BETTING GUIDE: Who is set to shine brightest under the lights at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Formula 1 rolls on from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia for the second round of the 2023 season, with Red Bull looking to build on a supreme one-two finish and their rivals hoping to close in. But what do the odds say about this weekend’s visit to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit?

188BET’s odds 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

Max Verstappen started the new season where he left off in 2022 as the Dutchman romped to pole position and victory at the Bahrain International Circuit – team mate Sergio Perez the only driver keeping him honest in the desert.

As such, Verstappen is the firm favourite to triumph again in Saudi Arabia (a race he won last year), sitting significantly clear of Perez in the pre-weekend odds, with the charging Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso the best bet beyond the two Red Bulls.

• Max Verstappen 1.45

• Sergio Perez 6.50

• Fernando Alonso 9.00

• Charles Leclerc 12.0

• Carlos Sainz 15.0

• Lewis Hamilton 26.0

• George Russell 34.0

• Lance Stroll 67.0

• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 601

• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen, Lando Norris, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Nyck de Vries, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda 901

The odds for who will be fastest in qualifying

While Verstappen is seen as nailed-on for victory, the odds are much closer in qualifying, given there were some caveats to the time gaps between Red Bull and their nearest challengers in the pole position shootout for the Bahrain season opener.

Indeed, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc trailed Verstappen by just a tenth of a second after the first Q3 runs, and opted against a second attempt to save tyres – the Monegasque being given a solid chance of fighting for pole this time out.

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Behind, 2022 Jeddah pole-sitter Perez is an outside bet, with Alonso and Aston Martin again backed over the two Mercedes machines of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, and the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

• Max Verstappen 2.20

• Charles Leclerc 3.25

• Sergio Perez 6.50

• Fernando Alonso 8.00

• Carlos Sainz 13.0

• Lewis Hamilton 21.0

• George Russell 26.0

• Lance Stroll 67.0

• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas 151

• Zhou Guanyu 301

• Kevin Magnussen, Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg 601

• Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant, Nyck de Vries, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda 901

The odds for a podium finish

Given his victory and pole position odds, Verstappen is unsurprisingly top of the list to score a podium this weekend, with fellow Bahrain Grand Prix rostrum finishers Perez and Alonso for close company.

Leclerc is next on the list as he looks to bounce back from a potentially podium-denying DNF in Sakhir, followed by Ferrari team mate Sainz, the Mercedes pair and recovering Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll.

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• Max Verstappen 1.20

• Sergio Perez 1.45

• Fernando Alonso 1.82

• Charles Leclerc 2.00

• Carlos Sainz 4.00

• Lewis Hamilton 4.50

• George Russell 5.00

• Lance Stroll 7.50

• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas 51.0

• Zhou Guanyu 67.0

• Kevin Magnussen, Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg 101

• Alex Albon, Oscar Piastri 201

• Logan Sargeant 251

• Nyck de Vries, Yuki Tsunoda 501

The odds for the fastest lap

Another list, another P1 placement for Verstappen, who is tipped to post the fastest lap at the world’s fastest street track, but it is actually an accolade he has not achieved since last year’s Dutch Grand Prix.

Indeed, with a bonus point up for grabs (if a driver sets the fastest lap and finishes inside the top 10), there are usually plenty of tactics at play – such as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu pitting from the midfield late on in Bahrain to deny Pierre Gasly and Alpine.

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• Max Verstappen 2.35

• Charles Leclerc 4.30

• Sergio Perez 4.50

• Fernando Alonso 7.00

• Carlos Sainz 13.0

• George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 19.0

• Lance Stroll 51.0

• Zhou Guanyu 67.0

• Valtteri Bottas 101

• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 151

• Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Logan Sargeant 201

• Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg, Nyck de Vries, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda 251

The odds for which team will take the most points

Red Bull are heavily backed to take home the biggest haul of points again this weekend, having started in style via their aforementioned one-two, with nearest rivals Ferrari and Aston Martin a significant step away on the odds list.

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• Red Bull 1.20

• Ferrari 6.00

• Aston Martin 9.00

• Mercedes 15.0

• Alpine 151

• Alfa Romeo 201

• Haas, McLaren 501

• Alpha Tauri, Williams 901

The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race

With a 100% record of Safety Car appearances in the two races held at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to date, the odds point to a very high chance of Bernd Maylander making another appearance on Sunday.

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• Yes 1.15

• No 4.75