This week’s Bahrain GP won’t actually be held in Bahrain as the race was cancelled at its original Bahrain International Circuit venue due to the regional conflict and has been relocated to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia while keeping the Bahrain GP name.
It’s an unusual situation, but the racing should be anything but dull, with the title fight between the two Mercedes drivers heating up and most of the grid having little to no experience of this track. Here’s our full betting preview for the weekend.
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Kimi Antonelli heads the standings on 302 points after becoming the youngest ever championship leader earlier this year, with George Russell his closest challenger on 236 after closing the gap with his Baku win. Lewis Hamilton sits third on 199 points, enjoying his best season at Ferrari so far, while Lando Norris rounds out the top four on 186, his title hopes dented by a run of recent misfortune including his retirement last time out. It remains a fascinating fight at the top, with the gap between Antonelli and Russell now down to 66 points after the Baku result.
Antonelli is a prohibitive 1.05 to win the title – click here to bet
Last Race – Azerbaijan GP 2026
The last race in Azerbaijan produced one of the closest finishes in years, with Russell crossing the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen to take the win. Isack Hadjar completed a first Red Bull double podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix in third, ahead of Leclerc in fourth and Antonelli in fifth after recovering well from a qualifying crash. Norris, meanwhile, was an unfortunate retirement when Franco Colapinto locked up at Turn 1 during the restart and hit his Alpine team-mate, Pierre Gasly whose car then collected Norris. All three retired.
Bahrain GP 2025
Last year’s edition of the Bahrain GP was won by Oscar Piastri, who converted pole position into victory, with Russell coming home second and Norris completing the podium in third. Leclerc took fourth, while Hamilton rounded out the top five in what was his best result for Ferrari at the time. It is worth noting that last year’s race was the fourth round of the calendar and was held at the Bahrain International Circuit, a very different proposition to the Sepang layout the drivers will face this weekend, and a reminder that recent form at the old venue should be treated with some caution heading into this one.
The Sepang International Circuit
The Sepang International Circuit is a 5.543km layout known for its sweeping corners and long straights, including a 920-metre back straight where cars can exceed 330km/h. It is a technical track that demands a compromise between high downforce for its sweeping, high-speed corners and low drag for its two long straights, with significant elevation changes adding to the challenge. Having not hosted a round since 2017, when Max Verstappen took the win, the circuit should still provide a stern test for the field this weekend, and most of the current grid will have little to no prior experience of racing there in F1 machinery.
BETTING (2026 Bahrain GP) – Click here to bet
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 3.10
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 3.60
George Russell (Mercedes) 3.70
Lando Norris (Mclaren) 5.50
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 13.00
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 17.00
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 19.00
Betting and Verdict:
Our first bet is going to be Russell. After a win at the last race as well as his performance finishing in the top 3 in 3 of his last four races, he looks to be hitting a rich vein of form and I am backing him to adjust quickly to the track.
Suggested bet: George Russell to win at 3.70.
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Mercedes have got their car right this year and not only can it be seen from Antonelli’s results, but also his fastest lap count. He currently leads the grid with seven fastest laps so far this season. Sepang is a wide, flowy technical circuit which rewards straight line speed and with Mercedes’ balance of speed and cornering I like Antonelli to get another fastest lap.
Suggested Bet: Fastest lap, Kimi Antonelli at 3.50.
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