The 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix takes place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this Saturday. Max Verstappen is favored to win the second race at odds of just -375. But this is one of the races that the World Champion didn’t win in 2023. In our latest Formula 1 betting picks, we tell you if Verstappen will put that record straight this weekend.
This weekend sees Round 2 of the 2024 Formula 1 season take place. The race is the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, held on the Jeddah street circuit, widely regarded to be the fastest road circuit on the F1 calendar.
Twelve months ago, Sergio Perez won the 2023 race. The Red Bull No.2 also started in pole position, from where he held off his teammate Max Verstappen to complete the first of his two wins in 2023.
So, what chance of Perez upsetting the odds again in 2024? Let’s take a look.
It’s fair to say that the bookmakers don’t see any shocks coming this weekend. In the opening race of the season, Max Verstappen was -325 to win the Bahrain Grand Prix. This week, the best Formula 1 betting sites make Max Verstappen their odds-on favorite to win the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at -375.
In fairness, given his domination last Saturday, it’s slightly surprising that Verstappen isn’t shorter odds. But with this being a circuit that suited Sergio Perez in 2023, the bookmakers haven’t slashed his odds quite as much as they might have for this weekend.
Unlike last weekend, this week, Sergio Perez is the second favorite. Perez is +1100, just ahead of Charles Leclerc at +1200. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz is next at +1600.
The rest of the drivers deemed to be in with a chance of a podium finish are Lando Norris (+1800), Lewis Hamilton (+2500), George Russell (+3300), Oscar Piastri (+4000), and Fernando Alonso (+5000).
Full 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix betting is on our Las Vegas odds table. We have taken the odds from the best sportsbooks for Formula 1 betting.
| Drivers |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | -375 | -375 | -375 |
| Sergio Perez | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Carlos Sainz | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Lando Norris | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| George Russell | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Oscar Piastri | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Lance Stroll | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Alex Albon | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Logan Sargeant | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Guanyu Zhou | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
Depending on whether you are a Max Verstappen fan or not will depend on your view on this issue. As neutrals, we find it disappointing, but it would appear that the 2024 Drivers’ Championship is already a foregone conclusion.
The best F1 betting sites have now cut Max Verstappen to -800 to win the 2024 Drivers’ Championship. The triple-world champion was -375 at the end of last season. After preseason testing, he was cut to -700. Now, after strolling to victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen is just -800 to win the championship for a fourth successive season.
The most interesting F1 futures market this year already looks to be betting to win the Drivers’ Championship without Max Verstappen. In that, Sergio Perez is -120, with Charles Leclerc second at +300.
Back to this Saturday’s race, and with Verstappen so short in the betting to win, we’re looking for some alternative picks.
In the head-to-head markets, there are some interesting matchups. As you would expect, Max Verstappen is heavily favored to finish ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen is -600, with Perez at +400. Perez finished more than five seconds ahead of Verstappen here last year. Any takers at -600?
Against the rest of the field, Max Verstappen is -375, with any other driver to win the race at +275.
Looking at the Mercedes matchup, Lewis Hamiton (-125) is favored to beat George Russell (-105). In the McLaren head-to-head, Lando Norris (-225) is expected to beat Oscar Piastri (+180). And Fernando Alonso (-450) has even shorter odds to beat Lance Stroll (+325) in the battle of the Aston Martins.
The matchup that caught our eye in this market involves the two Ferraris. Charles Leclerc is -130 to finish ahead of Carlos Sainz (+100). Sainz had the better time of the two drivers in Bahrain last Saturday, taking third place ahead of Leclerc by over 14 seconds.
It’s fair to say that Leclerc didn’t enjoy Bahrain. His car caused him no end of problems, and with Ferrari saying it was his breaks, it appears to have been an isolated incident that shouldn’t be an issue this weekend.
If all is good with Leclerc’s car, we can see him finishing ahead of Carlos Sainz, and we make that our opening betting pick.
Max Verstappen will probably win. But with the world champion not having his way at this circuit 12 months ago, it is hard to justify betting on him to win at odds of -375.
So instead, for our betting pick to win the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, we are backing the field to win against Max Verstappen at +275.
See below the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
