Last weekend’s opening F1 race was all thrills and spills as there was a big shakeup in the field. So let’s delve into how last week’s race could shape the betting to come this Sunday and what are our best bets for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Sunday, March 27, 2022 – 01:00 PM EDT at Jeddah Corniche Circuit
We witnessed an unusually exciting Bahrain GP as Charles Leclerc came across the finish line in first place. Despite starting the race as favorite, he was not favored previous to the qualifying stage. It’s not a surprise to see him leading the market again this weekend but there is better value to be found elsewhere.
Last time out, his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. managed to finish in second place thanks to then 2nd place and current world championship holder Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car dropping out of the race due to a failure in the fuel system. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez dropped out of the race two laps later with the same issue.
Play Now: $1,000 BMR 12-Week All Sports Challenge
Lewis Hamilton will be very happy with his 3rd placed podium finish given how poor his Mercedes had been all weekend. During preseason testing they also had major problems and team principal Toto Wolff has vowed to make his Mercedes fast this weekend in the Arabian desert.
Both Alfa Romeo managed a top-10 finish in Bahrain last weekend, bettering their result from last year and they will be looking to extend their top-10 streak this weekend.
Finally the last big shakeup that accorded in Bahrain was Kevin Magnussen’s return to Forunula1, where he managed to place his Haas in 5th place in the race. It was his tied best ever result in a F1 race.
*Odds available at BetOnline
*There has only ever been one race held in Saudi Arabia and this circuit.
We said last weekend one of the stable bets of the year was going to be Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda to both finish inside the top-10. Last weekend it almost paid off, with Gasly qualifying in 10th but dropping out on lap 44 due to a power unit issue. His teammate ended up finishing in 8th. A strong finish from the Japanese driver, who started the race in 16th.
Last season both drivers managed to finish inside the top-10 on this circuit, and although their cars are different to last year’s, we are still more than happy to bet them to finish inside the top-10 at +225.
These seem like a solid set of betting odds and Gasly will be determined to pick up some points after last weekend’s disaster.
Formula 1 Pick: Both Alpha Tauri Top-10 Finish (+225) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Every season things change in Formula 1. Teams who were bad one year will be good the next, or teams who were mediocre one season can become really good or really bad but the one team, over the past 10 years, who has been consistent has been the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton duo.
Check Out: Our 2022 Sportsbook Rating Guide
The Mercedes might not be the fastest car on the grid right now but that does not mean we can disrespect it and Hamilton, therefore we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the British driver was +250 for a podium finish. Bear in mind this very race last year he would have been in around -600 for a podium finish.
Despite not having the fastest car Hamilton always finds a way onto the podium, we won’t know for sure who holds all the aces until after qualifying but we will be shocked if the odds on this pick are not gone down after Saturdays qualifying.
Formula 1 Pick: Lewis Hamilton Top-3 Finish (+250) at The Best Online Sportsbooks
This is one of the best value plays we believe we have found this weekend at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. Over 15.5 drivers to be classified is currently coming in at odds of -110 at BetOnline.
This seems to be set a little low as we would have expected this to be over 16.5 drivers for the same odds. These days the number of classified drivers to finish a race is usually between 17/18 so to get essentially 15/16 is robbery, which we are more than happy to oblige.
Get Involved: Join the BMR Sports Betting Community
Last season, there were 5 non-classified drivers, which meant we still would have cashed this bet, and the reason there were so many was due to three drivers being involved in a collision that knocked them out of the race, another rare sight in F1 these days.
Last season just 1 of 22 races saw under 15.5 drivers classified, a 95% success rate. This line is so bizarre we are happy to lose this at these odds because in our eyes the value is off the charts, even over 16.5 classifieds could be worth half a unit at F1 odds of +160.
Formula 1 Pick: Over 15.5 Classified Drivers (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.