Formula 1’s opening race is an important test to validate the development work that happened last year and during the offseason. After three days of testing in Bahrain, the campaign is just a few days away. March 5 drops the flag on Bahrain Grand Prix, and we’ve yet to see the full potential of both the drivers and their machines.

Of course, defending champion Max Verstappen is the man to beat. He is currently at the top of his game and a worthy opponent to anyone threatening to take the 2023 crown. Of course, Ferrari and Mercedes are regulars when looking at this narrative. However, it’s also worth looking into this season’s sleepers. That said, we line up three 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix sleeper picks for motorsport fans and bettors.

Top Sleeper Picks for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

Racing in the Bahrain desert is certainly a challenge

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READ MORE: 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix F1 Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Oscar Piastri

• 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix Odds: +50000

The most anticipated rookie this season teamed up with Lando Norris and McLaren in a whirlwind of events last year. Piastri was expected to sign with French constructor Alpine. The team announced his signing shortly after Fernando Alonso locked in a surprise move to Aston Martin, but the Australian driver denied such events. This snowballed into legal action and eventually had Alpine looking in another direction as they signed Pierre Gasly to form an all-French lineup this season.

Nevertheless, the young Renault-developed driver backs up his underdog status with lots of awards to show for it. In three years, the Melbourne-born driver claimed the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the FIA Formula 2 Championship titles. These are solid foundations for someone who wants to remain competitive in the top-flight level of the sport. And with a competent midfield car like McLaren, we expect the 21-year-old to put pressure on the grid leaders in Bahrain as Nitrobetting’s top sleeper pick.

Kevin Magnussen

• 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix Odds: +75000

The Danish driver is responsible for digging Haas out of the ditch last season. It’s his second year since returning to the grid for his comeback season, and his sixth with the constructor. In 2022, Magnussen scored 25 points and helped the constructor finish eighth by November. He impressed everyone when he secured pole position at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.

What made the 30-year-old a hot item in this season’s opening race was his pace at the last Bahrain GP. In 2022, Magnussen recorded his best finish on the same track and finished P5 with ten points to bag. He also recorded a pair of top-ten finishes in the next three races. Although the constructor is still prone to a few mechanical blunders due to its Ferrari-powered power unit, we expect more reliability out of the car this time. Magnussen also added two more top-ten finishes last year to close his campaign with a total of five finishes within the top ten in a mediocre car.

Nyck de Vries

• >2023 Bahrain Grand Prix Odds: +100000

NitroBetting’s 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix sleeper picks caps off with another first-year driver on the board, Nyck de Vries. He is the second Dutch driver on the grid and one that packs plenty of experience under his belt despite coming in as a rookie. De Vries’ early achievements in motorsports include a pair of Formula Renault championship titles he won in 2014. Five years later, the Dutchman secured the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship. His career trajectory led him to Formula E, where he won the 2020-21 World Championship title.

The 28-year-old secured a seat in Formula 1 when he subbed in for Alex Albon at the Italian GP last year. He piloted the Williams to P9 and scored a few points for the constructor. With lots of experience behind the scenes as a test driver, we look forward to watching him take AlphaTauri’s AT04 this season.

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