Way-too-early betting favourites for 2026 F1 world championship
Attention has turned to next season
Lando Norris fulfilled his dream in Abu Dhabi, keeping his cool to secure his maiden Formula One World Championship. The young Brit headed to the title decider in the box seat, holding a narrow 12-point advantage over the relentless Max Verstappen, and ultimately, that proved to be just enough to get over the line.
Midway through the season, the reigning four-time world champion Dutchman was a whopping 104 points off the championship lead and a 100/1 outsider to win the title. Then, he proceeded to eat into that championship deficit at every given opportunity, winning five of the final eight races prior to the shootout in the Arabian Gulf. In the decider, he did everything he needed to do to complete the greatest comeback Formula One has ever seen, winning the race in dominant fashion, but it wasn’t enough to steal the title from under Norris’s nose.
Lando Norris celebrates his first F1 World Champion title with some donuts! 🏎️🏆
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) December 7, 2025
Lando Norris Wins Maiden F1 World Championship
Needing at least a third-place finish to claim the title for the first time, Norris did just enough to seal the title, but the race wasn’t without its fears. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was hot on his tail throughout the Grand Prix, entering the DRS zone numerous times, but he was unable to make a move stick. Norris also had to overtake a train of traffic after his pitstop, a train headed by Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who forced the McLaren off the track when he attempted to overtake.
But Norris wouldn’t be deterred. He completed the overtake on the Japanese star before holding off Leclerc after a second round of pitstops to secure third place and ultimately the title.
Now, the 2025 season is in the books, but already, even hours after its conclusion, attention has turned to 2026. So, who are the way-too-early betting favourites to win the title next season? Let’s take a look.
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen’s 1,457-day reign as the undisputed king of Formula One may well have come to an end, but online betting sites make the Dutch superstar the favourite to reclaim his crown in 2026. The popular Bovada site already has its odds listed for next season, and the American bookie lists the four-time champion as a 5/2 favourite to claim his fifth crown in 2026. And after his displays throughout the second half of the 2025 season, it’s hard to disagree.
Verstappen was seemingly dead and buried in this season’s title race after the Dutch Grand Prix, sitting a whopping 107 points behind then championship leader Oscar Piastri and 70 points behind second-placed Norris with just nine races remaining. Then, he mounted a comeback for the ages, winning six of those remaining races to ultimately overthrow one McLaren, although the second would cling on. Still, there is plenty to be excited for next season, and Verstappen, heavily motivated after coming up just two points short, will certainly take some stopping.
Lando Norris
Narrowly behind Verstappen at 11/4 is newly minted king Lando Norris. McLaren’s main man mounted a comeback of his own throughout the second half of 2025. After a heartbreaking retirement in the Netherlands, he sat 34 points behind his teammate Piastri, and it seemed as though he would be upstaged by his younger Australian teammate. Then, Verstappen took over, and Norris was seemingly allowing the title race to pass him by.
But with his back up against the wall, the talented Brit came out fighting. Back-to-back victories in Mexico and Brazil would save his title challenge, but there can be no denying that Verstappen and his upgraded Red Bull were the dominant forces throughout the latter stages of the season. Had there been one more race on the calendar, the title may well have headed back to the Netherlands once more, and Norris must up his game in 2026 if he is to successfully defend his crown.
George Russell
2026 will usher in a slew of regulation changes, and Mercedes has been focusing all of its efforts on the new era as opposed to being competitive in 2025. As such, George Russell may also contend for the world title next season, and he is barely behind the two frontrunners in the betting charts, with the bookies pricing him at 3/1.
The former Williams man stepped out of Lewis Hamilton’s shadow this season. After spending two years learning from the GOAT, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari opened the door for G-Rus to become the lead driver for the Silver Arrows. And to say he has delivered would be an understatement.
Russell reeled off impressive victories in both Canada and Singapore, proving he was worthy of being Mercedes’ main man. Now, with an improved package for 2026, further victories are expected. Add to that a feud with Verstappen, which has been simmering away for some time now, and we could well be in store for fireworks in 2026.