The first Middle Eastern swing of the 2025 Formula 1 calendar concludes with a trip to Jeddah for a Saudi Grand Prix that promises plenty of intrigue this weekend.
McLaren sent out a statement in Bahrain last weekend with Oscar Piastri’s dominant performance, showing that both papaya clad drivers will be in the mix every single weekend this season.
Elsewhere Max Verstappen will be hoping for an improvement on his sixth place last week while George Russel has quietly impressed with three podiums from his four starts this season.
Last year it was Verstappen recording a comfortable win to set the platform for his world title winning campaign, but can the Dutchman and Red Bull keep pace with a much more competitive field this time around?
Find our previews and best bets for this weekend’s race below.
Track Stats
- Direction: Anti-Clockwise
- Lap Distance: 6.174km
- Total Laps: 50
- Race Distance: 308.45km
- Lap Record: 1:30.734 (Lewis Hamilton, 2021)
- 2024 Podium: Max Verstappen (RBR), Sergio Perez (RBR), Charles Leclerc (FER)
- Most Event Wins: Max Verstappen (2022 and 2024)
Race Winner
There are two possible angles to take with this race, and it’s either choosing one McLaren driver to win or backing another team.
Given how fast Piastri looked in Sakhir, he is very tough to back against but Lando Norris will have plenty to say as he chases his first win since Melbourne and fifth consecutive podium appearance of 2025.
However the Brit does not have the best record in Jeddah, finishing tenth, seventh, 17th and eighth in the four stagings of this event.
Both will occupy the podium but Piastri might just have the edge at this early stage of the season and it is too early to expect team orders to come into play.
Oscar Piastri to Win @ $2.40
Winning Margin
The only major competition for the McLaren drivers may come from within the team garage, as none of the other teams appear capable of putting together a strong enough race to compete over the 300+ kilometres.
Just like the previous market, Piastri looked so much faster than anyone else last weekend I’m happy to back him to record another massive victory.
11 or More Seconds @ $2.40
Podium Finish
As it stands only four drivers have occupied the podium placings this season with the McLaren duo, Max Verstappen and George Russell holding down the top four.
Russell has been in the mix without troubling the top step in each race with a pair of third place finishes and a second, while Verstappen has a second and a first and is always going to be in the mix just because he is a damn good driver.
While Norris is yet to miss the podium this season, there is a bit of value to be had backing the “other” two guys to spray the (non-alcoholic) champagne post race with Piastri.
Max Verstappen Podium @ $2.25
George Russell Podium Finish @ $2.25
SGM: Piastri, Verstappen, Russell Podium @ $14.59
Points Finish
Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon continue to be undervalued in this market, with the drivers at the very least a 50-50 shot of finishing in the top ten.
Ocon has a fifth and an eighth place on his record this year while Gasly is just coming off his best performance of the season.
The Alpine driver has three points finishes from four starts in Jeddah and has outperformed his car on plenty of occasions.
Meanwhile Ocon has a similar record and posted an impressive fourth place in the inaugural running of this race in 2021.
Pierre Gasly Points Finish @ $2.20
Esteban Ocon Points Finish @ $3.25
Number of Finishers
After the opening weekend chaos in Melbourne where just 14 drivers finished the race, it has been relatively tame on the track.
In the three races since then, we have had more post-race disqualifications than in-race retirements.
Which means there is only one play to take in this market, and that is once again backing the majority of the field to finish.
Sure it would be fun seeing a couple of drivers send their cars into the wall in one of the narrow segments (looking at you Lawson and Stroll), but these drivers have had their warm up races and now have their eyes in.
Over 18.5 Finishers @ $3.50
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Same Game Multi
Piastri Race Win, Norris Points Finish, Tsunoda and Gasly Points Finish @ $13.02