Motor Racing

Spanish Grand Prix Betting Preview And Race Predictions (2025)

3 months ago

| BY Sam Cox

Focus turns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix, with two McLaren drivers leading the way in the Drivers’ Championship.

After Monaco made F1 fans question if they had chosen the wrong sport to commit their Sundays to, there is optimism the final race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya can provide more excitement.

Despite seeing his lead in the Drivers’ Championship shrink, Oscar Piastri is the F1 betting favourite for this weekend’s race. Lando Norris claimed his first Monaco win on Sunday, leaving him only three points behind his teammate. Max Verstappen is also within striking distance – a win for the Dutchman could see him go level on points with Piastri.

The sports betting markets reflect how far the front three have been ahead of the rest of the grid. Charles Leclerc, owner of the fourth-shortest odds to win this weekend, is 14/1. This comes after a difficult Monaco weekend for Mercedes, resulting in George Russell drifting to 16/1.

Opportunity for the Scuderia

Leclerc has two podiums in the last four races. Lewis Hamilton is seeming more comfortable with his new team, registering top five finishes at Imola and Monaco.

A new front wing brings further optimism for Ferrari as they head to Catalunya. This has also been a high tyre wear race historically, which could work in their favour. One-lap pace has been a weakness for the Scuderia in the opening months of the season, but they have been able to extend the life of tyres on circuits similar to Barcelona.

Pirelli has selected the hardest tyre compounds. It’s still likely to be a two-stop race. While the softer compounds worked well for Hamilton at the last two races, the higher levels of degradation could bring Ferrari into the mix alongside the McLarens and Verstappen.

Mercedes Dropping Off

The Silver Arrows had four podiums in the first six races thanks to Russell’s unwavering consistency. The team have taken a step back in the first two legs of this triple-header with Russell’s seventh-placed finish in Imola being their only points across the last two races.

Kimi Antonelli had a weekend to forget in Monaco, ultimately placing 18th. Russell was 11th after a frustrating qualifying session.

While Russell has two previous podiums at this circuit, it’s a case of wait-and-see for us. Barcelona is a mix of fast, medium, and slow corners, presenting a different challenge for the cars and drivers from Imola and Monaco, but we want to see how the Mercedes fares in practice before committing to a wager.

Best Bet: Lando Norris Race Winner, Lewis Hamilton Top Six & Isack Hadjar Points Finish at 19/2

The improvement of Hamilton means the seven-time world champion had to be included in our best bet. A six-time winner at this event, Hamilton feels like a very safe bet for a top-six placing and could easily get into the podium mix.

Since a nightmare start in Australia, Isack Hadjar has consistently been fighting for points. He has finished in the top 10 in four of the last six races, including a career-best sixth place finish last weekend.

Norris has finished ahead of Piastri in the last two races, including his win at Monaco. While his record at the Spanish Grand Prix is patchy, the Brit has plenty of experience at this circuit, and the McLaren should have a clear advantage over Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes once again.