For the third race in a row, it looked like the McLaren riders were locked into the front row for the Japanese Grand Prix.
But an incredible final run for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stole the pole, giving him his first of the 2025 season. He’ll start out in front of both Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc will start fourth.
Here's our look at what bettors can expect for the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6.
2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix odds
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
 Lando Norris |
+120 |
 Max Verstappen |
+220 |
| Oscar Piastri |
+275 |
 George Russell |
+1800 |
 Charles Leclerc |
+2000 |
| Lewis Hamilton |
+3300 |
| Kimi Antonelli |
+10000 |
 Isack Hadjar |
+15000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda |
+20000 |
 Alex Albon |
+25000 |
| Carlos Sainz |
+50000 |
 Fernando Alonso |
+50000 |
 Oliver Bearman |
+50000 |
 Pierre Gasly |
+50000 |
| Liam Lawson |
+100000 |
| Lance Stroll |
+200000 |
 Nico Hulkenberg |
+200000 |
| Esteban Ocon |
+300000 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto |
+300000 |
| Jack Doohan |
+300000 |
Odds as of 4-5.
F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2025 pre-qualifying favorites
McLaren is 2-for-2 to kick off the 2025 F1 season, with Lando Norris winning the Australian GP and Oscar Piastri taking the Chinese GP (with Norris running second). So it's not surprising to see these drivers at the top of the betting board early on, even with Max Verstappen riding a three-race win streak at the demanding Suzuka Circuit.
Verstappen is the third-choice, well clear of a trio of drivers tied at 12-1 in Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' George Russell. Beyond them is Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls, who has shown much more speed than most anticipated this year. He will clearly be the "hometown" favorite in this race.
F1 Japanese Grand Prix post-qualifying picks
Race prediction: Norris to win (+125 at bet365)
Did Verstappen happen to capture lightning in a bottle to take the pole at the Suzuka Circuit on Saturday?
The Red Bull driver needed to pull off the fastest lap in the history of the track, clocking in at 1:26.983, besting the 2019 time set by Lewis Hamilton of 1:30.983.
It’s his 41st career pole, his fourth straight in Japan, and the first one Verstappen has claimed since the Belgian Grand Prix back in July of last season.
He’ll now try to become the first driver in the Japan race to win four straight times, breaking a tie he has with Michael Schumacher.
I still like Norris to bring home the checkered flag, as he’s been at the top of the racing pack all season. The books seem to think so too, making him the early betting favorite.
Norris was only .012 seconds off Verstappen’s pace, so both cars are running well, and it’s a race that can come down to who best maneuvers the unique figure-of-eight track course — the only one of its kind on the F1 calendar.
I’ll take the better driver so far this season, over the more decorated one over the past few years.
Best bet: George Russell podium finish (+137 at bet365)
The bet I really wanted to make was Yuki Tsunoda finding the podium, but he just didn’t show enough in qualifying to warrant a wager (a Top 6, maybe).
Instead, I’ll turn our attention to George Russell and his Mercedes. He didn’t have his best qualifying at Suzuka and will start in fifth in his worst position of the season.
However, Russell was fourth in the starting grid at the last race in China, and he still finished in third, giving him back-to-back podium finishes to start the season.
Previous F1 Japanese Grand Prix winners
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2023 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2020-2021 | Race Not Held (COVID-19) | N/A |
| 2019 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes |
| 2018 | Lewis Hamilton | 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.
