BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 arrives in Abu Dhabi for the season finale?

The 2025 Formula 1 season reaches its conclusion this weekend in exciting style, with three drivers still in contention to clinch the World Championship – but what do the odds say about who might come out on top in Abu Dhabi? Read on to find out...

Odds are provided by F1’s Official Betting Data Supplier ALT Sports Data, are subject to change and are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.50, you would win $1.50 for every dollar bet.

The odds for the win

A three-driver race is on the cards as the 2025 season concludes in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Lando Norris arrives as the championship leader at the Yas Marina Circuit; however, he struggled in the previous two rounds amid a disqualification in Las Vegas and fourth place in Qatar.

Team mate Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, produced his best weekend since Monza last time out. The Australian starts with seven victories in his portfolio this term.

Max Verstappen has already etched his name into the history books with four World Championships, but the Dutchman has the potential to produce one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history this weekend.

He was 104 points adrift of the leader before Monza, but starts this weekend in second place, only 12 points away from Norris. Verstappen is the in-form driver on the grid, boasting nine consecutive podiums between Zandvoort and Lusail with five of those results being victories.

The odds for a podium finish

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli continues his impressive run at the backend of the campaign, producing two podiums in three races. He held onto fourth spot until the 56th lap in Qatar, when an error nudged him off track, giving Norris a gap to pass him. The Italian is showing that he can consistently deliver, and offers value for money for a top-three performance.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also can’t be written off at this venue, having stood on the rostrum in his last three visits to the UAE Capital. In 2024, the Monegasque driver started from 19th on the grid and worked his way through the field to finish third.

Antonelli’s senior, George Russell, clocks in for the final round as the only driver on the grid to have finished every race this year. The Briton has joined in the champagne celebrations on nine weekends this term, twice as a winner. He’s also remarkably consistent, averaging 4.0 in his past 10 appearances.

One driver who has also found his rhythm is Carlos Sainz. The Williams racer produced his second podium for his new team in Qatar and back-to-back top sixes. While he has an outside shot of making the podium, he’s showing the pace of the vehicle and his ability to compete with the top four teams.

The odds for a top-six finish

Qatar produced another challenging weekend for Lewis Hamilton, as he greeted the stewards outside the top 10. The Ferrari driver appears to lack confidence and cohesion with his pit crew, but despite the hiccups, he’s still finished among the top six in nine races this year.

Alex Albon also remains a contender for a top six, despite last achieving the feat in the Netherlands. He’s collected five top-six results across the campaign, better than any of his midfield rivals.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso crossed the line in seventh in the last round, his fourth such result this year. The veteran has only made the top six once all season, but he’s constantly knocking on the door.

Red Bull number two Yuki Tsunoda starts the weekend ahead of Albon and Alonso in the betting, but he’s only cracked the top six once this year and is a better option for a top 10 outing in the final round. Over in the Racing Bulls pen, Isack Hadjar is worth a look, after finishing as one of the first six cars three times this year.

The odds for a top-10 finish

New Zealander Liam Lawson has found some rhythm in the second half of the year, conjuring up six top-10s in the previous 13 rounds. From youth to experience, Nico Hulkenberg was unlucky in Qatar, just clipping Pierre Gasly and crashing out. That’s now his second DNF in five races, but he’s captured three top-10s in that period as well.

Speaking of Gasly, the Alpine senior drove well all weekend and showed immense promise until the contact with Hulkenberg. He’s registered five top-10s this year, but only one in the previous 10 races.

Another rookie who has excelled late in the year is Haas’ Ollie Bearman, but Qatar didn’t go according to plan. A disastrous pit stop saw him lose time and accrue a penalty for an unsafe release. He eventually retired from the race, leaving Doha point-less.

On a positive note, the youngster has six top-10s to his name in the past nine appearances. Bearman’s team mate Esteban Ocon struggled at Lusail, but he’s been reliable of late, posting a 50% top-10 return in four starts.

The odds for who will be fastest in Qualifying

The Yas Marina Circuit plays host to perhaps the most important Qualifying session of the year this weekend; the driver who has started in pole position in the last 10 races has gone on to win the Grand Prix.

Verstappen and Piastri desperately need a win if they have a shot of leapfrogging Norris for the title. Norris clocked the fastest time on Saturday last year at this venue and proceeded to win the race, and the papaya driver is tied with Verstappen on seven Pirelli Pole Position awards this year.

Piastri trails the duo with six starts from the front row on the grid. The Australian powered to first place on Saturday night in Doha, his first since Zandvoort.

Elsewhere, Russell has proudly captured two poles this year, but both of them were on street circuits or at the minimum hybrid layouts. Leclerc is the only other driver to win the pole position award this year, stopping the clock fastest in Hungary.

The odds for the winning team

Leading into Monza, McLaren had captured 12 wins across the campaign, which aided the Woking outfit in claiming the Teams’ Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix. Despite a sensational start to the season, the papaya outfit has faltered in the last 10 rounds, capturing only 20% of the victories.

Mercedes contributed one to the cause, through Russell in Singapore, but other than that, it’s been all Red Bull. The Milton-Keynes garage has taken home five team trophies in the last eight races, all thanks to Verstappen. They are also seeking to end their campaign on a hat-trick.

Ferrari have faced a challenging season this year, but we can’t ignore their history at this venue, as the squad from Maranello have delivered a podium-performing vehicle since 2021 in Abu Dhabi. Can they finally come right and grab the chequered flag?

The odds for who will win the Drivers’ Championship

Three drivers are in the hunt to secure the 2025 Drivers' Championship this weekend. Norris is in pole position in the standings and only needs to finish on the podium to clinch the title, while finishing fourth or worse will leave his fate in the hands of Verstappen and Piastri.

If Verstappen wants a fifth title, he’ll need to seal victory in Abu Dhabi and hope Norris finishes outside of the top three.

Norris’ team mate, Piastri, has more ground to make up. The Australian needs to gain 16 points on the leader, which means he can only win the title if he grabs top honours in this race and Norris crosses the line in sixth or worse.

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