The odds on Sebastian Vettel beating Lewis Hamilton to this year’s Drivers’ Championship have been slashed after the German seized the chequered flag in Bahrain making it two wins out of two so far this season as the Ferrari man opened up a 17-point lead over Hamilton.
Check a review of trusted betting sites and you will see that they have responded by cutting the odds on Vettel winning the title to 2/1 following his latest victory. Hamilton remains the favourite at 4/6 though, but it seems like we could be in for another thrilling two-horse race between star drivers at rival teams.
The pair were neck and neck in the betting last year, but Hamilton eventually pulled away towards the end of the season and landed his third Drivers’ Championship in four years. That made it four in a row for Mercedes, and the German team is the heavy favourite to overhaul Ferrari and extend its winning run to five by the time the season is done. There is a sense that Hamilton too should be able to overtake his fierce rival before the season is out.
His luck so far has been poor and events have conspired against him in the opening two races of the season. In Melbourne, he started from pole position and was cruising to victory, only for Romain Grosjean to stop on track with a loose wheel nut. The safety car came out and Vettel, who had yet to pit, had the opportunity to make a stop while the rest of the field was going at a reduced speed, so he was able to emerge ahead of Hamilton and edge out a tense victory. It was an error from Hamilton’s team, and it cost him dearly.
Then in Bahrain he started ninth on the grid after being hit with a penalty when he needed a gearbox change because of a hydraulic leak. Again, not his fault but it cost him the chance to win this race.
Hamilton was the fastest driver in both races, and in Bahrain he did well to soar up the leaderboard and finish third, but he could not rein Vettel in who was just too far ahead. However, it is a long old season and the Brit is very much in touching distance, so he should not be too disheartened.
Next up is the Chinese Grand Prix and Hamilton holds the record for the most wins there. Last season he led the race from start to finish and took the chequered flag for his fifth win in Shanghai. He is the favourite to make it six when the F1 season resumes on Sunday, and that will give him a strong opportunity to close the gap on the leader.
Even Vettel admits that Hamilton has an advantage in the battle thanks to the sheer speed and power of the Mercedes engine. “If you look at the pace in testing and at the first race, it’s pretty clear that Mercedes is fastest, probably with a three- or fourth-tenths’ gap,” he said.
“It’s also a no-brainer that we're not quick enough yet and Mercedes is quicker.” But he adds that they will keep going racing and that the excitement of the sport is that you never quite know what will happen.
Both teams are ultra-competitive and the Mercedes crew has a few days to go away, lick its wounds, regroup and come back out fighting. Ferrari has been strong and consistent so far this season, and it will simply hope for more of the same. There are still plenty of tracks that should suit the Ferrari better, including Monaco and Singapore, and there will be many more opportunities for Vettel to pick up wins, so we could be in for a gripping battle throughout the season.
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