The F1 Times gambling contest between Ryan Wood (Editor) and Daniel Chalmers (Feature Editor) heads to the last round in Sao Paulo for the Brazilian GP.
Both men have a budget of £5 to spend on a maximum of 3 different bets relating to the upcoming event. The deadline for these bets to be placed is before the start of the first Friday practice session.
At the end of the season the winner will be the person who has made the most profit, or made the lowest loss.
Here are the results from last time.
Ryan Wood
Bet 1 – Jenson Button to top 1st practice for the US GP – £2.00 at 6/1
Bet 2 – Lewis Hamilton to win the US GP – £3.00 at 5/2 – Won £10.50
Daniel Chalmers
Bet 1 – A British 1-2 in qualifying – £2.00 at 20/1
Bet 2 – A British 1-2 in the race – £2.00 at 16/1
Bet 3 – Paul Di Resta to be the first retirement of the United States GP – £1.00 at 25/1
Button’s problem in Q2 spoiled any realistic chances of Daniel’s British 1-2 bets coming off. As it was Vettel took pole, however McLaren were very quick in the race. Had Button qualified near the front there maybe was an outside chance of a British 1-2, but it wasn’t to be.
However Ryan had correctly predicted that Hamilton would win the race and won £10.50 as a result.
After 19 races £95.00 has been spent by both men. Ryan now has £57.24 worth of profit, whilst Daniel has £40.90 worth of losses. Therefore there is a difference of £98.14 between the two gamblers.
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Ryan Wood |
Daniel Chalmers |
After a long run of modern Hermann Tilke tracks we are finally back at one of F1’s classic venues at Interlagos.
This circuit has all the ingredients needed for a classic championship decider. There is a mix of fast and slow corners, plus long straights where overtaking is a real possibility.
There are plenty of elevation changes including the long climb up the hill to the pit straight, plus the tricky downhill Senna “S” corner.
One of the other great features is the passionate crowd that the race attracts. It’s more like being at a football match and Bruno Senna and Felipe Massa in particular will get plenty of support this weekend.
The weather has certainly played its part over the years. The rain in the 2008 championship decider turned it into one of the all time classic races.
The wet race in 2003 was crazier still, as Giancarlo Fisichella was eventually declared the winner of that race for Jordan.
Over the years the Brazilian GP has delivered brilliant racing, dramatic title deciders and some shocks too.
No wonder people wish that Interlagos could be put onto wheels and transported all round the world.
Round 20 Brazil
Ryan Wood
Bet 1 – Fernando Alonso to win the title in Brazil – £5.00 at 100/30
Ok, it’s not strictly a race specific bet, but I couldn’t not put all my money on the outsider to win the championship at the final race of the season. It’s happened on numerous occasions, most recently Kimi Raikkonen winning in 2007 despite being some distance behind both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Then we’ve had the last lap drama of 2008 when Hamilton stole the fifth place he needed from Timo Glock to beat Felipe Massa by a single point.
Brazil always seems to throw up a surprise when it plays host to the final race of the season, particularly when it’s a title deciding race. Whilst Sebastian Vettel has quite a lead over Alonso (13 points), if some trouble strikes the German, we could very well see Alonso crowned a triple-world champion. On the other hand, trouble may not be required as rain is forecast and going on Alonso’s previous wet weather form, he could take the title on merit.
I’ve stumped up the maximum amount I could on this single bet. 100/30 aren’t the greatest odds but would provide a decent return should the unexpected happen.
Daniel Chalmers
Bets 1 and 2 – Timo Glock to score a point – £1.00 at 200/1 and Heikki Kovalainen to score a point – £2.00 at 50/1
This week I am doing crazy bets as that is the only way I have a chance of winning the betting challenge.
With rain predicted this weekend absolutely anything can happen. It’s certainly the best chance for backmarkers to score points. A wet track is more of a level playing field, plus it can result in a high rate of attrition.
Glock and Kovalainen are both the kind of drivers who can keep their noses clean and get a result if it is available.
Potential rain could prove critical for the battle for 10th in the constructor’s championsip, which is worth millions to both these teams. Marussia currently sit in that vital position.
Bet 3 – Bruno Senna to finish on the podium – £2.00 at 50/1
This is another crazy bet, but one which I think could actually happen. Senna is actually on a pretty decent run of form at the moment, which has seen him pick up points in each of the last three races.
Like his uncle was, Bruno is really strong in the wet conditions, as we saw in the Malaysian GP earlier on in the year.
If it does rain on Sunday I think he will thrive. Also we have to remember that this is his home race. The Brazilian fans worshipped Ayrton, so I am sure they give Bruno plenty of support too. It could give him a real lift.
Also he wouldn’t be the first Williams driver to get a great result at Interlagos, and then get the chop (looks very likely now that Valtterri Bottas will get his seat). Just ask Nico Hulkenberg.
