Formula 1 picks, odds, start time, grid: 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix predictions, F1 bets by advanced model

The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix will kick off the new Formula 1 season on Saturday, with the green flag scheduled to drop at 10 a.m. ET. Max Verstappen is the race's defending champion and also a three-time world champion after a dominant 19-win season in 2023. Verstappen is the -275 favorite (bet $275 to win $100) in the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix odds, followed by five-time winner in Bahrain Lewis Hamilton (+800). Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is +1200 in this week's F1 odds, while Hamilton's Mercedes teammate George Russell is +1400. Before analyzing the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix starting grid and making any Formula 1 picks, be sure to check out the latest 2024 Bahrain GP predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven projection model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary Formula 1 prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results. It's had a strong history of success in motorsports, correctly predicting nine NASCAR winners since the 2021 season and its projected leaderboards have forecasted winners across multiple racing formats.

The model has been scorching hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 race events dating back to 2021. It nailed both of Charles Leclerc's wins in 2022, and at the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix, the model was strongly backing Verstappen as its top pick. The result: Verstappen dominated the field and ran away with a surprise victory. 

The model followed that up by calling Verstappen's win at the Rolex Emilia Romagna GP in April and then nailed his wins again in Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Abu Dhabi. It's also nailed all 19 of Verstappen's wins during the 2023 season. Anyone who followed the model's lead on those plays has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix and just released its coveted picks and leaderboard projections. You can head to SportsLine now to see the complete 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain GP predictions

One surprise: The model is fading Russell even though he's one of the top favorites. After winning in Sao Paolo in 2022 and collecting six other podium finishes to go fourth in the 2022 F1 standings, Russell could only manage two podium finishes in 2023 and he's already expressed some concern over Mercedes' chances to compete in 2024.

He's mentioned that the bouncing issue that plagued Mercedes early in the season is back and has made it clear that he didn't expect the team to be able to compete with Red Bull despite a 1-2 finish in practice earlier this week. In two starts with Mercedes in Bahrain, Russell has finished fourth and seventh. The model is predicting another disappointing result this week, projecting Russell to finish eighth on the grid. See who else the model is backing and fading at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix right here.

How to make 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix picks

Instead, the model is also targeting two drivers going off at longer than 25-1 to make surprising surges up the leaderboard. Anyone who backs them could hit it big. You can find out who they are, and see all of the model's F1 picks and predictions, at SportsLine.

2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix odds, field, top contenders

Max Verstappen -275Lewis Hamilton +800Sergio Perez +1200George Russell +1400Charles Leclerc +1600Carlos Sainz +2800Fernando Alonso +2800Lando Norris +4000Oscar Piastri +5000Daniel Ricciardo +20000Lance Stroll +25000Yuki Tsunoda +25000Alexander Albon +50000Logan Sargeant +100000Esteban Ocon +150000Guanyu Zhou +150000Valtteri Bottas +150000Pierre Gasly +150000Kevin Magnussen +250000