The 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off on Sunday with the 2025 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in suburban Melbourne, and there has been a tectonic shift this offseason. Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes for Ferrari, setting the driver carousel in motion and leading to 10 total changes to the F1 starting grid. One driver who stayed put is McLaren’s Lando Norris, who claimed pole position and is listed as the +145 favorite (risk $100 to win $145) after a strong finish to the 2024 season with a win in Abu Dhabi.

He’s followed in the odds by Max Verstappen (+240), Oscar Piastri (+380), and George Russell (+1100). Hamilton is +1900 for his Ferrari debut. The race begins at midnight ET on Sunday in Melbourne. Before analyzing the 2025 Australian Grand Prix starting grid and making any Formula 1 picks, be sure to check out the latest predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary Formula 1 prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results. It’s had a strong history of betting success in motorsports, correctly predicting 19 NASCAR winners since the 2021 season and its projected leaderboards have forecasted winners across multiple racing formats.

The model has been scorching hot when it comes to picking Formula 1 races dating back to 2021. It nailed both of Charles Leclerc’s wins in 2022, and at the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix, the model was strongly backing Verstappen as its top pick. The result: Verstappen dominated the field and ran away with a surprise victory.

The model followed that up by calling Verstappen’s win at the Rolex Emilia Romagna GP in April and then nailed his wins again in Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi. It also called all 19 of Verstappen’s wins during the 2023 season and nailed each of his first seven wins in 2024.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and just released its coveted picks and leaderboard projections. You can head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

Top Predictions: The model is predicting a top-two finish for Max Verstappen at +150 (risk $100 to win $150). Verstappen has won the last four world championships in a row, but he had to survive a midseason scare where Red Bull found itself struggling to catch McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes in certain phases. However, he still managed nine wins on the season and finished 63 points clear of Norris for the title. Now he sets his sights on a 2025 season where he has a chance to match Michael Schumacher as the only driver in history to win five consecutive world titles. He also won the 2023 Australian Grand Prix at the same track.

Contenders	Odds
Lando Norris	+145
Max Verstappen	+240
Oscar Piastri	+380
George Russell	+1100
Charles Leclerc	+1200
Lewis Hamilton	+1900
Alexander Albon	+7000
Carlos Sainz	+7500
Yuki Tsunoda	+11000
Pierre Gasly	+18000
Liam Lawson	+18000
Kimi Antonelli	+18000
Fernando Alonso	+20000
Isack Hadjar	+20000
Lance Stroll	+42000
Jack Doohan	+50000
Oliver Bearman	+50000
Esteban Ocon	+50000
Nico Hulkenberg	+50000

Here are some sportsbooks where you can place bets on Formula 1 races, along with current bonus offers.