Bahrain Grand Prix Picks, Predictions, Odds: Max Verstappen Comfortably Favored

The 2023 Formula 1 season begins Sunday with the Bahrain Grad Prix and Max Verstappen is a heavy consensus favorite. Read on for our top F1 Bahrain Grand Prix picks and predictions based on the best odds.

A new season of Formula One racing begins this week as drivers take to the Bahrain International Circuit for Round 1 of the 2023 campaign. Max Verstappen enters the weekend as the favorite not only to win this race, but also to claim his third straight World Championship. He will attempt to hold off the field who have spent the entire offseason looking for ways to best him.

Last season, Charles Leclerc drove his Ferrari to a first-place finish six seconds in front of his teammate Carlos Sainz. However, Leclerc did spend a majority of that race in a battle with Verstappen for the lead.  

Here are our best bets and 2023 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix picks at the Bahrain International Circuit (odds via DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Bahrain Grand Prix picks to win

• Max Verstappen -120 (via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Charles Leclerc +400 (via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Lewis Hamilton +1000 (via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Picks made Thursday, March 2

Bahrain Grand Prix odds

Odds last updated Sunday, March 5 at 8:35 a.m. ET

Bahrain Grand Prix predictions

Max Verstappen (-120 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Once again, Verstappen sits atop the favorites to win an F1 race. Once again he is at minus odds while the rest of the field is above the ledger. The two-time defending World Champion is coming off a record-setting 15 wins in the 2022 season. In 22 races last season, the Red Bull star missed a podium finish only five times. 

Verstappen ended the first day of testing in Sakhir last week as the fastest car, picking up where he left off last season. He finished as the second fastest on day two. The defending champ sat out day three; however, his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, topped the charts.

While a bet on Verstappen is never a bad play, the knock on him this week is that a win on this track has eluded him. He does, however, have two runner-up finishes in six career starts on this circuit.

Charles Leclerc (+400 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐

Leclerc kicked off the 2022 season with a win in Bahrain. That win capped a 1-2 finish for Ferrari in the race. That win was one of three for the Monégasque driver last season, second only to Verstappen. This will be Leclerc’s seventh crack at this track. He brings with him an average finish of 8.7 into this race.

Leclerc and his team had two solid days of testing last month as he clocked in as the fourth fastest driver twice in the three-day period. He ran just 68 laps on the final day before pulling into the garage with the eighth-fastest lap of the day.

Last year, Leclerc started from the pole 10 times. He averaged a 5.3 finish on the year with six runner-up finishes. He will pose a major threat to the field should he grab the pole again this week and his +400 odds are a steal should he grab the win.

Lewis Hamilton (+1000 via Caesars) ⭐⭐

Hamilton has logged five career wins over 15 starts in Bahrain including three straight top finishes from 2019 to 2021. His 3.4 average finish mirrors his average starting position here which shows an impressive level of consistency on this track. While Hamilton failed to win a race last F1 season, he managed five second-place outings.

Mercedes struggled on the first two days of testing with Hamilton clocking in with the sixth fastest time on day one followed by the 15th fastest on day two. He managed to rebound nicely in the final day by posting the second-quickest lap to close the testing session.

At his current odds, Hamilton represents the best value to beat Verstappen and top the podium for the sixth time in his historic career. Grabbing him at 10/1 on Caesars is a steal considering his success on this track.

Bahrain Grand Prix info

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023, 10 a.m. ET
Location: Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
How to watch: ESPN
Defending winner: Charle Leclerc

Gulf Air Bahrain picks made 3/2/2023 at noon ET

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