F1 fans, pundits, and analysts are as excited about the forthcoming F1 season as the drivers, five of whom are expected to be in the running to win the 2025 Drivers' Championship.

Lando Norris is the F1 Championship odds favorite entering Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, the season's first race. He's trading ahead of Max Verstappen, who is vying for his fifth straight championship.

But what about Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton, whose offseason move from Mercedes to Ferrari rocked the racing world? We investigate the most titillating storylines in our F1 preseason odds and predictions to win the Drivers' Championship.

🥇2025 F1 Drivers Championship odds & favorites🥇

F1 Drivers' Championship odds via FanDuel.

📖 2025 F1 Drivers Championship best storylines

Whether you're jumping onto the F1 bandwagon for the first time or you're a wily veteran like Hamilton, this season should be more exciting than the sound of the starting grid when the light flips to green.

Here are some of the most compelling, need-to-know storylines entering the 2025 season: 

🏎️ Hamilton switched to Ferrari in the off-season, marking the third team he's raced for (McLaren, Mercedes) 
🏎️ McLaren and Aston Martin are the only teams with the same pair of drivers from last season
🏎️ 80% of the teams have a different driver line-up
🏎️ Six rookies (Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, and Kimi Antonelli) add to the intrigue
🏎️ Sunday's opening race, which we covered in our Australian Grand Prix odds and predictions, is the first time all 20 drivers from 10 teams will line up together on the grid for the 2025 season
🏎️ Carlos Sainz moved from Ferrari to Williams 
🏎️ Oscar Piastri signed an   
🏎️ Verstappen has won four straight Drivers' Championship titles, tied with Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-most
🏎️ Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most consecutive F1 Drivers' Championships with five (2000 to 2004)
🏎️ On the 20-driver grid, only three have won the Drivers' Championship: Hamilton, Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso

🔮 F1 Drivers Championship predictions, expert picks & best bets to win 

🏆 Pick to win F1 Drivers Championship: Lando Norris (+175) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm going chalk with my favorite prediction, selecting Norris to win his first Drivers' Championship. He won four races last season and finished on the podium 13 of 24 times. While the 25-year-old finished 63 points behind Verstappen in the standings, Norris poured on the pressure in the second half of the season, winning three of the final 10 races. 

Verstappen, meanwhile, dominated the early goings, winning seven of the first 10 races. Piastri and Norris' new MCL39 performed the best in preseason testing, while Red Bull lagged. Yes, it's a long season, but Norris checks all the winners' boxes as far as I'm concerned. 

It's time for Verstappen to finally pass his torch. DraftKings, offering the most competitive price at our best sportsbooks, is the best place to lock in the wager. A winning $10 bet would profit $17.50.

💎 Best value bet to win F1 Drivers Championship: Lewis Hamilton (+800) ⭐⭐⭐

Hamilton showed last season that he can still consistently race at an elite level. Yes, he makes far more mistakes than he used to, but I believe many of those, at least last season, were due to overcompensating for a car that couldn't compete with McLaren and Red Bull.

Well, now the seven-time champion has his shot to prove he still has what it takes to compete atop the Drivers' Championship standings. Ferrari's car is arguably the second fastest entering the season, with Hamilton emitting an aura that his former youthful, exuberant self would be proud of.

During his time in Bahrain, he said: "This is the most positive feeling that I’ve had in a long time.”

Hamilton improved gradually during Bahrain's preseason testing, which is precisely what should happen when the season gets underway. It might take him some time to become acutely in tune with his new car and team, but once he does, watch out.

A winning $10 bet at FanDuel would profit $80. 

🎯 Best long shot to win F1 Drivers Championship: George Russell (+1700) ⭐⭐

Outside of Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren's big guns, Russell has the best shot to pull off what would be a behemoth upset. Lawson, Verstappen's new partner at Red Bull, has +4000 odds, which is the next shortest. While he'll be an excellent driver in the coming years, there isn't much hope of him finishing atop the standings in his first season as the Dutchman's understudy. 

Going one step further, I don't feel anyone has a chance of winning the Drivers' Championship lower on the oddsboard than Russell, whose car has made improvements on last season's weaknesses. Russell finished with the second-fastest time in preseason testing, won two races last season and finished on the podium four times. 

His plight is also aided by his being the go-to guy, the head honcho after Hamilton parted ways with Mercedes. A winning $10 bet will profit $170 at FanDuel. 

🦘 Australian Grand Prix info and betting lines update 

Here are how the odds have moved among the favorites in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix, which occurs at midnight ET on Sunday, March 16: 

Tuesday, March 11:

• Leclerc's odds lengthened from +380 to +460
• Verstappen's odds shortened from +550 to +550
• Piastri's odds lengthened from +550 to +600
• Russell's odds lengthened from +1300 to +1500

Thursday, March 13: 

• Verstappen moved from +500 to +440
• Piastri moved from +600 to +500 after news broke of his
• Hamilton's odds dropped from +650 to +750
• Russell's odds shortened from +1500 to +1200

❓F1 Drivers Championship FAQs

Who is the F1 championship favorite for 2025?

Lando Norris is the early F1 championship odds favorite based on the prices from FanDuel. His +150 odds lead to an implied probability of 40%, via our odds converter.

When will the winner be named?

The Formula 1 season features 22 races, with the first in Australia on March 16, and the last one for 2025 taking place on Dec. 7 in Abu Dhabi. The leader in both the driver and constructor standings will be declared the winner in each category after that race.

However, one or both could be clinched before that event, as was the case with Verstappen's fourth title last year.

Who won the Drivers' Championship last year?

Max Verstappen took home the title in 2024 for the fourth straight season.

When does the 2025 F1 season begin?

The 2025 F1 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. 

How many drivers take part in an F1 season? 

There are 20 drivers for 10 participating teams. 

Who holds the record for consecutive Drivers' Championships?

Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most consecutive F1 Driver's Championships with five (2000 to 2004)

How many teams has Lewis Hamilton raced with? 

Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari for the start of the 2025 season, his third team after racing for McLaren and Mercedes. 

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