The 2023 Formula 1 season will continue on Sunday with the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix on the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 1 a.m. ET. Red Bull Racing's streak of 15 consecutive victories and Max Verstappen's streak of 10 consecutive victories finally ended last week in Singapore, the team will look to regroup on a track where Red Bull dominated last season. Verstappen finished more than 27 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez and Verstappen is the -333 (bet $333 to win $100) favorite in the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix odds.

Verstappen is the two-time defending world champion and he still holds a 151-point lead in the 2023 F1 standings after a disappointing fifth-place finish last week. Perez is next in the Japan GP odds at +1200 followed by McLaren's Lando Norris at +1400, last week's winner Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari at +1800 and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton at +1800. SportsLine's proven computer projection model simulated the Singapore GP 2023 10,000 times and come up with a surprising leaderboard.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary Formula 1 prediction model takes into account a slew of factors including track history and recent results.

The model has been scorching hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 race events dating back to 2021. It nailed both of 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 surprising victory. 

It followed that up by calling Verstappen's win at the Rolex Emilia Romagna GP in April and nailed Verstappen to win in Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Abu Dhabi. It has also called all 12 of Verstappen's wins to start the 2023 season. Anyone who followed the model's lead on those plays has seen HUGE returns!

The Suzuka Circuit was designed as a Honda test track and opened in 1962 and it has been the near-permanent host of the Japanese Grand Prix since 1987. The grand prix circuit at the Suzuka International Racing Course is an 18-turn, 3.618-mile track and it is a favorite for both drivers and fans. After a two-year hiatus because of the global pandemic, Max Verstappen won the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix to end a six-race winning streak in Suzuka for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton's five career wins in Japan are the second-most in F1 history and he could equal Michael Schumacher's record of six with a win on Sunday.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2023 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix and just released its coveted picks and leaderboard projections. 

We can tell you the model is fading Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. as the fourth favorite at +1800 after his win last week in Singapore. It was the second career victory in Formula One for Sainz and a second consecutive podium finish for the Ferrari driver. However, Japan was a disaster for Sainz last season and he's only finished better than 10th once in six career starts at the Suzuka Circuit.

At the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, Sainz started third on the grid behind teammate Charles Leclerc and Verstappen on the podium but lost control on the hairpin turn in Lap 2 with torrential rain coming down and spun into the barriers. He had to be retired from the race. He was also retired from a race in Belgium just under two months ago, giving him seven retirements in the last two seasons. The model is predicting Sainz finishes outside the top five for the eight time this season on Sunday.

The model is also targeting one driver getting 20-1 or better in the Japanese Grand Prix odds to make a serious charge up the leaderboard! Anyone who backs this driver could hit it BIG. You ABSOLUTELY need to see who he is before locking in any Formula 1 Japanese GP picks of your own.

So who wins the 2023 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix? And which SERIOUS long shot might be in contention? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the full projected F1 Japanese GP leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed its racing picks the last two years, and find out!