For the second week in a row, the Formula 1 field is looking at a McLaren in the pole position. While it was Lando Norris in Australia last week — a race he went on to win — his teammate Oscar Piastri claimed his first-ever pole for this week's Chinese Grand Prix.
Only a late surge by George Russell and his Mercedes avoided a second-straight McLaren front row. Max Verstappen’s pole drought has now hit 14 races, having not been the race leader since Austria last season.
Lewis Hamilton, who made much noise to start the race weekend by claiming the Sprint victory in his Ferrari, landed in a disappointing fifth spot.
Keep reading for free Formula 1 free betting picks and Chinese Grand Prix predictions for March 23.
2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix prediction and picks
- Piastri to win outright (-120 at bet365)
- Leclerc podium finish (+400 at bet365)
2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix odds
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
 Oscar Piastri |
-120 |
| Lando Norris |
+220 |
 George Russell |
+700 |
 Max Verstappen |
+850 |
 Lewis Hamilton |
+1400 |
| Charles Leclerc |
+3300 |
| Kimi Antonelli |
+20000 |
 Isack Hadjar |
+25000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda |
+25000 |
 Alex Albon |
+50000 |
Odds as of 3-22.
F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2025 pre-qualifying favorites
Lando Norris opened at +100 to take the Chinese GP, just ahead of Oscar Piastri (+333) and defending race winner Max Verstappen (+350). It's a long way back to fourth-choice Charles Leclerc (+1400) and even further back is his Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton (+2000), a six-time winner of this race.
Mercedes drivers George Russell (+1600) and Kimi Antonelli (+3300) have also seen their fair share of early support.
F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2025 post-qualifying picks
Race prediction: Oscar Piastri to win outright (-120 at bet365)
Australia started promising for the country's own Oscar Piastri, but a spot on the front row didn’t get him near the podium, finishing a disappointing ninth. His team worked wonders in Shanghai, adjusting on the fly through Q1 and Q2 to give the 23-year-old the fastest car in Q3.
It’s early, but these first two weeks have McLaren as the car to beat in 2025. He’ll look for his third career victory after winning in Qatar and Hungary last season, part of eight podium finishes a season ago.
Piastri blistered the Shanghai International Circuit with a best lap time of 1:30.641, with Russell +0.082 off the pace, followed by Piastri's teammate and last week’s winner Norris, +0.152 back.
If you’re looking for a value pick, Russell’s late run unlocked a fast Q3 lap and put him on the front row to start –— and with +700 odds, it’s intriguing. However, I’ll roll with the pole-sitter.
Because COVID canceled this race for some years, this will be Piastri’s second-ever run at the Chinese Grand Prix. He finished eighth here a year ago. If all goes well on Sunday, he’ll do a lot better than that.
Best bet: Charles Leclerc podium finish (+400 at bet365)
It should have been a better day for the Ferraris, especially Lewis Hamilton, after a strong showing and sprint victory.
However, both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc were in the mix in Australia, at one point each holding podium positions in Melbourne before fading out, as the weather made it tough to make real moves.
There's no rain in the forecast in Shanghai, and the temperatures are above seasonal, so the Ferraris could again be in the mix on a dry track. Hamilton and Leclerc will start on the fifth row, and I expect one to hit the podium.
Hamilton is the more decorated of the two, especially as he’s a six-time champion in Shanghai, but I’ll bank on the man from Monaco, who's finished fourth and fifth in China the last two years.
F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2025 starting grid
| Position | Driver | Position | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 2 | George Russell |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 4 | Max Verstappen |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 6 | Charles Leclerc |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | 8 | Kimi Antonelli |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | 10 | Alex Albon |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | 14 | Lance Stroll |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | 16 | Pierre Gasly |
| 17 | Ollie Bearman | 18 | Jack Doohan |
| 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 20 | Liam Lawson |
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Previous F1 Chinese Grand Prix winners
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2020-2023 | Race Not Held - COVID-19 | N/A |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2018 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull |
| 2017 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2016 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes |
Understanding F1 betting odds
The most popular way to bet on Formula 1 odds is by simply picking the winner of a particular race. Other popular F1 betting options include which car/constructor will win and whether or not a particular race car driver will end up on the podium with a Top-3 finish.
F1 race odds usually look like this:
- Charles Leclerc +400
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to profit $400 if Leclerc wins that particular race. If one driver is especially dominant, you might see a minus sign (-) ahead of that driver's odds like this:
- Max Verstappen -120
This means that you would need to bet $120 to win $100 on Verstappen winning the race.
