Formula 1 kicks off a potentially highly competitive season at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. Last year ended with seven different winners in the final 12 races before Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive title. Who will take the first victory of the new season? Our F1 Australian Grand Prix predictions article previews this contest.
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix main race is set for Sunday, March 16th. Drivers will fine-tune their performance during practice and qualifying sessions between March 4th and 5th, ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2025 Formula One World Championships, F1 Australian Grand Prix 2025 |
| 🛣 Venue: | Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne, Australia |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 14-15 March (Practice & Qualifying) – Sunday, 16th March (Main Race) |
| ⏰ Time: | 1:30 a.m. GMT on Sunday |
The Albert Park Circuit features 16 flowing corners, winding around a lake, a golf course, and a soccer stadium. The smooth track surface makes early qualifying and race laps challenging until tires generate sufficient heat for grip. The circuit has two DRS zones, one on the start-finish straight and another leading to Turn 3, which provide key overtaking opportunities in this F1 race.
Three drivers have won the Australian GP in the last three editions, with Carlos Sainz the reigning champion.
Before revealing our Formula 1 Melbourne GP predictions 2025 for this event, we will consider the top five contenders with the best prospects to win this event. Bookies for auto racing have provided the following outright odds for top contenders to win this contest.
Most 2025 Formula 1 betting apps see Lando Norris as a prime candidate to dethrone Verstappen for this year’s driver’s championship. Norris had a breakthrough season in 2024, securing his first four Grand Prix victories and finishing as runner-up to Verstappen in the tournament. The Brit capped off the year with a commanding win in Abu Dhabi and now enters the new season eyeing his best opportunity yet for a maiden title. Lando Norris has 2025 Melbourne GP F1 betting odds of 2.62 (5/3) to win this contest.
Charles Leclerc has more favorable Formula 1 Australian GP 2025 odds than Verstappen to triumph on Sunday. He finished runner-up on this circuit last year and won the fastest lap accolade. The Ferrari driver won three races in 2024 and got on the podium thirteen times. Charles is the 2022 Australian Grand Prix winner and will leverage his experience and Ferrari’s pace to battle for the first race win of the season.
Max Verstappen stands atop Formula 1 as one of the most accomplished 27-year-olds in the sport’s history. With four world titles, he now chases a record-equalling fifth consecutive crown, a feat only Michael Schumacher achieved at 35. Last season, he dominated early before McLaren closed the gap, with Lando Norris emerging as a serious contender. Despite the late-season challenge, Verstappen secured his fourth title. After a disappointing DNF in Australia last year, he will aim for a strong start in Melbourne this year.
Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile switch to Ferrari has been the biggest off-season storyline. The seven-time champion is tipped to deliver Ferrari’s first driver’s title since 2007. The first step to achieving that begins in Australia, where he suffered a DNF last season. With five podiums and two wins last year, Hamilton aims to maximise Ferrari’s potential and challenge for victory in Melbourne.
Oscar Piastri enters the F1 2025 season opener at Albert Park as a strong contender following McLaren’s impressive pre-season testing. The MCL39 has shown both speed and reliability, boosting his chances for victory. Piastri secured wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan last season and now aims for a breakthrough on home soil. In his previous two Australian Grand Prix appearances, he finished eighth in 2023 and fourth in 2024. This year, he hopes to go even further and celebrate a landmark victory in front of home support.
Here are our 2025 F1 Australian GP betting tips:
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McLaren’s MCL39 has displayed strong long-run consistency, and Norris aims to build on 2024’s success. With four wins and 13 podiums last season, Norris led McLaren to their first constructors’ title since 1998. His best pre-season lap (1:32.3 on C3 tires) was just 0.1s off the fastest. After finishing third in Melbourne last year, Norris has the car, experience, and motivation to start 2025 with a victory. Most legal betting apps in Australia list him at 2.62 (5/3) odds to triumph this weekend.
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Oscar Piastri is a strong contender for a podium finish at his home Grand Prix. So we are selecting this option as part of our 2025 Formula 1 Australia GP betting tips for this event. With two wins in 2024 and McLaren’s impressive pre-season form, he’s poised for success in this contest. Oscar is improving yearly at Melbourne after finishing sixth in 2023 and before ending last year’s race at the 4th spot. A podium for him would break the 40-year drought for Australians competing in the Australian Grand Prix. So we expect him to improve his performance this year and claim a spot among the top three.
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McLaren ended 2024 as Constructors’ Champion, proving the MCL38’s superiority. Lando Norris secured four wins, averaging a 12-second victory margin with McLaren’s Machinery. However, Albert Park’s challenging overtaking conditions suggest a closer battle. Considering the level of competition from last year that produced seven different winners, 2025 could see tighter margins. We expect Norris’s potential victory margin to range between 5 and 10 seconds in Melbourne’s season opener.
Our 2025 Formula 1 Australian betting picks are:
We expect McLaren’s Machinery to propel Norris to get off the season with victory at Melbourne. Leverage our tips to bet on the F1 Australia Grand Prix 2025 and win extra cash.
