F1 Tips:
Overall Qualification Winner – Sergio Perez (E/W)
#WhatOddsPaddy – Red Bull to Win the Race & Charles Leclerc to Finish on the Podium
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
Well, it was fun while it lasted. After a competitive qualifying session that suggested Ferrari were ready to bring the fight to Red Bull, Max Verstappen sailed off into the distance for an utterly dominant victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.
That’s right, folks, just one race into the new Formula 1 season and it looks like we’re, unfortunately, in for a repeat of last year. If you like hearing the Dutch national anthem then you’re in for a treat…
It’s a good job there’s plenty of drama off the track and the gossip is set to continue as the circus heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, with the race once again taking place on Saturday.
Last year’s edition was one of three Grands Prix that Verstappen failed to win as Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez lived up to his ‘King of the Streets’ billing to take the chequered flag.
Can the Mexican deliver a repeat? Will Ferrari’s new rear wing work the magic and close the gap to Red Bull? Let’s bloomin’ hope so because we need some competition at the front of the grid!
I’ve run the rule over Paddy Power’s odds for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and picked out a few fancies. Let’s get into gear and head on over!
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Qualifying: Friday 5pm
Race: Saturday 5pm
TV: Sky Sports F1
Overall Qualification Winner – Sergio Perez (E/W)
It’s a selection that comes with a bit of danger because Sergio Perez is hardly the greatest over one lap, but his qualifying record at Jeddah makes me think it’s worth taking a chance on the three places on offer.
The Mexican qualified fifth in 2021 (but was fastest in Q1) before taking pole position in 2022 and 2023, although a mechanical issue saw Max Verstappen crash out in Q2 last year.
Ferrari remain the principal danger to Red Bull over a single lap and Charles Leclerc has qualified second in the last two years, while Carlos Sainz is also handy around Jeddah, but Perez should be in the mix to take top spot on the grid.
Red Bull to Win the Race & Charles Leclerc to Finish on the Podium
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is one of Sergio Perez’s better chances to take the chequered flag in 2024 and Max Verstappen is, well, Max Verstappen. Red Bull have won 39 of the last 45 races and it would be a surprise if they cannot make that 40 at Jeddah.
Assuming the gremlins that plagued Charles Leclerc in Bahrain have been ironed out, the Ferrari man looks the most likely non-Red Bull driver on the grid to fill a podium spot.
Leclerc converted second place on the grid to a second-place finish in 2022 and recovered from 12th – after a 10-place penalty – to come home in seventh last year so it is clearly a track that he likes.
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
‘Tipping a Haas, have you lost your mind?’ Sure, it’s my least confident selection of the three but there’s a bit of logic to my madness.
Nico Hülkenberg delivered a mighty effort to qualify 10th in last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix so Haas have not lost their pace over one lap. Damage sustained on the first lap wrecked his race but he recovered to finish 16th and the data suggests the VF-24 does not burn through its tyres like its predecessor. Team-mate Kevin Magnussen also had a decent opener, going from 15th to 12th, so the car’s long-run pace might actually be competitive.
Rewind a year and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was one of the few races Haas managed to score points. Magnussen came home 10th and Hülkenberg was 13th, although the selection started higher on the grid and Haas’ potential for better race pace means he could keep his place this time.
The obvious problem is that Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin have the best cars at the moment and we’ll need one of their drivers to have a stinker, but the potential for a safety car would mix up the running order.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Tips:
Overall Qualification Winner – Sergio Perez (E/W)
#WhatOddsPaddy – Red Bull to Win the Race & Charles Leclerc to Finish on the Podium
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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