lewis-hamilton-getty.jpg
Getty Images

The 2022 Formula 1 season is off to a surprising start with Ferrari earning its first win since 2019 with a 1-2 finish by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Now, Scuderia will set its sights on the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on the Jeddah Street Circuit on Sunday with designs on extending its lead in the manufacturer's championship. The green flag will drop at 1 p.m. ET. Lewis Hamilton is the defending F1 Saudi GP champion.

However, Hamilton and Mercedes are working through some issues with their 2022 setup and he's fourth on this week's Formula 1 odds board at 9-1. Leclerc is the 3-2 co-favorite in the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix odds after earning his third career F1 win last week. Defending champion Max Verstappen is also listed at 3-2. Before scouring the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix starting lineup and making any Formula 1 predictions, be sure to see the latest 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks 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 seven winners during the 2021 NASCAR season and its projected leaderboards have forecasted winners across multiple racing formats.

The model has been hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 races. 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 victory. Then, at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, McClure's model was all over Hamilton, who completely crushed his competition en route to another victory for the 37-year-old F1 legend.

Now, the model simulated the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabia race 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix leaderboard.

Top 2022 Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia predictions

One massive shocker: Lewis Hamilton, one of the Vegas favorites at 9-1, stumbles big-time and barely cracks the top five. There are far better values in this 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix starting grid. The seven-time Formula 1 champion saw his hopes of winning a fifth consecutive title dashed on the last lap of the 2021 season.

Verstappen steered his Red Bull Racing machine past Hamilton in the final lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and it looked like a potential passing of the torch moment. Hamilton is now 37 and Mercedes looked vulnerable in preseason testing after winning eight consecutive constructor's championships.

Hamilton was able to capitalize on Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Carlos Perez being retired late in Bahrain to capture a podium finish but he was well off the pace set by Ferrari. And until Mercedes gets things sorted, betting Hamilton at 9-1 is a risky proposition. The model gives him just a 5.2 percent chance of winning the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

How to make 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix picks

The model is also targeting one driver who surprises by challenging for the victory. Anyone who backs this driver could hit it big. You can see all of the model's F1 picks over at SportsLine.

So who wins the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022? And which long shot makes a run at the checkered flag? Check out the latest 2022 F1 Saudi GP odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix leaderboard, all from the model with a proven history of auto racing success. 

2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix odds

Charles Leclerc 3-2
Max Verstappen 3-2
Carlos Sainz 11-2
Lewis Hamilton 9-1
Sergio Perez 18-1
George Russell 28-1
Pierre Gasly 100-1
Kevin Magnussen 100-1
Valtteri Bottas 125-1
Fernando Alonso 150-1
Esteban Ocon 150-1
Mick Schumacher 200-1
Lando Norris 200-1
Guanyu Zhou 250-1
Yuki Tsunoda 250-1
Daniel Ricciardo 250-1
Lance Stroll 1000-1
Sebastian Vettel 1000-1
Nicholas Latifi 2000-1
Alexander Albon 2000-1