Motor Racing

Miami Grand Prix Betting Preview And Race Predictions (2025)

5 months ago

| BY Sam Cox

All eyes will be on the Miami International Autodrome this weekend for the latest edition of the Miami Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri leading the Formula One Drivers’ Championship.

Lando Norris, the preseason betting favourite for the Drivers’ Championship, returns to the venue of his first Formula One victory this weekend. Norris is trailing Oscar Piastri by 10 points in the standings with Max Verstappen only a couple of points behind the Brit.

William Hill’s F1 betting markets have little to choose between Norris and Piastri. The McLaren has been the fastest car on the grid by a significant margin thus far, claiming wins in four of the five races.

Norris and Piastri have also taken three of the five poles, with the other two going to four-time defending champion Verstappen.

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade

Red Bull made minor upgrades to their internal ducts and radiators in Jeddah. A floor upgrade wasn’t used on the car, as the team preferred to stick to one upgrade for the race in Saudi Arabia.

Instead, a new floor could be in use at the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen finished second behind Piastri in Jeddah – the Dutchman will be hoping his team can introduce a season-altering upgrade as McLaren did at this race 12 months ago.

Ferrari’s upgrade in Bahrain didn’t make a meaningful difference for Lewis Hamilton, who finished 39 seconds off the lead in Saudi Arabia. The Scuderia is still lacking balance, with an unstable rear end that is costing Hamilton a lot of time through the corners.

If Red Bull are able to make steps forward with the new floor, Verstappen to win the race and Kimi Antontelli and Yuki Tsunoda to score points could prove to be a great bet at 7/1.

Antonelli has scored points in four out of five races, while Verstappen has won two of three previous Grands Prix in Miami.

Softer Tyres

As was the case in Jeddah a couple of weekends ago, Pirelli are bringing softer tyre compounds to Miami than they did in 2024.

This temporary circuit provides greater grip the more laps are driven on the track, which could lead to dramatic qualifying sessions with the last drivers to set times standing at a significant advantage.

Track temperatures were in the mid-50s last year and should be high again. Thermal degradation could be a problem on the softer compounds, especially for cars that have a tendency to overheat their tyres.

Sprint Weekend

Sprint weekends can see weird things happen. Teams and drivers only have one practice session before sprint qualifying, giving a very limited amount of time to find the best setup.

A surprise result in the sprint is possible, as we saw with Hamilton’s win earlier this season. With teams allowed to make changes to their cars after the sprint, underachievers in the sprint race could fight back in qualifying on Saturday.

Given his pace throughout the year, George Russell is a good value option to win the sprint race at 14/1 after McLaren’s struggles in the first sprint race of the year. Russell is also 10/1 for sprint pole – an each-way wager is worthwhile.

Best Your Odds Bet

Piastri to win, Verstappen to finish on the podium, and Leclerc to finish in the top six at 4/1 is the pick of the Your Odds bets for this Grand Prix. Piastri has been calm and collected throughout the first five races, while proving he has at least as much pace as Norris.

Leclerc has finished in the top four in the last three races. Verstappen, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all-time, is a two-time winner at this circuit and has finished in the top two on three occasions this season (taking him to the podium in 60% of races).