Australian Grand Prix Betting

Do you agree that time speeds up? When I was young the off season for Formula 1 seemed to last forever, but here we are discussing the second Grand Prix of the season. With the Australian Grand Prix contested this weekend, here are my tips and observations from the Formula 1 season so far, using the betting odds from bwin to help us.

Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest time in Practise this morning with Jenson Button close behind him. That could influence the betting action for the Grand Prix and I believe that there is currently a great price for Lewis to win qualifying outright at 7/1. Jenson Button is not given much credit by bwin.com who values his chances of victory in this qualifying race at 20/1. Considering he was second fastest in the practise session and the current World Champion, perhaps bwin.com are taking a slightly risk placing him so far out of contention. I agree with them that I do not think he will repeat his success of last season and that Lewis Hamilton is better at squeezing speed out of the car than Button is, but 20/1? That is a little high for me and may shorten.

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are joint favourites for the World Championship at 23/10 largely based on the excellent reports about their car with one driver saying they are “Crazily faster than anyone else” on the track so far this season. But I believe that the performance of the McClaren in the practise sessions so far is significant. The car looks very suited to the Australian Grand Prix circuit which is why my tips for the outright winner in Qualifying for Lewis Hamilton at 7/1. If Vettel and Massa do manage to dominate the race I will be favouring them strongly to be dominant throughout the season. Ferrari does look to have finally got it right this season with a strong, reliable car.

The Formula 1 odds from bwin also extend to special betting which is always fun to follow during the race itself. The Red Bull and Ferrari car are in close competition this season. You can put a bet on at 7/5 on each of them to win the race, so providing one of the drivers wins from the team you bet on, you win. If you, like me, expect a good performance from Button and Hamilton in the McClaren then for 4/1 you can back a McClaren car to win the race.

Sebastian Vettel is the favourite for qualifying at 17/10 and I believe that this season he will be the driver to lift the World Championship. Fernando Alonso also looks dangerous so look for him to be a big contender for the title this season after failing to compete in the last couple of seasons. The Formula 1 season already looks to be competitive with the return of Michael Schumacher to competition. The action at the front of the grid has once again risen to the front of media attention and we are ready for more exciting races in the coming weeks.

Get your bets on early for the Australian Grand Prix and I hope you enjoy the racing action as much as I do this weekend.

By Malcolm Clarke