European Grand Prix Betting

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Last Updated on Friday, 25th Jun 2010, 

Written by Anto

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Outright Race Winner Odds (supplied by William Hill):

• Lewis Hamilton – 5/2
• Fernando Alonso – 11/4
• Sebastian Vettel – 7/2
• Mark Webber – 6/1
• Jenson Button – 7/1
• Felipe Massa – 14/1
• Nico Rosberg – 20/1
• Robert Kubica – 25/1
• Michael Schumacher – 33/1
• Adrian Sutil – 150/1
• Vitantonio Liuzzi - 200/1
• Vitaly Petrov – 200/1
• Rubens Barrichello – 300/1
• Nico Hulkenburg – 400/1
• Sebastien Buemi – 400/1
• Kamui Kobayashi – 500/1
• Pedro de la Rosa – 500/1
• Jamie Alguersuari – 500/1
• Heikki Kovalainen – 1000/1
• Jarno Trulli – 1000/1
• Timo Glock – 2000/1
• Lucas di Grassi – 2500/1
• Karun Chandhok – 2500/1
• Bruno Senna – 2500/1

This year’s European Grand Prix is the third running of the race at the street circuit around the Valencia docklands. The circuit itself is similar in many ways to Monaco – it is tight, twisty and difficult to overtake – and, just like in Monaco, a high qualifying position is vital if a driver is to challenge for the race win. The 2008 winner, Felipe Massa, started from pole position while Rubens Barrichello, the winner in 2009, won from third place on the grid. How will qualifying go this year?

In my mind there are three real challengers for pole position in Mark Webber (9/2), Lewis Hamilton (11/4) and Fernando Alonso (11/4). Mark Webber is the more accurate of the two Red Bull drivers and he has already out qualified Sebastien Vettel at the only comparable track this season when he sat on pole in Monaco. Since then Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have come on in leaps and bounds and he took their first non-Red Bull pole this season last time out in Canada. Fernando Alonso has a raft of new upgrades for his car this weekend and this, coupled with the fact that Valencia is his home race, means that he will be right on form this weekend, especially after his very competitive showing in Canada two weeks ago. Who will take pole though? My money is on Alonso as I feel that this track will suit the Ferrari and its new upgrades package and with the home fans cheering him on Alonso will take pole. I’ll be backing him to do so at odds of 11/4.

With qualifying position being so important to a good race I feel that it will be one of the three previously mentioned drivers who take the race win, although should Vettel get a good qualifying position he could be in for a high finish also. Mark Webber has already shown that he has what is necessary to win on a street circuit with his pole and win at Monaco earlier in the season. He has better car control than his team mate and his controlled aggression means that his driving style is perfect for this kind of track. With this being a street circuit, the dust and dirt will make driving difficult for all of the drivers, however one driver who can drag the best out of his car is Lewis Hamilton. He has been overly aggressive in previous seasons but he is learning from Jenson Button and the fact that he could pull out fastest laps at the end of Canadian Grand Prix when most other drivers had killed their tyres shows that he is bettering his all round driving style and he is probably the most dangerous driver, as long as he gets a good grid spot. Alonso will be fast too, with the new packages on the car and the fact that he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid he will be up there pushing for the top spot of the podium too.

Who will take the race win though? I feel that Lewis Hamilton has absolutely everything necessary – great car, great team, maturity, speed, car control and excellent tyre management – and I feel that he will take the top step of the podium for the third race running. Back him to do so at odds of 5/2.

Like I said, I feel that these three drivers will be main ones pushing for the race win, although Vettel and Button could easily put themselves in contention with a good performance too, and my podium finish bet also comes from one of these drivers. Hamilton and Alonso are available at less than evens odds, so I’ll be sticking my money on Mark Webber to finish in the top three at odds of 6/4.

My final bet, as always, is who will finish in the top six. I am stuck between two drivers for this race in Nico Rosberg (8/11) and Robert Kubica (4/5). Rosberg has performed well in Friday’s practice sessions, finishing top and fourth in the first two practices, showing that he has a handle on the track. However, Kubica is one of the most consistent drivers on the grid this season and he has finished in the points in seven of this season’s eight races, with five of those seven finishes in the top six. He also finished second to Mark Webber on the streets of Monaco, and because of that he gets my vote. I’ll be backing Kubica to finish in the top six at odds of 4/5.

BetRepublic.com Recommends:

• Back Fernando Alonso start the European Grand Prix from pole @ 11/4
• Back Lewis Hamilton to win the European Grand Prix @ 5/2
• Back Mark Webber to finish on the podium @ 6/4
• Back Robert Kubica to finish in the top six @ 4/5