With
no time to rest after last weekend’s controversial Ferrari 1-2 victory
in Germany, Formula One moves onto Hungary. Who will take the chequered
flag this weekend? BetRepublic.com previews the outright markets here.
Fernando Alonso – 15/8
Sebastian Vettel – 2/1
Mark Webber – 9/2
Lewis Hamilton - 6/1
Felipe Massa – 8/1
This weekend’s race at the
Hungaroring, near Budapest, is the twelfth race of the 2010 Formula One
season and after the events at Hockenheim last weekend Formula One will
be looking for a clean and exciting race. However, the Hungaroring
closely resembles the track at Monaco with its short straights, lots of
turns and usually a massive lack of overtaking action. Will things be
different this year?
As always, first up for the
race weekend comes qualifying. Of the eleven races so far this season a
Red Bull has started on pole position on ten occasions, with Sebastian
Vettel claiming six poles, including the last three straight top grid
slots, and Mark Webber claiming the other four. Lewis Hamilton claimed
pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, which he went on to win, to
prevent Red Bull having 100% domination. Will we see an eleventh Red
Bull pole position this season this weekend?
I feel that we will, as the Red
Bull car is still the fastest car over one lap. Although the Ferraris
made massive steps forward last weekend, allowing them to finish in the
top two positions, they were given a two massive advantages after
Vettel had a second consecutive poor start from pole position and Mark
Webber’s car developed an engine problem. With the Hungaroring being so
tight and twisty aerodynamics are going to be at a premium this weekend
and the Red Bull cars are best at getting cleanly through the air and
as a result my money is on Vettel to extend his pole positions to four
in a row, as he is the quicker of the two Red Bull drivers over one
lap, at odds of 15/8.
Will Vettel be able to convert
this pole position into a race win? Of the six times that he has
started at the front of the grid this season, Vettel has won just once.
This win came at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, and Lewis
Hamilton has a 100% pole position and race win record after his win in
Canada and Mark Webber has won two races from his four pole positions,
including the Monaco Grand Prix. If not Vettel, then who will take the
chequered flag? With the lack of overtaking in Hungary most years, grid
position is going to be pretty important and it could go anyway as Red
Bull will be near the top of the grid as will Ferrari after their
improvements in Germany and McLaren enjoy the Hungaroring having won it
for the last three years, and four of the last five with current driver
Jenson Button winning the other race in 2006 in a Honda.
After their poor showing in
Germany McLaren will want to bounce back with a positive performance
and after their recent showings in Budapest they have the knowledge and
data to win this race. Lewis Hamilton will be looking to make it two
wins in a row after winning last year. He could have had three straight
wins in Hungary apart from a puncture in 2008 that saw him finish
fifth. Button will also be in confident mood as he has a great chance
of getting a win at the venue he scored his first win in 2006. Since
then he has had poor luck in Hungary, with a retirement, twelfth and
eighth his results for the last three years. I see a good result for
the McLaren team this weekend.
Ferrari will be in confident
mood after their showing in Germany, but with the $100,000 USD they
received for the team orders they gave to their drivers they will be
looking to keep their noses clean this weekend. This will be a good
thing for Felipe Massa who, prior to being hospitalised after an
accident in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, led the 2008
race until his engine exploded with just three laps remaining as should
be leading the race Ferrari cannot ask him to move over for his
team-mate. This will mean that Alonso will have to be more aggressive
also, which has seemed to be his problem this year as when he behind
someone of equal pace. I foresee a good weekend for the Ferrari squad
also.
So, with the big three teams
all gearing up for an excellent weekend we, the fans, should see an
spectacle that is not often seen at the Hungaroring – overtaking and
tactical battles at the front of the field. However, it is not any of
the previous five drivers mentioned that I feel will take the chequered
flag. I see Mark Webber as the race winner, as he is more consistent
over race distances than he his team-mate and his has equal machinery
so will be able to put his car up at the head of the grid, most likely
second or third. I will be backing the Australian to win at odds of
11/2.
My final two outright bets, as
ever, are who will place on the podium and the top six at the end of
the race. The podium bet will be difficult to predict as there will be
six drivers battling for three spaces on the podium, however I am going
to back Felipe Massa to finish on the podium after his accident last
year. With the form he showed last weekend in Germany and the fact that
he wears his heart on his sleeve and thanks the marshals and track
staff for looking after him following his accident last year he will
want to give something back. For all of this I see him taking a place
in the top three and I will be backing him to do so at odds of 7/5.
Despite not having finished in
the top six for the last two races due to the resurgence of the top
three teams Robert Kubica is still my pick for a top six finish. He is
available at odds of 8/11 to place in the top six and although he will
need for one of the Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren drivers to have
problems to trouble the top six places, but being as Jenson Button is
the has the best odds of the top three teams to place in the top six,
but is available at 2/5 I feel that Kubica is a better investment for
this market.
During the race weekend I will be providing further bets on both qualifying and the race in the
BetRepublic.com Formula One Stadium. Drop in to check out my bets, join in the chat and provide your own bets to myself and the BetRepublic members!