BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 heads to Saudi Arabia?

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BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - APRIL 13: Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren lifts his trophy on

Four Grands Prix have yielded four podiums and the Championship lead for Lando Norris, but team mate Oscar Piastri is stealing all the headlines courtesy of a dominant win in Bahrain. Will the McLaren duo be able to come out on top again this weekend in Saudi Arabia, or will Max Verstappen and Red Bull bounce back?

Odds are provided by F1's Official Betting Data Supplier ALT Sports Data, are subject to change and are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.50, you would win $1.50 for every dollar bet.

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The odds for the win

Oscar Piastri started 2025 as arguably McLaren's number two, but he lines up in Jeddah only three points shy of his team mate in the Championship. The Australian has won 50% of the races this season, dominating last time out in Bahrain, and only finished off the podium at his home Grand Prix after going off in the wet conditions.

Lando Norris gave McLaren a double podium in Bahrain, but the Briton was far from his best, crossing the line over 16 seconds behind Piastri. After starting on a high in Melbourne, Norris has struggled with his car at times and comes into this weekend having never finished better than seventh (2022) in Saudi Arabia.

Frustration doesn’t begin to explain Max Verstappen’s Bahrain Grand Prix. He endured car challenges, light malfunctions at the pit stop and tyre issues. Despite this, Saudi Arabia has been a happy hunting ground for Verstappen on his previous four visits, winning twice and never finishing outside the top two. He starts with the best average finishing position at this venue with 1.5.

DriverOdds
Oscar Piastri2.26
Lando Norris2.44
Max Verstappen12.09
George Russell13.43
Charles Leclerc17.74
Lewis Hamilton19.82
Kimi Antonelli65.50
Yuki Tsunoda178.65
Alex Albon178.65
Isack Hadjar178.65
Liam Lawson178.65
Carlos Sainz178.65
Oliver Bearman178.65
Fernando Alonso178.65
Esteban Ocon178.65
Pierre Gasly178.65
Lance Stroll178.65
Nico Hulkenberg178.65
Jack Doohan178.65
Gabriel Bortoleto178.65
Verstappen Bahrain header image.png

Can Verstappen bounce back in Saudi Arabia?

The odds for a podium finish

The McLaren duo lead the podium odds heading into Jeddah with seven podiums between themselves this season, including three wins. Neither driver has finished inside the top three at this circuit, however, but Piastri finished fourth on his last visit.

Verstappen is the king of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit having never finished off the podium at the track, but his current braking and balance problems could change that this weekend.

George Russell sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship after a consistent start to his campaign. The Mercedes driver has notched up a trio of top threes this season, including a runner-up finish last weekend, offering outstanding value for a podium finish.

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DriverOdds
Oscar Piastri1.20
Lando Norris1.26
George Russell2.59
Max Verstappen2.72
Lewis Hamilton3.44
Charles Leclerc3.59
Kimi Antonelli6.76
Yuki Tsunoda14.38
Carlos Sainz38.10
Alex Albon95.40
Isack Hadjar95.40
Liam Lawson95.40
Fernando Alonso95.40
Pierre Gasly95.40
Esteban Ocon95.40
Oliver Bearman95.40
Nico Hulkenberg95.40
Lance Stroll95.40
Jack Doohan95.40
Gabriel Bortoletto95.40
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 17: George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team

Russell finished runner-up last time out and is good value for another podium finish

The odds for a top-six finish

Piastri leads the odds for a top-six finish, closely followed by Norris, Verstappen, and Russell, who have crossed the line inside the top six in every Grand Prix on the calendar so far.

Charles Leclerc is starting to find consistency in the cockpit, finishing just off the podium at Suzuka and Bahrain. The Ferrari driver lines up this weekend with an average finishing position of 5.33 this year, excluding his disqualification in China. Kimi Antonelli’s record paints a better overall picture, averaging 6.75.

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DriverOdds
Oscar Piastri1.14
Lando Norris1.15
George Russell1.43
Max Verstappen1.46
Lewis Hamilton1.59
Charles Leclerc1.64
Kimi Antonelli2.03
Yuki Tsunoda2.89
Carlos Sainz5.06
Alex Albon8.18
Isack Hadjar10.6
Oliver Bearman12.9
Lance Stroll14.8
Liam Lawson15.8
Esteban Ocon21.1
Pierre Gasly22.3
Fernando Alonso37.2
Jack Doohan38.6
Nico Hulkenberg64.3
Gabriel Bortoleto102.0
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - APRIL 13: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25

Leclerc has been a consistent top-six runner so far this season

Odds for a top-10 finish

Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon were part of the top-10 club heading into Bahrain, but they both missed the cut on Sunday. The Ferrari pairing enter Jeddah with six top 10s between them, although an unfortunate disqualification after the chequered flag in China tarnishes an otherwise clean record.

Pierre Gasly impressed last weekend, earning Alpine their first points of the season. The Frenchman finished seventh after losing a position to Verstappen on the final lap.

Yuki Tsunoda also brought home his first points for Red Bull with ninth in Bahrain, while Haas were the silent heroes of the day as Esteban Ocon powered home to grab four points after a Qualifying crash and Ollie Bearman took the final point on offer after starting at the back of the grid.

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DriverOdds
Oscar Piastri1.09
Lando Norris1.10
George Russell1.18
Max Verstappen1.19
Lewis Hamilton1.22
Charles Leclerc1.23
Kimi Antonelli1.33
Yuki Tsunoda1.53
Carlos Sainz1.95
Alex Albon2.39
Isack Hadjar2.66
Oliver Bearman2.84
Lance Stroll3.11
Liam Lawson3.21
Esteban Ocon3.57
PIerre Gasly3.85
Fernando Alonso5.03
Jack Doohan5.12
Nico Hulkenberg6.91
Gabriel Bortoleto10.8
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 17: Oliver Bearman of Great Britain and Haas F1 is interviewed during

Bearman came from the back to score another point in Bahrain

The odds for Qualifying

Red Bull claimed three of the last four pole positions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the last one in 2024, courtesy of Verstappen. Despite the dominance of the team here, McLaren boasts three of the four pole positions in 2025, claiming top spot in Australia, China, and Bahrain.

Norris and Piastri have qualified inside the top three grid positions between Albert Park and Sakhir, making McLaren a firm favourite to come out on top at the close of Saturday.

Mercedes are the closest challenger on paper, with Russell starting second in China and third last weekend. Ferrari delivered their best Qualifying of the season in Bahrain as Leclerc started the Grand Prix in second.

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DriverOdds
Oscar Piastri3.09
Lando Norris3.14
George Russell11.3
Max Verstappen11.8
Charles Leclerc11.1
Lewis Hamilton11.8
Kimi Antonelli17.0
Yuki Tsunoda144.0
Carlos Sainz213.9
Alex Albon213.9
Isack Hadjar213.9
Oliver Bearman213.9
Lance Stroll213.9
Liam Lawson213.9
Esteban Ocon213.9
Pierre Gasly213.9
Fernando Alonso213.9
Jack Doohan213.9
Nico Hulkenberg213.9
Gabriel Bortoleto213.9
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - APRIL 13: Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren and Third placed

McLaren are firm favourites for pole in Saudi Arabia

The odds for the winning constructor

McLaren won in Australia, China, and Bahrain last week, extending their Constructors’ Championship lead to 58 points. Red Bull are the only other team to triumph on tour this year, making Zak Brown’s chargers the favourites to produce the goods again this weekend.

The Woking-based team has never stood on the podium at this track, though, but they had never won in Bahrain until last weekend, either.

Red Bull has the skill of Verstappen but car balance issues don’t appear to be abating. The technical challenges and the driver’s frustration make it hard to see the Dutchman pulling off the impossible in Jeddah.

That leaves Mercedes and Ferrari. The German team have impressed all season with three podiums courtesy of Russell and could rain on McLaren’s parade. Ferrari is showing improvement but is yet to look like a team that can challenge the MCL39.

READ MORE: ‘One of the most gripping races in F1 history… a genuine humdinger’ – David Tremayne remembers the first Saudi Arabian GP

TeamOdds
McLaren1.41
Ferrari11.1
Mercedes13.3
Red Bull13.8
Williams107.8
Racing Bulls107.8
Haas107.8
Aston Martin107.8
Sauber107.8
Alpine107.8
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - APRIL 13: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes

Can anyone stop McLaren?

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