The Jeddah Corniche Circuit presents a sharp contrast to last week’s Bahrain International Circuit. This week’s track is tighter, with high-speed corners, rapid changes of direction and long flat-out sections compared to Bahrain’s three drag-reduction-system zones. Expect a different style of racing in Saudi Arabia.
Qualifying Matters — A Lot
Qualifying positions are more predictive here than at most other circuits. Only Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has made podium from outside the top three qualifying positions — he finished second in 2023 after he started P15 and he went from P 4 to P1 in ’22.
Since 2021, top-three qualifiers have stayed on the podium 83.3% of the time. Pole qualifiers have made podium 75% of the time and 75% of top-five qualifiers finished in the top five.
Rebound for Verstappen
Verstappen is coming off his worst performance of the season — _P6 in Bahrain — after starting seventh. He reported issues with his brakes and Red Bull’s light system failed to work during his first pit stop.
“We had a poor start,” Verstappen said this week. “Too much wheelspin when I dropped the clutch, and then the first stint again [I had] basically the same problems that I had in Qualifying, plus we were just overheating our tires too much compared to the competition ahead of us.”
We expect Red Bull to rebound since tire ware shouldn’t be an issue this week and Verstappen has been successful in Saudi Arabia the last four years. He won the race in 2022 and ’24 while he finished P2 in 2021 and 2023.
He comes in at +105 to make podium and is our favorite longshot to win the race at +1100.
Don’t Sleep on Mercedes
We haven’t written a lot about Mercedes this year, but George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are racing well. Their 93 combined points are the second most among teammates behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (151). Russell is No. 4 in the standings after four races with 63 points and Antonelli’s 30 points rank No. 6.
Russell had his best race of the season in Bahrain and finished P2. He’s made podium in three of the four races this season — he finished P5 in Japan.
Mercedes double top-six finish comes in at -125.
McLaren vs. McLaren
McLaren has been off to a hot start this season as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only drivers with 70+ points. Norris’ 77 points lead the standings and Piastri’s 74 are second.
Piastri is coming off his second win of the season in Bahrain (he also won in China), while Norris grabbed third.
Betting on McLaren is usually a tossup, but the market favors Piastri this week given he’s outperformed Norris on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit each of the last two races. Piastri finished P4 in 2024 and P15 in ’23 while Norris came in at P8 and P17.
A chaotic rest period ensued in the world of Formula 1 with Liam Lawson switching seats with Yuki Tsunoda, after only two races. The fanfare seems like a distant memory as we ready ourselves for round 3 of the Championship. Lando Norris leads the F1 Japanese Grand Prix pre-event odds, closely followed by his teammate …
Formula 1 racing returns to the 305 this weekend, with Lando Norris desperate to retain his crown at this circuit. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, lands in Florida as the F1 Miami Grand Prix pre-event favorite, but he has never finished inside the top 10 in this race. Max Verstappen lines up with the best …
The DHL F1 plane touches down in Doha this week to deliver the penultimate race of the season over Thanksgiving weekend. Max Verstappen starts the weekend as the newly crowned driver’s champion, but the Qatar GP pre-event odds fancy Lando Norris for the win on the Arabian peninsula. After reading, check out our partner …
As the dust settles over the Circuit of the Americas, the F1 circus doesn’t pause for breath, already turning its gaze towards the iconic turns of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Austin race was nothing short of spectacular, where Max Verstappen showcased his tactical brilliance, carving his way from P6 to stand atop the podium …
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Betting Nuggets & Trends
Table of Contents
The Track
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit presents a sharp contrast to last week’s Bahrain International Circuit. This week’s track is tighter, with high-speed corners, rapid changes of direction and long flat-out sections compared to Bahrain’s three drag-reduction-system zones. Expect a different style of racing in Saudi Arabia.
Qualifying Matters — A Lot
Qualifying positions are more predictive here than at most other circuits. Only Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has made podium from outside the top three qualifying positions — he finished second in 2023 after he started P15 and he went from P 4 to P1 in ’22.
Since 2021, top-three qualifiers have stayed on the podium 83.3% of the time. Pole qualifiers have made podium 75% of the time and 75% of top-five qualifiers finished in the top five.
Rebound for Verstappen
Verstappen is coming off his worst performance of the season — _P6 in Bahrain — after starting seventh. He reported issues with his brakes and Red Bull’s light system failed to work during his first pit stop.
“We had a poor start,” Verstappen said this week. “Too much wheelspin when I dropped the clutch, and then the first stint again [I had] basically the same problems that I had in Qualifying, plus we were just overheating our tires too much compared to the competition ahead of us.”
We expect Red Bull to rebound since tire ware shouldn’t be an issue this week and Verstappen has been successful in Saudi Arabia the last four years. He won the race in 2022 and ’24 while he finished P2 in 2021 and 2023.
He comes in at +105 to make podium and is our favorite longshot to win the race at +1100.
Don’t Sleep on Mercedes
We haven’t written a lot about Mercedes this year, but George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are racing well. Their 93 combined points are the second most among teammates behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (151). Russell is No. 4 in the standings after four races with 63 points and Antonelli’s 30 points rank No. 6.
Russell had his best race of the season in Bahrain and finished P2. He’s made podium in three of the four races this season — he finished P5 in Japan.
Mercedes double top-six finish comes in at -125.
McLaren vs. McLaren
McLaren has been off to a hot start this season as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only drivers with 70+ points. Norris’ 77 points lead the standings and Piastri’s 74 are second.
Piastri is coming off his second win of the season in Bahrain (he also won in China), while Norris grabbed third.
Betting on McLaren is usually a tossup, but the market favors Piastri this week given he’s outperformed Norris on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit each of the last two races. Piastri finished P4 in 2024 and P15 in ’23 while Norris came in at P8 and P17.
Piastri to win at +110 is the best McLaren bet.
Offer Score
Offer Score
Offer Score
Offer Score
Offer Score
Offer Score
Related Posts
Best Bets: F1 Japanese Grand Prix Pre-Event Odds Analysis
A chaotic rest period ensued in the world of Formula 1 with Liam Lawson switching seats with Yuki Tsunoda, after only two races. The fanfare seems like a distant memory as we ready ourselves for round 3 of the Championship. Lando Norris leads the F1 Japanese Grand Prix pre-event odds, closely followed by his teammate …
Best Bets: F1 Miami Grand Prix Pre-Event Odds Analysis
Formula 1 racing returns to the 305 this weekend, with Lando Norris desperate to retain his crown at this circuit. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, lands in Florida as the F1 Miami Grand Prix pre-event favorite, but he has never finished inside the top 10 in this race. Max Verstappen lines up with the best …
Victory for Verstappen: Qatar GP 2024 Pre-Event Odds Analysis
The DHL F1 plane touches down in Doha this week to deliver the penultimate race of the season over Thanksgiving weekend. Max Verstappen starts the weekend as the newly crowned driver’s champion, but the Qatar GP pre-event odds fancy Lando Norris for the win on the Arabian peninsula. After reading, check out our partner …
Best Bets: F1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2023 Pre-Event Odds
As the dust settles over the Circuit of the Americas, the F1 circus doesn’t pause for breath, already turning its gaze towards the iconic turns of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Austin race was nothing short of spectacular, where Max Verstappen showcased his tactical brilliance, carving his way from P6 to stand atop the podium …