2012 Spanish Grand Prix Betting Odds and Preview

Hamilton stripped of Pole and starts from back of grid

Formula1 - Jenson Button
Formula1 - Jenson Button © GEPA pictures

Spanish Grand Prix Betting Info
It has been a fascinating season so far in F1 betting, as we have seen four different winners so far, and that naturally has led to a tight race in the Drivers World Championship standings so early in the season. After churning out a win in Bahrain last time out, double world champion Sebastian Vettel edged his way to the top of the standings after a slow start to the season for the Red Bulls. We are now off to Barcelona, Spain for the next installment of the F1 roadshow. There has already been some drama, even before we have gotten to Sunday, with Lewis Hamilton being stripped of his pole position. Hamilton had easily taken pole by a big margin, however he stopped his car out on the track instead of going back to the pits. This sparked a row over fuel, as teams have to have enough fuel left to get back to the pits after qualifying. There was enough in Hamilton’s car, but for some reason he was ordered to stop. Hamilton will now start from the back of the grid, ruining his chances of a first win of the season.

Spanish Grand Prix Betting Defending Champion
German Sebastian Vettel took the title here last season, in what was such a dominant season for him. He finished ahead of the two McLarens on the podium, but the same cut and thrust has not quite been there from the Red Bull team this season. They looked to have lost some confidence in their car after rule changes seemed to put them at a bit of disadvantage. However, you can never dismiss the talent of Vettel though, but he starts from seventh on the grid here in Spain. The top names just have not been running well in Barcelona and we could be in for a real mixed bag on Sunday. However, the experience of Vettel here could eat of the competition ahead of him if he gets his eye in under race conditions. He has the two McLarens and team mate Mark Webber behind him. So still a decent shot and good value at that for 6/1 at Bet Victor. Vettel didn’t post a time in the final session, so there could be something more to come from him.

Spanish Grand Prix Betting Favourite
Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus is heading the betting field, jointly with Fernando Alonso at 7/2 with Bet Victor. Spaniard Alonso will naturally be fired up for this one and he starts second on the grid behind surprise pole position starter, Pastor Maldonado in the Williams. Alonso already has a win under his belt, leading the Ferrari home at the Malaysian Grand Prix. This hasn’t been too bad going really, because the new Ferrari has been heavily criticized as being a difficult beast to drive, even by Alonso himself, who never expected to be competitive. He has made an impression already though, and is in a great position to get his nose in front and stay there. Kimi Raikkonen came home second to Vettel at the Bahrain Grand Prix recently, in what was a good day for he and fellow Lotus team mate Romain Grosjean. Raikkonen goes from fourth, one place back from Grosjean on the grid.

Other Contenders
A really strange line up with no McLaren or Red Bull in the top six for the Spanish Grand Prix. So are we going to see our fifth different winner for the season in five races? There is a good chance of it and Romain Grosjean has to be worth a look in the betting. He goes from a very good third position He hits the Spanish Grand Prix on the back of a solid third at the Bahrain Grand Prix, so confidence should be running high in the Lotus camp, and the McLarens in particular have been mentioning the big threat to come from Lotus.

Pastor Maldonado has taken a surprise Pole Position, but under race circumstances, you will always look to more experienced drivers, that is why the Venezuelan is being overlooked just a little bit, but he is trading at a decent outside shot at 10/1. Red Bull’s Mark Webber made an hugely erroneous error, sitting back on his heels after thinking that his first time was going to be good enough It wasn’t and he slipped outside of the top ten.

 

Jenson Button may be worth a look as well, even though he starts down in 10th on the grid. We have seen a topsy-turvy season, but Button has been pretty consistent and on pace. He has two podium finishes for the season out of the four previous races and not in bad shape. He was expected to go much quicker here and he was right on the money in practice. However, he was struggling with the handling of the car in qualifying and just couldn’t get things together.

Best Outside Bet
Would look at Jenson Button to be the one most likely to pull something out of the bag here. It really has been a strange season and the line up of the grid in the Spanish Grand Prix betting just highlights that. Maldonado, Grosjean, Perez, Kobayashi are all surprise names in some contention, but it may still be worth leaning towards the experience and ability of Button. He had the pace and if he sorts out his handling problem, then should still be a threat.

Latest Spanish Grand Prix Betting Prices at Bet Victor
Raikkonen 7/2, Alonso 7/2, Vettel 6/1, Grosjean 6/1, Maldonado 10/1, Button 10/1, Webber 14/1, Hamilton 20/1

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