Formula 1 picks, odds, start time, grid: 2024 Japanese Grand Prix ...

Suzuka International Racing Course will be the fourth stop on this year's Formula 1 schedule when it hosts the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. Just two weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy that forced him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz returned to action for the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago and scored the third win of his career. Sainz's victory stopped a streak of dominance from Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen and bunched the 2024 F1 standings after it appeared Verstappen was running away from the field.

Verstappen is still the -350 favorite (bet $350 to win $100) in the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix odds, while Sainz and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc are 11-1. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is 12-1, while McLaren's Lando Norris rounds out the top five in this week's F1 odds at 20-1. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 1 a.m. ET. Before analyzing the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix starting grid and making any Formula 1 picks, be sure to check out the latest 2024 Japanese GP predictions and betting advice 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 nine NASCAR winners since the 2021 season and its projected leaderboards have forecasted winners across multiple racing formats.

The model has been scorching hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 race events dating back to 2021. It nailed both of Charles Leclerc's wins in 2022, and 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 surprise victory. 

The model followed that up by calling Verstappen's win at the Rolex Emilia Romagna GP in April and then nailed his wins again in Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Abu Dhabi. It also nailed all 19 of Verstappen's wins during the 2023 season and then called both of the defending champion's wins to start the 2024 season. Anyone who followed the model's lead on those plays has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix and just released its coveted picks and leaderboard projections. You can head to SportsLine now to see the complete 2024 Japanese Grand Prix projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 Formula 1 Japanese GP predictions

One surprise: The model is fading Carlos Sainz, even though he's one of the top favorites. The 29-year-old Spaniard is the son of a rally legend and he's coming off a monumental win last week after 18-year-old Oliver Bearman's performance as a relief driver prompted more serious questions about Sainz's future with Ferrari. Now Sainz should have plenty of options in 2025, with a win putting him back in play for Ferrari's second seat and some even floating that he could replace Perez as Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull.

However, Sainz's consistency has plagued him throughout the years. Despite being the only driver outside of Red Bull Racing to win in 2023, Sainz finished seventh in the drivers' standings last year and he's never finished higher than fifth in Formula 1. In his last five starts at the Japanese Grand Prix, Sainz has gone retirement, 10th, fifth, retirement and sixth. Those results certainly don't inspire a lot of confidence for the second favorite entering the week. See who else the model is backing and fading at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix right here.

How to make 2024 Japanese Grand Prix picks

Instead, the model is also targeting two drivers going off at longer than 40-1 to make surprising surges up the leaderboard. Anyone who backs them could hit it big. You can find out who they are, and see all of the model's F1 picks and predictions, at SportsLine.

So who wins the Japanese Grand Prix 2024, and which stunning longshots charge toward the front? Check out the latest 2024 F1 odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2024 Japanese Grand Prix leaderboard, all from the model that has already nailed all 19 of Verstappen's wins last season, and find out.

2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix odds, grid, contenders

See F1 Japanese Grand Prix picks at SportsLine.

Max Verstappen -350
Charles Leclerc +1100
Carlos Sainz +1100
Sergio Perez +1200
Lando Norris +2000
Oscar Piastri +2800
George Russell +4000
Lewis Hamilton +5000
Fernando Alonso +6600
Lance Stroll +17500
Alexander Albon +75000
Daniel Ricciardo +75000
Yuki Tsunoda +75000
Nico Hulkenberg +100000
Kevin Magnussen +100000
Guanyu Zhou +150000
Valtteri Bottas +150000
Esteban Ocon +150000
Pierre Gasly +150000
Logan Sargeant +200000