F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix early predictions and Formula 1 betting tips

Formula 1 tips, best bets and analysis for the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah on Sunday.

Where to watch

Practice one Sky Sports F1, 2pm Friday
Practice two Sky Sports F1, 5pm Friday

Best bets

Lewis Hamilton podium finish
1pt 5-2 general

Preview

Just five days after packing up their equipment in Bahrain, the F1 teams are back in action on the other side of the Arabian peninsula for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.

There was hard evidence at Sakhir that several teams have struggled to get to grips with the new rules for 2022, and the very different machines on track as a result.

Mercedes, the constructors’ champions in each of the last eight years, were lucky to finish third and fourth having been off the pace all weekend.

They could fare better in Jeddah though, as although it’s a fast track like Bahrain, this week’s circuit features 27 corners, most of which are high speed.

In Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell lost most of their time in slow corners and at the end of the straights.

Despite the quick turnaround, the team will have made some tweaks to the car to make it less cumbersome, and Hamilton could be worth an early bet to make the podium again.

Reigning drivers’ champion Max Verstappen was in the hunt for the race win in Bahrain before a mechanical failure in the closing laps.
Worryingly for him, Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez also suffered an engine failure on the last lap.

This is the first year that Red Bull have built their own engine, with support from Honda, and with Pierre Gasly’s fiery exit added in, only one of the four Red Bull-powered cars finished the race in Bahrain.

While Mercedes and Red Bull had their issues, it was plain sailing for Ferrari, for whom Charles Leclerc scored their first victory since 2019, with Carlos Sainz making it a 1-2 for the Scuderia.

Furthermore, the Ferrari-powered Haas team scored their first points for 29 races while the Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and debutant Guanyou Zhou both finished in the top ten.

Sebastian Vettel missed the race with Covid and he could again be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg if he fails to produce a negative test.

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