The 2025 F1 season is underway after an eventful opening race in Australia, and the favorites for the Drivers’ Championship have clearly been established.
Lando Norris came away with victory ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen to continue their rivalry from last season, but will they be competing all the way, or will others come out of the shadows to make a push for a world championship?
We take a look at the race for the crown as we provide you with our best free F1 betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the track.
| Formula 1 Futures |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lando Norris | -140 | -140 | -140 |
| Max Verstappen | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Oscar Piastri | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
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Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to win the F1 Drivers’ Championship in the 2025 season.
Long considered to be a future world champion in Formula 1, Norris is finally beginning to prove why and is fulfilling his potential at McLaren.
After four race wins in 2024 he pushed Verstappen in the second half of the season, and has perfectly begun 2025 after claiming victory in the season-opener having started on pole while setting the fastest lap in the process.
The McLaren car looks to be the fastest on the grid and the British driver has got plenty of confidence now behind the wheel, and it looks as though he will take some beating this season.
But having never had success before and knowing how good Red Bull can be, being odds-on after just one race seems a bit too short for our liking and there is no value here whatsoever. He may be the most likely, but this is probably a bet to avoid at this stage.
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He may not be the most popular driver on the grid or in the stands, but there is no disputing that Max Verstappen has been the best F1 driver in the world for a while now.
The four-time consecutive world champion has come into this season looking to become only the second man ever, after Michael Schumacher, to win five straight world titles but he will be facing a much tougher season this time around than in recent years.
The Dutchman started well in Australia and claimed a second-place finish, finishing less than a second behind Norris. But the Red Bull car clearly has more in the tank and as the season goes on you would expect his aggressive style and the team’s willingness to put him first to help.
Someone with so much recent success is rarely such long odds so early on in the season, and at +400 it almost looks too good to pass up on Verstappen going all the way and making history.
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A surprise name in the running here, but Piastri could well topple Norris’ dominance at McLaren and make a case for himself to become the number one driver before the season is over.
He didn’t have the best of times in Australia, finishing ninth despite starting in second, but the car is so good that it’s fair to say that was a bit of a blip. With the way testing went in pre-season and with how qualifying went, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if the race for the title became a battle between the two McLarens.
If that happens then it simply comes down to the drivers – especially with the team refusing to label either driver as their main man.
In the same car and on the same tracks, getting so much better value on Piastri to win the championship over his teammate seems bonkers and this is definitely a bet to take a look at.
Ferrari had a phenomenal chance in Australia to cause a major upset but once again the team strategy let the drivers down, leaving Leclerc to finish in a lowly eighth place.
But the performance of the Monegasque driver shows that he has the ability, something we already knew, and it also suggests that there is more to come from the famous red car as the season progresses.
If Ferrari can keep within touching distance in the first half of the season, then the car and drivers are good enough to push all the way and claim a world championship.
Hamilton’s Ferrari debut didn’t go as planned as he finished in 10th place, but he was leading at one point, and had the team pulled the trigger on switching tires ahead of the rain then who knows what could have happened.
A seven-time world champion, Hamilton knows what is needed to get it done and he is in a much better car this year than he was last time around at Mercedes.
He is still adjusting to the new team and car he is in, and it may take a while, but if he finds a groove and the car is tailored towards him we all know he is capable of beating any driver on the track. At +2000, it’s always worth a little flutter even if it is unlikely.
