Check out the F1 odds and Japanese Grand Prix predictions and picks for the race on early Sunday morning, April 7.
In North America, the F1 Japanese Grand Prix airs on ESPN2 on Sunday morning at 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. PT on Saturday night).
Following practice and qualifying for the race, here are the F1 odds for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix race winner, as of Saturday afternoon:
- Max Verstappen: -600
- Sergio Perez: +600
- Lando Norris: +1300
- Carlos Sainz Jr.: +2800
- Lewis Hamilton: +6000
- Charles Leclerc: +6000
- Oscar Piastri: +6500
- Fernanda Alonso: +9000
- George Russell: +12000
- Yuki Tsunoda: +30000
- Valtteri Bottas: +60000
- Daniel Ricciardo: +60000
- Nico Hulkenberg: +70000
- Kevin Magnussen: +70000
- Pierre Gasly: +80000
- Logan Sargeant: +80000
- Lance Stroll: +80000
- Zhou Guanyu: +80000
- Esteban Ocon: +80000
- Alexander Albon: +80000
The Japanese Grand Prix takes us to the Suzuka International Racing Course, just inland from the Ise Bay on the eastern coast of Japan. With the iconic red Ferris wheel in the backdrop, this permanent racing facility has been a staple on the F1 calendar since 1987.
For the first time in this race’s history, the Japanese Grand Prix will take place in the spring. Previously held in or around late September/early October time frame, the change welcomes the sight of cherry blossom season in full bloom currently in Japan.
The 2023 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix was held just 196 days prior to lights out for this season’s race. Max Verstappen won from pole position, Lando Norris took home P2, and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri joined him on the podium in P3 last year.
Qualifying took place on Saturday afternoon local time under dry conditions on a weekend when FP2 was cut short due to a damp track. All eight drivers from the top four teams made it into Q3 and were joined by Fernando Alonso and Japanese native Yuki Tsunoda.
In Q3, Verstappen led the field and took pole position while his teammate Sergio Perez was not very far behind and will start in P2. Lando Norris will start P3 for the second consecutive Japanese Grand Prix while his teammate Oscar Piastri will start in P6. Sandwiched in between the two McLarens will be the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in P4 and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in P5.
(Odds as of Saturday and via DraftKings. Bet on the F1 Japanese Grand Prix with our DraftKings bonus code.)
F1 Odds: Japanese Grand Prix Picks & Predictions
Max Verstappen Clean Sweep
Max Verstappen has earned pole position for the fourth straight race to start the 2024 season, and he's been up in P1 to start off 16 times including last season.
While leading the previous race in Australia early, Verstappen’s brakes caught on fire and he was forced to retire the car. Snapping his consecutive races classified streak at forty-three, he gets to bounce back at a track that has brought out the best of his talents the past couple of seasons.
The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was shortened due to torrential rain at the start of the race, but Max was able to secure the victory from pole position. Last season, that time in dry conditions, Verstappen took it one step further completing the trifecta. He was able to win from pole position, beating the field by more than 19 seconds and securing the extra point with the fastest lap of the race.
Looking at the times from qualifying on Saturday, Verstappen was able to dominate all three sessions, taking the fastest lap time in Q1, Q2 and Q3. The pole-winning lap in Q3 was a 1:28.197 lap time, 0.066 seconds faster than his teammate.
It does appear that the rain that is around the area overnight will pass through and be gone by the time lights are out on Sunday afternoon local time. I foresee a carbon copy from last year's race at the top, where Max breaks out into a comfortable lead, takes the fastest lap near the end of the race, and cruises to his 57th overall F1 victory and the third in a row at Suzuka.
The Pick: Max Verstappen – Fastest Lap & Win the Race (-150 on DraftKings, 1.5 units)
Lando Norris vs Sergio Perez Head-to-Head
Lando Norris has started off this season with only one podium finish, going P6, P8 and P3 thus far. Sergio Perez has two podium finishes to start his campaign, finishing P2 in the first two races of the season and P5 down in Australia.
The individual driver championship standings list Perez sitting in third place on 46 points and Lando Norris down in sixth place with only 27 points through the first three rounds. Despite all of this, I still like Norris to finish ahead of Perez on Sunday at Suzuka.
Last year's result certainly has a lot to do with my thinking here. Norris and Piastri qualified P3 and P2, respectively, but Norris’ race pace was well above his teammate's, and team orders came down to switch positions on Lap 27 because of this.
Sectors No. 1 and No. 2 will be key for the battle between Norris and Perez during the race. In qualifying, Norris had the second-best sector one time at 30.80 seconds, right behind Verstappen. Perez was only fourth fastest behind both of the McLarens.
While Perez led the field in quickest Sector 2 time, a full 0.28 seconds faster than Norris, the ability of Norris to catch up in the final third of the lap and the only DRS zone down the opening straight will be key for the McLaren. I like the value of +175 to take Norris over Perez, especially with last year’s result still top of mind.
