Korean Grand Prix

[Gavster]

Well first of all I'll start by saying that Suzuka was shocking, both for betting and racing action. I was bored. I'm starting to get bored of the season now, partly because Hamilton is out of it, but mainly because Webber is favourite. Webber? WTF! Yes, Webber, possibly one of the slowest and least greatest champions since.... I can't remember. Oh well

Sorry, I just like genuinely fast drivers to win the championship.


So three races to go and the title is pretty much between three drivers. I can still see Webber being beaten by Vettel or Alonso. Vettel seems to be more determined and far more relaxed in the car; the mistakes are a distant memory and a lot of ground has been made up to make him a genuine title contender. That said, all it takes to throw it all up in the air again is a Webber DNF and a Hamilton win.

The track surface is brand new and low on grip. Which car does better in these circumstances is anyone's guess. I would suggest it's like driving on a drying track, so perhaps Mclaren and Renault can look forward to a decent weekend. Mclaren also have a big upgrade package for this race, including a new improved F-duct enhancing rear-wing, which will help on the long Korean straight. Just to clarify, Hamilton does not have a grid penalty for this race because of his gearbox fault in Japan.


As for bets...

Well Kubica's qualifying form has been impressive of late. You can get 34.0 @ Betfred e/w 1/5 1-3. On a slippery track, it could be a good punt.

A points finish for Hulkenberg is great value at 2.25 @ various.


I'll be back after practice one. There are some good race match bets if you look on oddschecker and fancy killing an hour picking some out. I'll wait for my day off tomorrow.

[Gavster]

Well there was no way I was getting up for practice one, but practice two was fairly informative. I'm not sure I like the circuit. The layout and flow between certain corners seems clumsy. Perhaps I'll get used to it.

One thing that didn't surprise was Mclaren's new found pace, due to a series of upgrades on the car since Suzuka. I really feel they are in with a shout of victory here, and definitely value @ 3.5 for highest scoring team. A Hamilton win could make the championship very interesting.

Sunday is predicted to be wet, which on a new surface will be treacherous. If a Mclaren is on pole in a wet race, you can expect it to stay out front with ease! Redbull have had difficulty in wet conditions so far this season.

Anyway, for qualifying I've placed a match bet treble.

Yamamoto 2.55
Heikki Kovalainen 1.85
Glock/di Grassi 1.25

Yamamoto is my odds booster, and in both practice sessions he has been half a second faster than Senna, so I'm counting on him to continue this form. He let me down big time on his home circuit, now he owes me!

I'm just not sure about the points finish or top6 market yet, given it's going to be a wet race. After Suzuka, I just don't like the lottery feeling. That said, Petrov is very over priced @ 2.75 with Betfred for a points finish. I'll have a bit of that


More after qualifying.

[stonecold]

Pertov has a 5 place drop from the last race hence why his odds are good. However he and especially Kubica have looked very impressive the whole weekend Kubica just went fastest in practice where hamilton should have gone faster till he made a small mistake at the end of the lap. Qualifying will be very interestig as red bull were struggling for grip in the final sector where they were ment to be very strong

[Gavster]

So Kovalainen, my banker, chose qualifying to be slower than his team mate for one of the few times this season. Can you believe it? I can't.

Yamamoto did his stuff, as did Glock. Why the hell didn't you Kovi, you tit?


As for tomorrow's race, well the wet weather makes it a total lottery. The top 5 will be really going for it at the start, and I wouldn't rule out another Webber/Hamilton tangle. Webber however, maybe too busy fending off Alonso, allowing Hamilton to sneak through. I think we could do with Webber having a DNF. Anyway, we'll see!

Rosberg looks very high @ 67.0 e/w for the win. He's very handy in the wet, and given a few bangs at the front, it could easily serve up a podium finish for him @ 13.4.

I think everyone else qualified about right. Jenson and Kubica seem to be struggling to dial their cars in; I doubt a wet track to help them.


Stonecold: I totally forgot about Petrov. I paired him up with Hulkenberg for a small stake double. I hate these crazy race/practice times as I do miss things. I'm just going to have to hope and pray now he can scythe his way through the pack.

[stonecold]

Well with rain forcast im glad i didnt put on any bets for the race! hopfully i'll be awake at 6am tomorrow to see wht the weather has decided to do. If theres no rain the odd side of the grid are laughing. If it is the rosberg e/w at 67/1 is a steal

[VacheronLim]

i quite like the head-to-head for webber vs alonso, almost 1.80 (but my local bookmaker has terrible price even for this) for alonso, the spaniard seems to be gain momentum with 3 wins in the last 6, and another 2 top-three finishes...while for webber, he's losing a bit of his advantage in the past few rounds, and starting on the dirty side of the track will put him at a disadvantage especially during the start...anyone thoughts on this? i think hamilton will really pester webber if alonso gets by into 2rd, and the bet could be decided early

[Gavster]

Well that's a fairly reasonable assessment Lim. You're right about Webber losing momentum. As I've said, I think Webber will concentrate on defending against Alonso, given Alonso will be starting on the clean side. That does leave Hamilton a run up the inside into turn one. I can see turn one being quite messy, and I can certainly see on of those Red Bulls fluffing their start with all the pressure on them.

Don't forget that it might be a wet start, so clean or dirty is mostly irrelevant.

[stonecold]

OK everyone race in half a hour.

Its wet and more rain is coming.

Medium bet on Rosberg to get on the podium

Big bet on a McLaren car to Win

Won twice in simillar conditions already and were the fastest cars when the weather was changing at spa. Surley Lewis or jenson to win

[VacheronLim]

webber crashes out, making the head-to-head bet easier than it should have been, after the wet weather complicated things

[Gavster]

I have no sympathy with Webber at all, given all the "it's too dangerous to race" propaganda. Hamilton and Martin Brundle were right in saying the safety car should've let them start racing much sooner. Webber was effectively trying to cement his high-point-scoring position. What a wuss!

Then Vettel, a worthy winner, got on the radio towards the end of the grand prix complaining that he couldn't see. Again, cheap underhanded tactics to cement his win, rather than fight the rest of the grand prix and win like a racing driver should! Thankfully, fate lent a hand and gave the win to a true racing driver, closley followed by another proper racing driver.


Rosberg, if it weren't for Webber, would have surely been on the podium, so the 67.0 I fluttered with was a decent shout.

Anyway, on to Brazil.