The 2025 Formula 1 season continues this weekend as the grid heads to Miami for the sixth race of the campaign after an exciting start to the Drivers’ Championship.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was the man who came out on top in Miami in 2024, finishing ahead of eventual world championship winner Max Verstappen in an event-filled race – but he will have big competition in order to make it consecutive wins on this track from all over the grid.
We’ll take a look at the race as we provide you with our best free F1 betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the track.
McLaren’s Lando Norris won the first race of his Formula 1 career in Miami in 2024, defeating a dominant Max Verstappen after having to overcome a tricky period with a safety car that closed the gap at the front.
Since then he has gone from strength to strength, becoming the Dutch driver’s closest contender in the race for the world championship last season before ultimately falling short. However, he showed more than enough of his quality to be installed as the favorite for the world title this time around.
So far he has lived up to the hype as pre-season favorite too, winning the opening race of the season in Australia before securing three consecutive podium finishes, and then finishing fourth in Saudi Arabia last time out.
Norris looks super confident this season, and he knows he has the car to match his lofty ambitions. The McLaren car is clearly the fastest on track this year, and his biggest hurdle to victory is his own teammate. But this is a track he knows better than most and has had success on before, which should see him as the favorite.
At +140 odds, there is tremendous value on Norris going back-to-back in Miami and after qualifying it’s likely to drop as he should have a good showing. Take it while you can.
As mentioned, the biggest competition that Norris has on the grid and in his race for the world title is his own teammate Oscar Piastri, who has had a tremendous start to the season himself.
The Australian started the season poorly with a ninth-place finish in his homeland, but he has since won three Grand Prix races in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia while claiming a podium place in Japan from the opening five races of the campaign.
He has stepped up to the plate to compete with Norris for the number one driver role this year, and he has figured out the car early on. The track suits the car and his driving style, where the small opportunities for overtaking are likely to be taken by aggressive drivers like the 24-year-old.
It is surprising, however, that he comes into this race as a co-favorite with Norris. In two previous outings in Miami, Piastri finished a lap behind in 2023 before finishing in 13th last time around. He’s better this year, but that’s a big gap to fill.
At +140, the odds are probably a bit shorter than what they should be. Unless you’re looking to hedge your Norris bet by backing McLaren to come out on top and guarantee yourself some profit either way, this may be one to fade.
While McLaren have largely dominated the F1 season so far in 2025, it’s no surprise that Max Verstappen is the man carrying the fight to them in the Red Bull car.
A three-time world champion chasing history, Max Verstappen has complained about the car a lot but he still managed to drive his way to victory in Japan while finishing second in China and Saudi Arabia too.
There have only been three previous editions of a Miami Grand Prix, and Verstappen won the first two convincingly in 2022 and 2023, before finishing as a runner-up to Norris in 2024 after locking up early in the race. But interestingly, neither of those wins came when he had pole position.
Verstappen knows the track as well as Norris and like Piastri, his aggressive style suits the type of strategy needed to get the win.
If anyone can cause an upset to McLaren in Miami then it will be Verstappen, and odds of +550 are almost too good to ignore.
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.