Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 Predictions: Back Albon to finish in the points

The 24-race Formula 1 calendar gets underway this weekend with a Saturday race in Bahrain. 

Neil Monnery takes us through the event and offers up his Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 Predictions along with a couple of bets to ponder for the opening event of the season before a wheel is turned in anger at free practice on Thursday…

2023 was pretty mundane for those F1 fans who enjoy interest right at the front of the grid. The Red Bull was totally dominant and that car would only fail to win a solitary race between their two drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The former, winning no fewer than 19 times and the Dutchman is a heavy favourite to not only win this event, but run away with the Drivers Championship as well.

The only pre-season testing session took place last week at this very circuit and most pundits agree that once more, it is the Adrian Newey designed car that looks the class of the field. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his career but the sweeping changes of the RB20 compared to the RB19 did surprise many a pundit.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes went through their testing programmes with quiet confidence. The Scarlet cars in particular look to be a bit closer to the Red Bull's than they were a year ago.

Many eyes this season will be on two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard enjoyed an extremely strong start to his 2023 campaign, before the Aston Martin tailed off as other teams were able to develop their cars more successfully. A better timed pit stop in Monaco, could easily have seen him win that race.

With a seat at Mercedes in 2025 up for grabs along with a potential spot at Red Bull, should Sergio Perez not have his contract renewed, who wants and what does Alonso do next is one of the most intriguing off-track subplots that is expected to rumble through the early races of the year.

Bahrain Grand Prix Odds 2024:

It won’t shock anyone with any remote knowledge of Formula 1, that we make Max Verstappen the prohibitive favourite to win the opening race on the calendar.

The three-time World Champion is widely regarded as one of the three fastest drivers on the grid and has the best car underneath him. He enters race weekend as the 4/11 choice to see the chequered flag first.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc comes in next, all the way back at 9/1 with Verstappen’s teammate Perez a 14/1 shot. A trio of Brit’s are all available at 20/1 with Mercedes' colleagues George Russell and Lewis Hamilton along with McLaren’s Lando Norris available to back at that price before a wheel has been turned in free practice.

The rank outsider is Logan Sargeant, who comes in at a pretty hefty 1000/1 to shock the sport and romp home to glory on Saturday.

Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 TV Coverage:

As with every race on the Formula 1 calendar, every practice and qualifying session along with the race can be watched live on Sky Sports F1. Qualifying will take place from 4PM on Friday 1 March with the formation lap for the race starting at 3PM on Saturday afternoon.

Channel 4 will broadcast free-to-air highlights, with qualifying being shown from 7:30PM on Friday and the race show commencing at 7:50PM on Saturday evening.

Bet 1 - Alex Albon Points Finish @ 7/4

I can’t bet on who will win the race, as the odds for Max Verstappen are just so short. Until I see a tangible reason to go against him, then I think it is just best to avoid betting on who actually wins the race.

Therefore, going deep into the points finisher market provide better value and far more options. With F1 giving points out to anyone who finishes in the top-10 these days, it means that in all likelihood, one or two drivers from outside the five bigger teams will make their way into these positions.

One of the most interesting names out there at Evens or longer is the Williams man, Alex Albon. The Thai driver secured seven points finishes in 2023 and this edition of the car looked to be competitive in pre-season practice.

Despite having a contract with the English-based team, he would be a name both Mercedes and Red Bull would look at if he has another strong season. The 27-year-old certainly impressed many pundits with his driving last year and if the Williams has taken that step-forward in the pack, he is a good price to start the season with a top-10 finish in Bahrain.

Bet 2 - Charles Leclerc to finish on the podium @ Evens

If the Ferrari’s are a bit closer to the Red Bull’s heading into the season, as many people expect, then the chance to back their number one driver at even-money to finish in the top three feels like a worthwhile shot.

The Monégasque driver had a very nice finish to the 2023 season, finishing on the podium in all three of the final races in which he started (he failed to reach the start line in the São Paulo GP due to a hydraulics problem) but that is the type of consistency we know he’s more than capable of.

Fans of the scarlet cars will certainly head into this race with a little bit more confidence than they did throughout 2023 and if anyone is going to take the fight to Verstappen, Leclerc seems like the best bet.

You check follow the Formula 1 World Championship throughout the season with us at Betfred Insights. We will preview every race and bring you our best F1 Betting Tips ahead of every race weekend.