Max Verstappen's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix got a little more complicated on Saturday. The Drivers' Champion will start 15th but our F1 betting picks make the case for another race win for the Dutchman.
In this era of Red Bull dominance, stretching back to the second half of last season, I frequently have to get creative or take on extra risk in order to bet on a team and driver so far ahead of the competition. Not so much after Saturday's quali.
Verstappen's Q2 exit has left him with work to do, make no mistake, but he will be able to successfully carve through the field. After absolutely crushing everyone in Bahrain — his teammate and Sunday's pole-sitter Sergio Perez included — Verstappen started this weekend by doing the same. Free practice, which going back to last year has frequently seen Verstappen and Red Bull grapple with the car until they find the correct setup, wasn't competitive. He topped all three sessions and, crucially, had a huge pace advantage over Perez, who only managed to get within 0.48 seconds of his teammate.
Verstappen's Q1 pace, before the drive shaft issue, was the most encouraging sign as it relates to tomorrow's race. Perez set the second-quickest time in Q1, with a 1:29.244 — only one of three drivers to crack 1:29.300 — but it wasn't even close to Verstappen, who set a fast lap of 1:28.761. Last year, in a much more competitive field, Verstappen won from 15th in Belgium — and it took him just 12 laps to take the lead. In Hungary, at a circuit not dissimilar to Jeddah as far as width and overtaking opportunities, he won from 10th.
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