Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
Location: Manama, Bahrain
Course: Bahrain International Circuit
Course Length: 5.41km
Laps: 57
Race Preview
The 2024 Formula 1 season gets underway with this week's Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, the first of a record 24 total races scheduled for the season. Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing dominated the series in 2023 and are intent on getting off the mark quickly and doing so again. In fact, Verstappen has tallied double-digits in the wins column each of the last three seasons, setting a new bar least year with a whopping 19 total victories. Early indications from last week's preseason testing suggest he and Red Bull are still the team to beat this year, too. However, fans can have some optimism as it looks like Ferrari may have closed some of that gap while Mercedes still have room to grow into their new car as the season progresses. With no driver changes from last season to this one, everyone continues chasing Red Bull and Verstappen, though. This weekend, he will be aiming for his second Bahrain Grand Prix win after winning for the first time there last season to start his championship bid on perfect footing. Every new season brings unknowns and surprises, though. The gap to Red Bull is a big one, but fans will get their first real chance to see if anyone has caught them this week in the first round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Key Stats at Bahrain International Speedway
- Races: 20
- Winners from pole: 9
- Winners from top-5 starters: 20
- Winners from top-10 starters: 20
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 209.143 kph
Previous 10 Bahrain Winners
2023 - Max Verstappen
2022 - Charles Leclerc
2021 - Lewis Hamilton
2020 second - Sergio Perez
2020 first - Lewis Hamilton
2019 - Lewis Hamilton
2018 - Sebastian Vettel
2017 - Sebastian Vettel
2016 - Nico Rosberg
2015 - Lewis Hamilton
The Bahrain International Circuit has been on the Formula 1 calendar since 2004. Multiple configurations of the track have been used in the past, but the character of the track is largely the same as it always has been. The current formation is a 5.4 kilometer lap distance with 15 turns. Like many tracks designed by Hermann Tilke, long straights separate tigher turns to encourage passing. Another characteristic of Tilke designed circuits are the wide surface areas, giving drivers plenty of room to maneuver their cars. Being the first of a new season, while the track is a known quantity, the new car designs are not. Leading the pack in preseason testing at the circuit was Red Bull Racing, though. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise given how dominant they were in 2023. Max Verstappen will be the favorite to win, but Ferrari and Charles Leclerc may have closed some of their deficit to the front. With new cars across the board, attrition will likely be higher than normal in the first race or two. The first true indication of the running order will come from qualifying, and fantasy players will want to delay finalizing their lineups until that picture becomes more clear.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Max Verstappen - $16,000
Charles Leclerc - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Sergio Perez - $9,600
Lewis Hamilton - $9,200
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
George Russell - $8,000
Daniel Ricciardo - $5,600
Alex Albon - $4,200
DraftKings Constructor Values
Red Bull Racing - $14,000
Ferrari - $9,400
Mercedes - $8,800
RB - $4,000
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
Team Captain - Daniel Ricciardo - $8,400
Max Verstappen - $16,000
George Russell - $8,000
Alex Albon - $4,200
Zhou Guanyu - $4,000
Constructor - Ferrari - $9,400
While Max Verstappen is the favorite, that means his price as team captain is almost prohibative. Since it is early in the season and there are many unknowns, it may make sense to take one of the better performers from preseason testing in the slot, like Daniel Ricciardo. The rebranded RB team had good mileage with relatively little mechanical trouble. In addition to the laps made, Ricciardo had the car inside the top five consistently. For those reasons, we're selecting Ricciardo as captain this week. However, every winning roster need some Red Bull and Verstappen. The three-time defending champion's price point is much more digestible here versus in the captain spot.
The meat of the Bahrain lineup is headed by George Russell in the Mercedes. Russell nearly won at Bahrain when substituting for teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2020 when he led 59 laps. He finished fourth and seventh in his last two starts at the track, and with encouraging news on the new car, Russell could be a good option this weekend. This is especially true knowing that 2024 will be the last season with Hamilton as his teammate. Next, Alex Albon impressed many times in 2023. While the team is taking a different approach with its car for this season, their initial problems appear to have been sorted out by the end of last week's testing. The Williams, and Albon in particular, had some of the fastest top speeds throughout last season and they expect the same this year while also addressing some of the weaknesses that held them back. That combination could be valuable for him on Bahrain's long straights. At the lowest end of the price range, Zhou Guanyu could make an enticing selection for this week. The rebranded Kick Sauber team had its share of early problems in testing, but Zhou put the car third in the order and clocked an impressive 85 laps. It is an all new car and team branding, and Zhou is hoping to make a splash with some top performance to go along with it.
Finally, we've said earlier that Ferrari appears to have made some progress over their 2023 reach in testing. Both drivers were fast in testing and the car clocked the second-highest mileage throughout the sessions. This is all good news for the Italian outfit. This is also good news for fantasy players, who should opt for Ferrari as a team versus trying to discern a difference between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. as individual drivers. That ranking can come later in the season when we get some insight into the pair on track under race conditions.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Race Winner - Mx Verstappen -360, Charles Leclerc +1000
Winning Constructor - Red Bull Racing -400, Ferrari +600
Winning Margin - Over 10 seconds +175
Safety Car - No +135
Verstappen and Red Bull Racing are the clear early favorites. The reigning champion won this race last season and the squad was at the top in testing, too. The biggest question is who will be closest to challenging them. Early indications would suggest Ferrari. It could be a toss up to choose between Leclerc and Sainz this week, so those looking for an alternative to Red Bull and Verstappen should consider taking Ferrari as a long shot to win. It is the first race of the year and reliability could strike at any time, which means Red Bull may be at their most vulnerable right now.
With Verstappen and Red Bull's domination, the margin of victory continues to be big. While the new season could bring a closure in that gap, the chasm remains extremely large. If Red Bull is as strong as early indications would suggest, Verstappen could win by a wide margin. For that reason, fans should look at the greater than 10-seconds option.
Finally, the first race of the season often brings some surprises. Those surprises can include safety cars. However, there were no cautions in this race last season and only one in 2022. The wide surface and relatively good reliability of cars at this point in the rules cycle would suggest an overal lower risk of cautions appearing this week.
