Australian bookmakers write off Oscar Piastri’s F1 championship hope in 2026
Some would say that Oscar Piastri’s 2025 season would hold him in good stead for a title charge in 2026, but Aussie bookies have already written him off for the championship.
Aussie bookies have written off Oscar Piastri’s 2026 Formula 1 title hopes, rating him behind George Russell and fourth in the market for next year.
Less than a week after his teammate Lando Norris secured the 2025 world drivers crown in Abu Dhabi, multiple bookmakers have jumped on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the title favourite for 2026 when the sport’s new regulations come into play.
But the early markets don’t reflect much confidence in Piastri’s chances of claiming a maiden F1 crown, with the Australian sitting behind Verstappen, his title-winning McLaren teammate Norris and Russell on the fourth line of betting.
In markets released this week, Verstappen is the early favourite to claim a fifth world drivers’ championship after his stunning 2025 fightback fell agonisingly short.
Verstappen clawed back from 104 points behind in the championship standings to finish just two points behind Norris following his final win of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Ladbrokes has the Dutchman priced at $3 to win the 2026 drivers’ championship, while he is at $3.15 with Sportsbet and $3.50 with TAB.
After finishing third in the championship behind Norris and Verstappen, Piastri opened as an $8 chance with Ladbrokes and he is priced at $6.50 with TAB and $5.75 with Sportsbet – all fourth in their respective markets.
Ladbrokes has Russell, who finished fourth in the championship in 2025, and Mercedes tipped to be the big improver next season when Formula 1 introduces sweeping new technical regulations, with the Brit sitting second in its market behind Verstappen – and ahead of Norris ($4.50) and Piastri – at $4.25.
“After a terrific, but at times luckless 2025 there is bound to be support for Piastri to become the first Australian to win the title since Alan Jones in 1980,” Ladbroke’s Nick Quinn said.
“After finishing fourth last year there is a high level of expectation that Russell and the Mercedes outfit will be the big improver heading into a 2026 campaign.”
Russell sits third behind Verstappen and Norris in the Sportsbet ($4.50) and TAB ($4) markets.
Piastri finished 13 points behind Norris in the 2025 championship after a season when he claimed seven Grand Prix wins.
While he isn’t priced highly with the bookies, Piastri’s McLaren boss Zak Brown this week said he would become an F1 world champion and it could be next year.
“These guys want to be world champion and he was so close. So he is disappointed in that, but I don’t think he is disappointed in the season. He should be very proud. He won seven races, either of them could have won the championship,” Brown told UK’s Radio X.
“It is a long season, you get some good luck, some bad luck. So he should be immensely proud. I am excited already for next season because I think Oscar is a very tough, very focused individual so he has very few areas he needs to improve upon.
“You should watch out for Oscar Piastri next year. He’s still a couple of years younger than Lando. He’s only in his third season.
“And Lando, this was his seventh season. So Oscar’s going to be a world champion and could be next year.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Australian bookmakers write off Oscar Piastri’s F1 championship hope in 2026
Red Bull drama explodes, Horner sabotage
