SSF1: Sat 12.00 & Sun 13.00: BetVictor’s Charlie McCann reviews the China GP and looks to Bahrain; Hamilton is now 7/4 for the title.
A hat-trick of third placed finishes for Lewis Hamilton after Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix yet the McLaren star remains BetVictor’s 7/4 favourite to regain the World Title after Nico Rosberg’s brilliant win for Mercedes in Shanghai.
The German was not exactly winning out of turn given it was his 111th drive in F1 but that should be put into perspective given that is still two fewer than Jenson Button took to land his first Grand Prix.
Mercedes did look very competitive in qualification and during the race and it could well have been a Mercedes 1-2 were it not for the cock up with one of Michael Schumacher’s tyres in the first pit stop. That said Rosberg had quickly pulled out a four second lead over his teammate and he is beginning to look number one in this rejuvenated Mercedes team who only returned to the sport in 2010 after a 55-year sabbatical.
If Hamilton would have been disappointed with his podium finishes from pole in Australia and Malaysia he is likely to have been delighted with his third in Shanghai were he was given a five-place grid penalty for his gearbox change.
Button, who won in Australia, may have challenged Rosberg had it not been for a delay with a left-rear wheel nut on his final pit stop and who knows how close he would have got to the young German with a clear run?
Sebastian Vettel’s tyres gave way on the final laps enabling both Hamilton and teammate Mark Webber to overtake but Red Bull wont be too disappointed with the event and expect a better show in the heat of Bahrain this weekend. The current Champion has ground to make up on the McLaren pair and is out to 6/1 to retain his title.
It was a poor race for Ferrari after Alonso’s virtuoso drive in the rain in Malaysia and it could be a long season for the team despite having that early success under their belt. The Spanish star is 14/1 to regain his world title despite currently lying in third place in the Table.
For this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix BetVictor bet:
J Button 5/2
L Hamilton 5/2
N Rosberg 6/1
M Schumacher 15/2,
S Vettel 10/1
M Webber 14/1
F Alonso 16/1
25/1 Bar.
2012 F1 standings after Chinese Grand Prix Sunday 15th April:
L Hamilton 45
J Button 43
F Alonso 37
M Webber 36
S Vettel 28
N Rosberg 25
S Perez 22
K Raikkonen 16
B Senna 14
For all your odds at Bahrain this weekend check out betvictor.com
Be lucky
Charlie
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