He's baaaacccckkkk: Bryce's Bets for F1 season opener at Bahrain

Our Bryce Kelly is like all drivers on the F1 grid: he wants a better season than last year. Get ready to pull out your wallet and lay down some money!

Welcome back! After a few months off, Formula One is back with the opening round of the year. There are many storylines coming into the 2023 season.

Can Max Verstappen win his third title in a row? The Red Bull rocket has looked very quick so far in testing and in qualifying, as it has locked out the front row with Verstappen in first and teammate Sergio Perez in second.

How well can Fernando Alonso do? The 41-year-old Spaniard has looked very quick in testing and topped the charts in free practice No. 2. However, he didn’t have the ace in his Aston Martin in qualifying and is lined up fifth.

What is the depth of McLaren’s despair? The British team has admitted they don't have the pace and it showed. Rookie Oscar Piastri is lined up in 18th place and Lando Norris is lined up in 11th. If McLaren can get points this weekend it will be a welcome sight.

Can Ferrari challenge Red Bull? After a year of reliability issues, Ferrari is back and wasn’t off to a good start in Q3 in qualifying. Charles Leclerc was unable to get out for a flying lap in qualifying because of a technical issue and is starting third on the grid.

Now let’s get into the picks! All of these odds are courtesy of SI Sportsbook:

Charles Leclerc Podium-138

Leclerc was unable to get out for a flying lap because of a technical issue and is starting third on the grid. He has a nice cushion behind him in his teammate Carlos Sainz who should hold off anyone from behind for a little bit.

The driver from Monaco does have the pace to get second, so Leclerc is a good play here.

Nico Hulkenberg Points Finish-120

Hulkenberg is back since his last full season in 2020. He’s been one of the most consistent midfield drivers throughout his career and it looks like he will be once again with Haas. Hulkenberg has shown good pace and could’ve had a better grid spot but didn’t set a time in Q3. Bet on Hulkenberg to bring the car home and avoid any drama that happens ahead of him.

Lando Norris Points Finish-111

The McLaren is slow but Norris is one of the best drivers in the field. He rarely crashes and almost always scores points. Bet on Norris here to sneak into the top ten as it’s possible Lance Stroll struggles to maintain his pace ahead of Norris with Stroll’s broken arm. Norris is starting 11 and could easily get some points if something happens in front of him.

Max Verstappen Fastest Lap+120

This bet has the simplest logic: Verstappen is the fastest driver in the fastest car so he should have the fastest lap. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. The fastest lap gives the driver an extra championship point so if second or third place is all alone, that driver could come in for new tires and steal the point away.

I don’t see that happening because the field should be bunched up in the opening race, especially in the top ten. So bet on Verstappen here with plus odds to get the job done.

Best of luck betting and enjoy the race! Be sure to go to autoracingdigest.com for all your motorsports needs and follow @AutoRaceDigest on Twitter.