Verstappen and Alonso Lead Dominant Practice Sessions At Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix marks the second race of the season, and after two practice sessions, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso look dominant. Verstappen led both the blazing hot FP1 session and the cooler FP2 that took place after the sun went down.

The Red Bull driver is the favorite to win his second-consecutive race of the season, according to the latest Formula One odds. However, Fernando Alonso looks poised to fight for another podium spot and put Aston Martin on the map this season.

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Odds

Alpine Performs Well At Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Practice Sessions

So far this season, a lot of the focus has been on Red Bull and Aston Martin. That’s no shocker. Verstappen seems to be the clear favorite to win another title just one race in, and the Aston Martin’s speed has lived up to the pre-season hype.

However, you can’t ignore the middle of the pack. Alpine had decent showings during both the FP1 and FP2 sessions at Jeddah. While the Alpine wasn’t as fast in the high temps, with Gasly securing P8 and his teammate Ocon getting P12, things turned around when the floodlights turned on. Ocon secured P4, and Gasly secured P6 in the day’s second practice session.

The Alpine cars were quick on the medium tires and were both in the top five with forty minutes to go in the practice session. These drivers also want to bounce back from Bahrain. Ocon dealt with a slew of time penalties in the first race of the season which hindered him from making a big splash after qualifying P9. Gasly, on the other hand, had an impressive battle to P9 after starting P20.

Saudi Arabia provides a fresh start for both drivers to set themselves up for success early.

I like both Alpine drivers to record points in the race at +120 at BetMGM Sportsbook.

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Verstappen To Record Fastest Lap

Verstappen was the fastest in Bahrain and the fastest in both practice sessions in Saudi Arabia. The car looks good, and there’s no reason to think he’s slowing down anytime soon.

However, Verstappen feels the rest of the pack will be much closer this time around. The track in Saudi Arabia isn’t as hard on tires as in Bahrain, which gives his competitors a better chance to close the gap.

“We are closer to each other but it’s more because of just managing the tyres. They don’t really let you push here at the moment, so with a low-deg circuit then I think the lap times are all very close. So, it’s definitely not like Bahrain.”

That being said, I like Max Verstappen to record the fastest lap in the race at +140 at BetMGM Sportsbook. Having competitors close behind is even more reason for Verstappen to push the Red Bull to its limits in terms of speed.

2023 F1 Championship Odds