Formula One Preview

Jenson Button has been cut to 25/1 (general) for the drivers championship after victory in the Belgian Grand Prix. The Brit started on pole and lead from the front to claim the chequered flag and keep his thin title hopes alive. Button is now 63 points behind Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

Alonso has been eased out to 11/8 (general) favourite after a hugely disappointing race in which he was forced to retire on lap five (ending his run of 23 races in the points). The Spaniard has seen his lead cut to 24 points and knows the title race is now very much alive. It is Sebastian Vettel who will be the happiest this weekend as his title charge is back on after coming from tenth on the grid to finish in second behind Jenson Button. The 18 points he scored while Alonso got nothing has seen him cut the gap in the standings and the German can now be backed at 15/4 (Bodog) to grab another title.

Third in the standings is the other Red Bull car of Mark Webber who is 32 points behind Fernando Alonso. The Australian came sixth in the race which he will be reasonably pleased about following a very disappointing qualifying campaign that had him back in 12th. Webber must also think himself in the title mix though bookmakers disagree and have him available at 14/1 (boylesports/ladbrokes). Another drivers still in the title mix is Kimi Raikkonen who is 33 points behind leader Alonso. The ultra consistent Finn finished third in Belgium for his sixth podium finish this season and is now 7/1 (BWin) for the title. Lewis Hamilton had a frustrating weekend after he found himself running foul of his bosses after tweeting technical information on Saturday. Hamilton was hoping to make ammends on the track Sunday sadly he was clipped by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and was ruled out of the race. The only consolation for the Brit is that Alonso also was involved in the incident. Hamilton is now 8/1 (boylesports/ladbrokes) for the title and sits 47 points behind the leader Fernando Alonso.

In the Constructors Championship where Red Bull have a 54 point lead and they are 4/11 (Blue Sq/888 Sport) favourites. The worry might be that Mark Webber does not get the points that McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton get and it is 4/1 (Boylesports/ladbrokes) that McLaren grab the title. Lotus Renault are 11 points behind McLaren and they are 11/1 hopes with bet365.

The next race up is the Italian Grand Prix with many bookmakers already priced up on this race. Lewis Hamilton is the favourite at 7/2 (SkyBet/ladbrokes) as he is the stronger driver in the in-form McLaren. The Italian GP is a race that Hamilton has never actually won though. Kimi Raikkonen is 9/2 (Blue Sq/888 Sport) second favourite and the ultra-consistent driver is Finn is likely to be in the mix. Sebastian Vettel is 5/1 (BetVictor/ladbrokes) to claim a race that he won in 2011 and 2008. Jenson Button is 11/2 (SkyBet/Bodog/You Win) to make it back-to-back victories following his success in Belgium. The Brit seems to be returning to his best and looks decent value at that price especially at a track where he finished second in 2011. Fernando Alonso won this race in 2010 and is 13/2 (SkyBet/betfred) for success here again this year. The Red Bull of Mark Webber is a 14/1 (bet365/ladbrokes) rated hope for success.

We will have a full preview of the Italian Grand Prix later in the week.

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03/09/2012     © Frixo 2024