Formula 1 picks, odds, start time, grid: 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix ...

The 2024 Formula One season will begin on Saturday with the Bahrain Grand Prix 2024. Record-breaking driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull is F1's defending champion and also won this race last season. The 2024 Bahrain GP will start at 10 a.m. ET from Bahrain International Circuit, with drivers competing over 57 laps at the 3.363-miles track. Verstappen is the -275 favorite (risk $275 to win $100) to repeat as winner, according to the latest 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix odds. Lewis Hamilton, who is set to leave Mercedes at the end of the season, has won this race five times previously and is at +800 in the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix starting grid.

Other top 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix contenders include Red Bull's Sergio Perez (+1200) and Mercedes' George Russell (+1400). Before analyzing the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix starting grid and making any Formula 1 picks, be sure to check out the latest 2024 Bahrain GP predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven projection model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary Formula 1 prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results. It's had a strong history of success in motorsports, correctly predicting nine NASCAR winners since the 2021 season and its projected leaderboards have forecasted winners across multiple racing formats.

The model has been scorching hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 race events dating back to 2021. It nailed both of Charles Leclerc's wins in 2022, and at the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix, the model was strongly backing Verstappen as its top pick. The result: Verstappen dominated the field and ran away with a surprise victory. 

The model followed that up by calling Verstappen's win at the Rolex Emilia Romagna GP in April and then nailed his wins again in Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Abu Dhabi. It's also nailed all 19 of Verstappen's wins during the 2023 season. Anyone who followed the model's lead on those plays has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix and just released its coveted picks and leaderboard projections. You can head to SportsLine now to see the complete 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain GP predictions

One surprise: The model is fading Russell even though he's one of the top favorites. After improving in the F1 standings for three straight years, Russell took a step back in 2023. He finished eighth after placing fourth in 2022, and he made just two podiums after eight the previous season. His car also let him down at times as he had three retirements, while he finished in seventh place last year at Bahrain.

It was the fifth time that Russell raced the circuit, and he's still searching for his first podium, much less a victory. The Englishman has never led for a single lap at Bahrain, nor has he ever had the fastest lap at the track. Mercedes' success at Bahrain has been limited, to the most part, to Hamilton, as Russell has an average finish of 10.4 at Bahrain International Circuit over his career. After last year's Bahrain GP, Russell said Mercedes was "a long way behind", so it would be wise to see what improvements the team has made this year before investing in Russell at his short odds. See who else the model is backing and fading at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix right here.

How to make 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix picks

Instead, the model is also targeting two drivers going off at longer than 25-1 to make surprising surges up the leaderboard. Anyone who backs them could hit it big. You can find out who they are, and see all of the model's F1 picks and predictions, at SportsLine.

So who wins the Bahrain Grand Prix 2024, and which under-the-radar drivers make stunning charges toward the front? Check out the latest 2024 F1 odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix leaderboard, all from the model that has already nailed all 19 of Verstappen's wins last season, and find out.

2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix odds, field, top contenders

See F1 Bahrain Grand Prix picks at SportsLine.

Max Verstappen -275Lewis Hamilton +800Sergio Perez +1200George Russell +1400Charles Leclerc +1600Carlos Sainz +2800Fernando Alonso +2800Lando Norris +4000Oscar Piastri +5000Daniel Ricciardo +20000Lance Stroll +25000Yuki Tsunoda +25000Alexander Albon +50000Logan Sargeant +100000Esteban Ocon +150000Guanyu Zhou +150000Valtteri Bottas +150000Pierre Gasly +150000Kevin Magnussen +250000Nico Hulkenberg +250000