Can Max Verstappen continue his winning streak in the Saudi Arabian GP or will Ferrari end his streak?

The 2024 F1 season has finally commenced. Fans had high expectations for this year considering the efforts put by teams to catch Red Bull. However, it was Max Verstappen who emerged victorious at the season-opener. The reigning world champion brought home a 1-2 finish for Milton Keynes with Sergio Perez in second.

Ferrari seemed to have a decent pace at the Bahrain GP last weekend in Qualifying. However, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc could only manage to finish third and fourth respectively. On the other hand, Mercedes and McLaren failed to be any real threats to the front-runners despite some good pace from the Silver Arrows early on.

Certainly, fans would be hoping for a more exciting race this weekend at the Saudi Arabian GP. The Jeddah Street Circuit is a vastly different track compared to Bahrain which could allow rivals to get closer to Max Verstappen. This article delves into the possible results for the upcoming race in Jeddah.

Here are the predictions for the Saudi Arabian GP

Who will win the Saudi Arabian GP?

Ferrari and Mercedes have high expectations for 2024. Charles Leclerc’s Q2 lap at Sakhir was faster than Max Verstappen’s pole lap time. Subsequently, many reckon that Ferrari might have more pace in the SF24 this year and could potentially match Verstappen and Red Bull. Bahrain’s Sakhir International Circuit was not the best suited to Maranello’s car with Leclerc suffering brake issues.

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah street circuit is far different from Sakhir. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc had an incredible battle on this track in 2022. As such, fans could expect to see a similar fight for the race this year. Although, it seems that Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz might outshine the Monegasque driver after an impressive result last weekend.

However, Max Verstappen remains the favorite to win the Saudi Arabian GP. The three-time world champion dominated the 2023 F1 season. The Dutch driver has carried his stellar form this year with a 22 lead at the Bahrain GP. Certainly, the 26-year-old feels at home behind the wheel of the RB-20. This places Verstappen in prime position to win the race.

It must be noted that F1 street circuits are notorious for red flags and safety cars. An incident on track could create the perfect opportunity to shake up the pecking order and potentially let rivals get past Verstappen for the win.

Who will finish in the points in the Saudi Arabian GP?

The F1 grid is closer than ever in 2024. The new ground-effect regulations have bunched up the ten teams. This could create another exciting fight in the midfield, similar to last season. Moreover, it seems that even the likes of the Sauber-run Stake F1 team and Haas might be in the running for points.

Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes will undoubtedly be in the points unless their drivers face issues. This leaves only four spots to score points. Moreover, Lando Norris‘s McLaren and Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin are not far behind the Silver Arrows in the pecking order.

Considering the pace of the ten teams in pre-season testing and the Bahrain GP, the Top 10 in Jeddah might follow the last weekend with five teams scoring points. However, the nature of the race will leave ample room for a driver to make up places. VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo would be the favorite to make gains during a chaotic stage of the race due to his vast experience.

Nico Hulkenberg made it to the Top 10 for the race start at the Bahrain GP. Despite Haas’ low expectations for the early half of 2024, the German driver could once again surprise the paddock with a good performance in Qualifying. The 36-year-old might even grab a chance to score a couple of points for the American team.

Another name who could make his mark in Saudi Arabia is Alex Albon. The 27-year-old has delivered some impressive results for Williams in the past two seasons. The Grove-based squad is confident with its latest challenger which could allow Albon to potentially make it to the points in Jeddah.

Unfortunately, it is likely that teams outside the top 5 in the standings after the Bahrain GP would need to rely on safety cars or red flags to make it to the top ten this weekend.

Who will be at the dead end in the Saudi Arabian GP?

The Haas F1 team finished last in the standings last season. After a major management shakeup with the exit of Guenther Steiner, the American team was expected to be the slowest this season. However, Hulkenberg’s P10 in Qualifying brought some hope for the team.

The Stake F1 team will soon become the Audi Works team. However, the Swiss-based team has failed to break into the F1 midfield for the past few seasons. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have struggled to deliver consistent results with Bottas failing to replicate his Mercedes form. This could force the Sauber-run team to finish near the bottom of the standings this weekend.

The Alpine F1 team has had a disastrous start to the year. The Renault works team is going through another tough period. The Alpine 524 is overweight and suffers from a lack of downforce. This led to Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly locking out the last row for the Bahrain GP last weekend.

Moreover, the Enstone-based team has lost major key personnel including legendary designer Bob Bell. As such, the French squad will go through another phase of rebuilding in the coming months. Subsequently, Ocon and Gasly would continue to struggle at the back of the grid till Enstone could fix the underlying problems with its car.

Certainly, the Saudi Arabian GP will be an exciting race that gives a better picture of the 2024 F1 season. However, the basic pecking order might be in place after the season opener with Max Verstappen as the title favorite for another season. Although, fans would be hoping to see Ferrari and even Mercedes have a shot at the world title this season. On the other hand, the likes of VCARB and Haas would be looking to score a couple of points this season. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for the second round of the season in Jeddah.

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