Lando Norris has emerged as the bookmakers’ clear favourite to clinch the 2025 Formula One championship, with odds of 7-4 placing him ahead of four-time defending champion Max Verstappen at 3-1.
The British driver’s position as frontrunner follows McLaren’s impressive pre-season testing in Bahrain, which suggested they possess the grid’s fastest car.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton follow in the betting at around 5-1.
Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri sits as an intriguing outsider at 8-1, potentially offering value for punters.
Lando Norris’s biggest Formula One title rival is not Max Verstappen
Reuters
The 25-year-old Briton now has a golden opportunity to become the 11th British world champion in Formula One history.
McLaren’s apparent advantage gives Norris a second chance at championship glory after last year’s missed opportunity.
Despite having Formula One’s supreme machine following an upgrade in Miami last May, Norris failed to capitalise on his car’s superiority.
This marks the second time Norris has had championship-winning machinery at his disposal.
But Norris’s biggest rival might be his team-mate, Oscar Piastri.
The dark horse in this championship equation is Piastri, Norris’s teammate who sits at attractive 8-1 odds.
Described as a “silent assassin” with steel behind his “level and reasonable persona”, the 23-year-old Australian enters his third Formula One campaign with growing confidence.
McLaren’s policy of equal driver status could benefit Piastri, with team principal Andrea Stella guaranteeing no number one or two differentiation.
With the regulations in their final year before a major 2026 overhaul, McLaren must maintain their advantage throughout the season.
Verstappen’s psychological edge over Norris remains the biggest hurdle for the British hopeful to overcome.
Last season, despite Norris’s quicksilver pace over one lap, the Dutchman “held Lando in a vice-like grip” mentally and on track.
Oscar Piastri could be a surprise contender for the title
Reuters
Norris has vowed to change his approach this year, stating: “I need to get my elbows out. I need to show I’m not going to willingly give him any positions.”
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde highlighted this mental battle: “When it becomes a real fight, you just know that Max is the better in the fight.”
Norris must develop greater resilience when racing wheel-to-wheel with the four-time champion.