2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship odds – Norris or Piastri? ...Middle East

This is meant to be the year that Lando Norris will claim the Drivers’ Championship.

But while the spotlight was on fighting off the challenge from Verstappen, the real threat is coming from within. Oscar Piastri has stolen the march, and right now, it’s the Aussie who’s leading the charge, not the Brit.

Formula 1 Top Driver odds

Lando Norris began the season as the bookmakers’ favourite, but after four wins in the opening eight races, it’s Oscar Piastri who now leads the odds to win the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, the latest betting to win the title is below:

*Winner odds provided by Ladbrokes are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.

McLaren domination

McLaren find themselves in an enviable – yet delicate – position this season, with both their drivers firmly in the hunt for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. While the team has never publicly declared a number one, it was widely assumed that Lando Norris was their best hope for the title. But Oscar Piastri’s blistering form has put that assumption under serious review.

With the halfway point of the season fast approaching, McLaren aren’t yet at the stage of backing one driver – but that decision would appear to be looming. Starting with Round 9 in Spain this weekend, the ideal scenario would be for one of Norris or Piastri to take control of the championship over the next four races, allowing the team to devise a focused title strategy during the summer break after the British Grand Prix.

If neither can pull ahead, McLaren face a tough call. Leaving the status quo will be a dangerous strategy, but choosing one driver over the other could destabilise the team. That said, the bigger danger would be to do nothing, as this would be playing into the hands of Max Verstappen. 

And with a car this strong, that’s a risk McLaren can’t afford.

Oscar Piastri form

Oscar Piastri started the season with a disappointing ninth place finish in his home Grand Prix at Melbourne. Rather than let the poor result set the tone for the rest of the season, the Aussie bounced back in superb style, winning four of the next five races. 

The Aussie won in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami. He also finished third in the other three races held in Japan, Italy (Emilia Romagna) and Monaco – meaning Piastri has recorded podium finishes in seven of the eight races this season. 

Rather than settle for being an understudy to Norris, Piastri has grown in stature this season and has really thrown the gauntlet down to his more experienced teammate. The next four races are huge for Piastri. If he can pull ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, the team will have little option but to put all their weight behind the Aussies’ title challenge in the second half of the season.

Bet on Oscar Piastri to be the top driver of the 2025 season

Lando Norris form

Lando Norris kicked off the season in style with a dominant win in Australia, but things haven’t gone entirely to plan since. He went six races without a victory before finally ending that run with a much-needed win in Monaco last Sunday.

While Norris has shown impressive consistency – finishing on the podium in seven of eight races – a series of small mistakes have crept in, particularly in qualifying. Highlighting the problem, he’s only taken pole twice this season, and on both occasions, he’s gone on to win the race.

It’s a strong record, but with the best car on the grid, Norris isn’t making it count as often as he should. If he wants to avoid McLaren shifting their focus to Oscar Piastri in the title race, now’s the time to cut out the errors and turn those podium finishes into wins.

Bet on Lando Norris to be the top driver of the 2025 season

Other teams are still in the race

Despite McLaren’s superiority, they are still far from assured of having one of their two racers win the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. As we’ve already covered, the two are consistently taking points off each other, and this risks leaving the door open for their main competitors. More details follow:

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is a four-time world champion. He is also the driver best equipped to get every ounce of performance out of his car and that makes him a real threat. 

In a swipe at Lando Norris last season, the Dutchman claimed he would have had the 2024 Drivers’ Championship wrapped up weeks earlier if he were driving the Brit’s McLaren. The reality is, what Verstappen said was true. And if further proof were required, Verstappen has two wins this season, the same amount as Norris.

On 136 points, Verstappen is just 25 points behind Piastri and 22 behind Norris. He is ready and waiting to pounce on any mistakes.

George Russell (Mercedes)

George Russell’s 2025 Formula 1 season has been marked by consistent performances as he grows into the number one driver’s role at Mercedes. 

Despite no wins this season, Russell is fourth in the championship on 99 points. He is just about clinging to the coattails of the leading three, but can’t really afford to fall many more points behind if he is to be in with a chance of joining the Championship battle. 

Russell is also relying on two other scenarios occurring. He needs his Mercedes car to improve its performance throughout the season, and he also needs to see the McLaren coming back to the pack. 

Without at least one scenario happening, it looks set to be another season without a title for the once dominant Silver Arrows.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

In typical Ferrari fashion, Charles Leclerc’s 2025 Formula 1 season has been a mix of resilience and challenges. Currently fifth in the Drivers’ Championship with 79 points, Leclerc trails behind Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and George Russell.  

Leclerc’s season began with an eighth-place finish in Australia, followed by a disqualification in China due to his Ferrari being underweight. He bounced back with strong performances, securing fourth in both Japan and Bahrain, and achieving his first podium of the season with a third-place finish in Saudi Arabia.  

Subsequent races saw him finish seventh in Miami and sixth in Emilia-Romagna. The highlight was his second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, marking his best result of the season so far.  

Despite these improving results, Leclerc has expressed dissatisfaction with Ferrari’s latest car. Furthermore, there always seem to be problems in the team – when it’s not the car, it’s tactics or driver error. 

There is potential, but it will take a huge turnaround for Leclerc to get into the race for the Drivers’ Championship.

Our top bookies for Formula 1 betting

About the author

Dean Etheridge

Dean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football, cricket, and darts, with a keen focus on the Premier League and Champions League, as well as in-depth coverage of Premier League Darts and major tournaments. He can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game and beyond, delivering expert analysis across a range of sports. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)

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