For the first time all season we seem to have a six way fight to win a Grand Prix although looking at the Formula 1 betting odds, you would think it a two horse(power) race. The German Grand Prix could well see the resurgence of Ferrari on the scene following a rather quiet year by their standards. If qualifying sessions are anything to go by then they will certainly be competitive in today’s event.
Sebastian Vettel has claimed another pole position, but only by a fraction of a second. This will be the first time he has started from pole in his home Grand Prix and you can bet he will have plenty of support from the crowd. Bookmakers have him an even money favourite to win today – fairly short odds really.
Ferrari have claimed their first front row for the season with two times champ Fernando Alonso missing pole by two thousandths of a second – about the width of a blade of grass. He is 11/5 second favourite and will certainly make a race of it. From a betting perspective, they are the only two in the market.
Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari will start immediately behind Vettel while Mark Webber, Vettel’s team mate starts in fourth spot immediately behind Alonso. Just to keep those four honest, the McLaren duo of Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton start from five and six, respectively.
All six have realistic chances of winning this race. Hockenheim is one of the friendlier tracks to race on with drivers having ample opportunities to show their skills. If there is a negative to this circuit it is the first lap, often a helter skelter affair with thrills and spills everywhere. To win this race, drivers need to stay safe on that first lap. From there, it’s just a good old fashion race to the finish with the best cars and the best drivers winning the day.
Our tip – this could be the day for Ferrari and much will depend on that first lap. Massa starts from three and is at 15/1 – he is a good driver and could steal this event if there is trouble up front. Webber at 14/1 is also good value. Hamilton and Button have been ignored in betting with betting odds of 16/1 and 25/1, respectively. McLaren don’t perform well in qualifying always recording faster times on race day. With that in mind we tip Hamilton to win from Massa and Webber.