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Bahrain Grand Prix Betting Tips
- Date: 5th March 2023
- Track: Bahrain International Circuit
- Most Wins: Lewis Hamilton (5)
- Race Length: 191.530 miles
- Laps: 57
- 2022 Winner: Charles Leclerc & Ferrari
- 2023 Favourite: Max Verstappen & Red Bull
Max Verstappen firmly stamped his authority on Formula 1 in 2022 and, as the lights get ready to go out on the new season in Bahrain this weekend, all eyes are on the all-conquering Red Bull driver.
Having fought tooth and nail with Lewis Hamilton to win his maiden championship in 2021, the Dutchman could scarcely have wished for a more comfortable defence as he won a record-breaking 15 out of 22 races to retain his crown.
And rather than bask in the glory of a Drivers and Constructors double, Red Bull appear to have improved on last year’s car with this season’s challenger, the RB19, looking very strong in pre-season testing.
Red Bull topped the timesheets during testing in Bahrain and, back at the same circuit, Verstappen is 4/5 to carry on from where he left off in 2022 by taking the first chequered flag of the year.
Tip 1: Red Bull tough to oppose
Red Bull are threatening total domination in Bahrain - they are even the favourites to have the fastest pit stop of the race - and it would take a brave individual to go against the Austrian team given the weight of opinion behind them.
The lack of confidence emanating from the garages of Ferrari and Mercedes post-testing won’t help those looking to take on Verstappen and co, with the Silver Arrows admitting it might be too early in the season for them to be challenging for race wins.
Ferrari will feel they might be able to cause Red Bull a few headaches, particularly in qualifying, but their testing results weren’t all that encouraging.
It is dangerous to read too much into pre-season testing though, as Red Bull found out in last year’s season-opener when recording a double DNF, anything can happen in the first race of the season.
Bahrain hasn’t been kind to Red Bull over the years with their last win at the venue coming in 2012 and, while hoping for an unpredictable race or Red Bull’s bad luck in Sakhir to continue may well be clutching at straws, it’s worth bearing in mind when examining the odds.
Both Red Bull Drivers On Podium @ 6/5
Tip 2: Alpine and Alfa eye Bahrain gains
There may be better value to be found looking further down the grid this weekend with Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu an intriguing prospect in the top-10 finish betting.
The Chinese driver enjoyed a positive debut season in the sport, his horror crash at Silverstone aside, and scored points on his debut in Bahrain.
Alfa look to have a car capable of competing for top-10 finishes this year and Zhou is one to keep an eye on in 2023, as is Alpine’s new arrival, Pierre Gasly.
Gasly has jumped ship from AlphaTauri to join the Renault works team and may make an immediate impact by scoring points on Sunday.
The Frenchman drove a largely uncompetitive car last year but has proven himself a capable racer in other years, previously scoring a win and two podiums.
Alpine have ambitions of challenging the established big three in F1 this year and having regularly run in the points last season, they’ll expect Gasly to be fighting for points from the off.
The man who replaced Gasly at AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries, will be looking to make an early impact and could win his personal duel with team mate Yuki Tsunoda.
The Dutch driver has enjoyed plenty of success in other classes of motorsport and could get the better of Tsunoda, who enters the season seemingly under a bit of pressure to keep his seat beyond 2023.