Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Picks, Predictions, Odds: Can Anyone Stop Max Verstappen?

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18 March 2023

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Picks, Predictions, Odds: Can Anyone Stop Max Verstappen?

Formula 1 action returns after a week off. Enjoy Round 2 with our Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks based on the best F1 odds.

After an exciting start to the 2023 season, Formula 1 returns to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Drivers will navigate this 6.174 km track for 50 laps of high-speed action.

Defending world champion Max Verstappen won last week’s race and is also the defending champion in Saudi Arabia. However, he was unable to finish Saturday's qualifying run and will start Sunday's race from the 15th position with teammate Serio Perez in the pole position.

Here are our best bets 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (odds via our best sportsbooks; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks to win

Max Verstappen (+175 via Caesars)
Sergio Perez (+105 via DraftKings)
Fernando Alonso (+800 via DraftKings)

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix odds

5 Second Chance Bets up to $50 Each

Verstappen went from a heavy favorite to a plus-money underdog after Saturday's disappointment in qualification. However, the sports betting sites are still showing the defending champ loads of respect by giving him the second best odds to win this race behind only the pole-sitter.

Prior to Saturday, Red Bull picked up where it left off last season and unloaded with the two fastest cars again this weekend. To no one’s surprise, Verstappen has topped the practice charts in all three sessions. Should he start from the pole this week, he will be difficult to beat as was the case when he led 54 of the 57 total laps to win in Bahrain. Verstappen did not dominate this race last season but did finish at the top of the podium.

Verstappen's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix odds remain hard to swallow. The lines opened with some sports betting sites offering the defending world champion at -250 and they were closing in on -400 or worse before he was forced to pull out of qualifying. There are several other ways to bet on Verstappen with far less vig. Finding those angles is a much better betting strategy.

Sergio Perez (+600 via PointsBet) ⭐⭐⭐

Even in his teammate’s shadow, Perez is turning fast laps of his own this weekend and will enter Sunday's race in the pole position. He finished as the second-fastest car in the first and third practices and as the third-fastest in practice two. Last season, he started on the pole in Saudi Arabia and led the first 14 laps. Last week, he was the only other driver besides Verstappen to lead a lap in Bahrain. Ultimately, he drove to a second-place finish behind his teammate.

Most books agree on a +550 price tag for Perez to win this race. PointsBet is giving you slightly better odds. The huge discrepancy between Perez and his Red Bull counterpart tells you all you need to know about his actual odds to win when making your Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks. However, should Verstappen fail to make up the significant gap he faces heading into Sunday, chances are Perez will be next in line and in line for the win. That is the scenario you are hoping for by betting down the odds chart.

Fernando Alonso (+1200 via PointsBet) ⭐⭐⭐

Last race, Alonso turned heads by claiming a podium finish in Bahrain in his first race with Aston Martin. He continues to make headlines by continuing that speed this weekend in Saudi Arabia. The Spaniard finished behind both Red Bull cars as the third fastest in practices one and three. He clocked in as the second-fastest car in practice two. Alonso's team has speed as well, with Lance Stroll coming in with the fourth-fastest car in two of the three practice sessions.

Once again, PointsBet is offering more favorable odds for this upset. Seeing Alonso as short at +450 via Caesars is surprising considering he is listed above the power teams of Ferrari and Mercedes.