down Max Verstappen as the F1 action swings to Saudi Arabia and the Jeddah Street Circuit this weekend.
Red Bull’s Dutch star dominated the field on day one as he strolled to success in Bahrain, though the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix may prove tougher.
Due to its tight and twisting nature, the Jeddah Street Circuit should see a much closer battle this time around, especially as we saw Verstappen and rival Charles Leclerc battle it out to the very end here last season.
Formula One fans will be hoping for more of the same on Sunday.
Ahead of the action getting underway, The Sporting News dives through all of the odds to give you the best bets and tips for the upcoming 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
MORE: F1 2023 season predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 odds to win
As expected, two-time world champion Max Verstappen has been heavy favourite to win the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by the bookmakers following his impressive victory last time out.
His closest competitor comes in the form of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who, after a solid P2 finish on week one, will be looking to go one better here around Jeddah’s winding circuit.
Despite his DNF in Bahrain, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is still fancied ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso this weekend, but it’s bad news for Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who are considered rank-outsiders here.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), Neds (Australia) and Dafabet (India). Odds correct as of March 14.
| Driver | BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | Neds | Dafabet |
| Max Verstappen | -200 | 1.52 | 8/15 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| Sergio Perez | +550 | 6.96 | 5/1 | 6.50 | 6.00 |
| Charles Leclerc | +700 | 7.39 | 8/1 | 8.00 | 11.00 |
| Fernando Alonso | +1000 | 12.00 | 9/1 | 11.00 | 9.00 |
| Carlos Sainz | +1200 | 12.00 | 12/1 | 13.00 | 15.00 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2200 | 25.00 | 25/1 | 23.00 | 26.00 |
| George Russell | +2800 | 31.00 | 33/1 | 29.00 | 34.00 |
| Lance Stroll | +6600 | 85.00 | 50/1 | 67.00 | 67.00 |
| Esteban Ocon | +15000 | 331.00 | 300/1 | 151 | 501 |
| Pierre Gasly | +15000 | 320.00 | 300/1 | 151 | 501 |
| Lando Norris | +25000 | 812.00 | 500/1 | 251 | 1001 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +30000 | 331.00 | 300/1 | 301 | 501 |
| Alex Albon | +75000 | 1776.00 | 1500/1 | 751 | 1501 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +100000 | 812.00 | 750/1 | 1001 | 1001 |
| Zhou Guanyu | +100000 | 378.00 | 500/1 | 1001 | 751 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +100000 | 812.00 | 750/1 | 1001 | 1001 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +100000 | 2501.00 | 2000/1 | 1001 | 2501 |
| Oscar Piastri | +100000 | 1776.00 | 1000/1 | 1001 | 1501 |
| Logan Sargeant | +150000 | 1429.00 | 2000/1 | 1501 | 2001 |
| Nyck de Vries | +200000 | 2501.00 | 2000/1 | 2501 | 2501 |
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023: Best bet
- Pick: Sergio Perez to win the Grand Prix — market without Max Verstappen
- Odds: +150 (BetMGM)
While we think Verstappen is primed for more success here in Saudi Arabia, his teammate Perez gave a great account of himself last time out in Bahrain as he took P2.
Granted, the Mexican driver conceded a sizeable gap to Verstappen in the final standings but in the same measure, he equally finished a heathy chunk of time ahead of Aston Martin’s Alonso in P3.
Ferrari’s Leclerc will be hoping to prove more of a nuisance this weekend and could scupper this bet if his car’s reliability improves, but, at present, that Red Bull package seems miles ahead of its competitors and as such, Perez should be right up there again in Jeddah.
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023: Prop bet
- Pick: Charles Leclerc to finish on the podium
- Odds: -110 (BetMGM)
Even though Leclerc’s 2023 title challenge got off on arguably the worst possible footing as he suffered a frustrating DNF, the Ferrari driver was easily amongst the top three for the whole race before that occurred.
As such, it isn’t difficult to imagine that he’ll be there or thereabouts this time around as the action moves west from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
Not only that, but Leclerc also enjoyed a P2 finish at the Jeddah Street Circuit last season, finishing just behind Verstappen as the race went to the wire on the final lap.
We’re in for a treat if we get a similar battle this time around, though there’s still plenty going against him to finish on the podium this year.
That’s mainly because in the race following his 15 previous DNFs in Formula One, he’s only ever managed one podium finish. On top of that, his three DNFs last season with Ferrari saw him finish P4, P5 and P6 respectively in the following grands prix, which doesn’t exactly hint at success here.
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023: Flier bet
- Pick: Both Alpine drivers to take points
- Odds: 9/4 (SkyBet)
Although it proved to be a bitterly disappointing opening race of the season for Esteban Ocon who took three time penalties last weekend, new teammate Pierre Gasly shone to finish P9 despite starting the race in last position.
That drive from P20 not only showcased Gasly’s ability but it also highlighted how quick that Alpine car is in a straight line. As a result, more success for the French team could be likely in Jeddah especially with Aston Martin likely to stutter at this track given their car’s design. Mercedes’ poor opening race of the season could also open up more positions on the final grid for Alpine.
As for the drivers themselves, Ocon and Gasly have taken points finishes three out of four times between them in Jeddah. That included a stunning P6 finish last season for Ocon, who’ll be desperate for more of the same in 2023 to get his World Drivers’ Championship campaign up and running.
here 
.jpg?itok=Z6ZsJCDx)
