The 2023 Formula 1 season will continue on Sunday with the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit just outside of Doha, Qatar. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 1 p.m. ET and this will be the second ever Qatar Grand Prix after the debut race was held in 2021 with no race held last year because of the FIFA World Cup. Max Verstappen took his place atop the podium for the 13th time of the season two weeks ago in Japan and he'll have a chance to mathematically clinch a third consecutive championship this weekend.

Verstappen is the -400 favorite in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix odds having won 22 of the last 27 races held in Formula 1. His Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez and McLaren's Lando Norris are next on this week's Formula 1 odds board at 12-1. 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 13 of Verstappen's wins to start the 2023 season. Anyone who followed the model's lead on those plays has seen HUGE returns!

The Losail International Circuit opened in 2004 and hosted Formula 1 for the first time in 2021, with Lewis Hamilton winning the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix. The 16-turn track measures at 3.367 miles and Verstappen set the race lap record at 1:23.196 two years ago. This season marks the beginning of a 10-year contract with Formula 1 to hold the Qatar Grand Prix annually.

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

We can tell you the model is fading Red Bull's Sergio Perez even though he has won twice this season and is tied for second-favorite at +1200. The 33-year-old Mexican driver has been a Formula 1 fixture since 2011, capturing his first win in 2020 for BWT Racing Point and adding five victories over the last three seasons since joining Red Bull.

However, Perez has struggled during Formula One's tour of Asia, finishing eighth in Singapore and being forced to retire in Japan two weeks ago. Despite Verstappen dominating in the same equipment, Perez has failed to hit the podium in eight of the 16 races run so far and the model is predicting that he finishes off the podium again on Sunday in Qatar.

The model is also targeting one driver getting 20-1 or better in the Qatar 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 Qatar GP picks of your own.

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