Belgian GP Preview

If I was to mention SPA you might think of a nice relaxing break with mud treatments and saunas, but there will be no relexation this weekend as SPA is a race venue in Belgium that will play host to the F1 circus. As Formula One returns from a summer break just who will be taking the chequered flag first?

SPA will be anything but relaxing for the drivers with the breathtakingly fast straights that combine with hairpins, several fast bends and a fearsome opening lap. The first lap itself is often a huge source of problems for drivers with many cars and little space a number of early retirements have occured over recent years. Weather wise a few showers are currently forecast for the weekend which adds to the air of unpredictability

Bookmakers make Lewis Hamilton the 3/1 (general) favourite to win the race. The Brit will start full of confidence after victory in the last outing before the summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was a race that was dominated by Hamilton who started on Pole and finished out in front. The McLaren car seems to have overcame the early season teething problems and could be the one to stop in the second half of the season. Hamilton was a winner of this race in 2010 and will be the one to catch this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2011 and is 9/2 (Bodog) to repeat that result. Vettel was a disappointing fourth in Hungary and would have welcomed the summer break to try and work on a few of the problems that seemed to be affecting Red Bull. The German has made the podium on just one of his last seven races and badly needs full points here. Third in the market is Kimi Raikkonen who is having a great year in the Lotus. The Finn has reached the podium in three of the last four races and won last time he raced here (in 2009). The Lotus has been a revelation this year and if the Finn could ever get a handle on qualifying he would secure that elusive race victory. He is a 5/1 (general) chance for victory this Sunday and this looks worth chancing on a driver who has won here four times previously.

Fernando Alonso is the 13/2 (general) fourth favourite. The Spaniard currently has a 40-point lead in the Drivers standings and has the benefit of knowing that others are chasing him. Though not quite mud pack and sauna time Alonso knows a series of solid point scoring weeks and the title should be his. This track is not one of his favourites with two retirements from his last three races and he seems one to swerve.

One man who does love this track is Michael Schumacher who once said ‘Spa is like my living room, for me it is clearly the number one track in the world.’ Michael will become only the second driver to race in his 300th Grand Prix here in a venue that was fittingly the home of his first F1 race. The German is 40/1 (general) to win the race which may be a little beyond him and his current car. Of far more interest is the 11/4 (Stan James) on him to finish top six in a venue that he knows very well.

Of all the special bets I like the look of either of the Force India cars to feature among the points. Paul Di Resta represents value at 7/4 (ladbrokes) and so does Force India teammate Nico Hulkenburg (6/4-general) who has pointed in four of the last seven races.

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30/08/2012     © Frixo 2024