Formula 1 Saudi Arabia, 19th March

The 2023 Formula 1 season heads to Saudi Arabia this weekend for the second race of the year, and unsurprisingly, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leads the BetDeluxe market at $1.45. The reigning F1 champion is an almost unbackable favourite after demolishing his rivals in the season opener at Bahrain for his first win at the venue in 10 attempts.

It was the perfect start for Red Bull as Verstappen led Sergio Garcia across the line for the team’s first one-two in both qualifying and the race since Abu Dhabi 2013. The most impressive aspect of Verstappen’s performance was that he was almost 12 seconds ahead of Garcia. Sergio is $5.50 second favourite.

Fernando Alonso was the surprise packet in Bahrain and has subsequently launched into $9 ahead of his Saudi Arabia drive for Aston Martin. The 41-year-old put on a clinic in his first ride for his new team, overtaking quickly and finishing third for the 99^th podium of his career. The two-time world champion and his teammate, Lance Stroll (6^th), combined for 23 points for Aston Martin and proved they could be a surprise challenger for the minor placings in 2023.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ($7.50) and Carlos Sainz Jr ($12) are in the top five for betting, with the former unlucky to miss the podium when his car suffered a power unit issue and he was forced to retire late in the race.

One of the most significant talking points over the past week has surrounded the future of Lewis Hamilton after reports suggested he could be on the move to Ferrari at the end of the year. It wasn’t exactly a race to forget for Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell in Bahrain after they finished fifth and seventh, respectively. However, the times will be a major concern for the team, with Hamilton a whopping 51 seconds behind Verstappen. Hamilton is $19 in the early markets and potentially the longest he’s been in the best part of a decade.

Outside of the top teams, it was a frustrating start to the season for McLaren, with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris suffering reliability issues and finishing outside the points.

There’s no doubt that Verstappen is above his rivals in both skill and car performance at this point, but look for Leclerc to push Garcia for second if his car holds up.

Suggested Bet: Charles Leclerc Top 3 @ $2.30