Chaotic would be the best way to describe the qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
When the dust finally settled — amid rain, crashes, and six red flags — Max Verstappen emerged with the pole, and will look for back-to-back wins. He’ll line up in Row 1 ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove his Williams to its best start of the season.
It was not a banner day for F1 odds championship favorite Oscar Piastri, who crashed out and will start ninth. His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, will start in seventh.
Don't miss our Azerbaijan GP predictions and free betting picks for Sunday, September 21.
2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix prediction and picks
- Race prediction: Russell to win (+1400)
- Best bet: Lawson Top 6 (+2000)
2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix odds
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
 Max Verstappen |
-275 |
 Lando Norris |
+550 |
| Oscar Piastri |
+1000 |
 George Russell |
+1400 |
 Charles Leclerc |
+2800 |
| Lewis Hamilton |
+2800 |
| Kimi Antonelli |
+2800 |
 Carlos Sainz |
+2800 |
 Liam Lawson |
+4000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda |
+10000 |
| Isack Hadjar |
+25000 |
 Fernando Alonso |
+50000 |
| Alex Albon |
+50000 |
 Oliver Bearman |
+50000 |
 Gabriel Bortoleto |
+50000 |
| Lance Stroll |
+50000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg |
+100000 |
 Pierre Gasly |
+100000 |
| Franco Colapinto |
+100000 |
| Esteban Ocon |
+100000 |
Odds as of 9-20.
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 post-qualifying picks
Race prediction: Russell to Win (+1400 at bet365)
There’s just not enough juice to take Max Verstappen at -250, considering the history and the variance in the field.
Aside from Max and George Russell, the rest of the grid hasn’t really been at this part of the pack in a race this year.
That includes Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Yuki Tsunoda. No wonder the books have Norris and Piastri with the second-and-third best odds to take the checkered flag.
Throw in the fact that the pole sitter has not won on the Baku City Circuit in four straight races, and Russell in the five-spot seems like a value bet worth making. He was third here last season.
Best bet: Lawson Top 6 (+2000 at bet365)
There might not be better odds this year than Liam Lawson at +2000 to finish in the Top 6 in Azerbaijan. Lawson has placed himself in the best position to achieve a season-best after finishing in third in qualifying.
It has not been a banner year for the New Zealander, as he’s steered his Racing Bulls car to just one Top 6 finish all season. He’ll have to fend off the McLaren boys at the back of the pack, including Piastri, whose lap time in Q2 shows he could make his way through the field and challenge.
Still, given the odds, there’s value here.
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 starting grid
| Position | Driver | Position | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 2 | Carlos Sainz |
| 3 | Liam Lawson | 4 | Kimi Antonelli |
| 5 | George Russell | 6 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 7 | Lando Norris | 8 | Isack Hadjar |
| 9 | Oscar Piastri | 10 | Charles Leclerc |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | 12 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 14 | Lance Stroll |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | 16 | Franco Colapinto |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | 18 | Esteban Ocon |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | 20 | Alex Albon |
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 pre-qualifying favorites
To the surprise of no one, McLaren pilots Oscar Piastri (+150) and Lando Norris (+200) are the Top 2 choices in the early betting. Max Verstappen (+350) and Charles Leclerc (+700) round out the single-digit options.
Verstappen is F1's most recent winner after taking the Italian GP on September 7.
Previous F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix winners
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 2023 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2021 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 2020 | Race Not Held - COVID-19 | N/A |
| 2019 | Valterri Bottas | 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.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
