Abu Dhabi Grand Prix betting tips, odds and F1 predictions: Flying Verstappen needs Norris to falter in tense finale
Where to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Sky Sports F1, 1pm GMT Sunday
Best bets
Esteban Ocon top-six finish
1pt 5-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Liam Lawson points finish
1pt 11-4 general
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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview
The 2025 F1 season has produced an enthralling drivers’ championship battle and there could yet be a final twist or two to come in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Lando Norris is 1-4 to win his first world championship after coming through a tense qualifying session relatively unscathed in second place.
Max Verstappen is on pole and just 10-3 to take a fifth successive world title after winning his first at this same Yas Marina circuit in highly controversial circumstances in 2021.
The Red Bull star has staged a fantastic recovery in the second half of the season, having been a massive 104 points off the lead held by Oscar Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
While the McLarens have just had the edge over a tightly-packed field for much of the weekend, Verstappen again raised his game when it mattered most and he is 4-9 to convert pole into an eighth victory of the season.
Norris and Piastri also have seven wins each but the British driver’s 12-point lead over the champion means that he only has to finish in the top three even if Verstappen wins – but as McLaren have proved over a nervy last couple of weeks, that is easier said than done.
Both their cars were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for a technical infringement after finishing second and fourth, while a tactical blunder to not pit during an early safety-car period cost them more points in Qatar last week.
Verstappen’s ability to hold off the McLarens over a long run is not guaranteed but the chance to get out in front means he could have the advantage of clean air – if he wants it.
The temptation to hold up the pack and make Norris’s race as uncomfortable as possible will also be there, but both his rivals and the Mercedes of George Russell have the potential to challenge him if he gets too cheeky and he won’t want to risk losing his own position.
The title situation has led to some of the least enticing race markets of the season. Norris is 11-4 for a win he doesn’t particularly need while Piastri is 11-1 and in need of a lightning-fast start to give himself any chance of getting involved in the title fight from third on the grid, barring any safety-car or pit-stop chaos.
The best bets for the race should come further down the grid and Esteban Ocon could be overpriced at 5-1 for a top-six finish.
Both Haas cars have looked quick this weekend and while Ollie Bearman was disappointed to miss out on Q3 and starts 11th, his French teammate impressed in eighth and was only a fraction behind Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso ahead of him. The potential for skirmishing up front could also help Ocon to gain a place or two.
Liam Lawson of the Racing Bulls team can finish a season he began as Verstappen’s teammate with a points finish. His car had more pace than a 13th-place start suggests and the Kiwi could register something similar to his ninth place in Qatar last week.
F1 world drivers’ championship betting odds
DriverPointsOddsLando Norris
4081-4Max Verstappen39610-3Oscar Piastri39220-1Scroll >>> table to view
Odds correct at time of publication
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix betting odds
Race winnerOddsMax Verstappen4-9Lando Norris11-4Oscar Piastri11-1George Russell33-1Charles Leclerc66-1Kimi Antonelli225-1 Bar
250-1
Odds correct at time of publication
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