Formula One Betting 2008
Sports betting fans can at last anticipate a Formula One Betting season packed with excitement, tension, conflict and lots of other good feelings. Most of this will be generated by the rivalry between McLaren and Ferrari, but more specifically, between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. Lewis lost the title to Kimi by a small margin in the last race in Brazil last season and will be seeking to remedy this in 2008. An added bonus for online betting enthusiasts is the lurking presence of Fernando Alonso, team-mate of Hamilton last season but now at his new home with Renault. The Renault is an inferior car but the skill of Alonso will see him exploiting any chink in the armour shown by Hamilton and Raikkonen. Never to be discounted, Alonso battled to fourth position in Melbourne last weekend.
Ferrari v McLaren, which is the sure bet?
Ferrari, after a less than impressive start last season, appeared to have brought their cars up to scratch by the end and are regarded as having the resilience to dominate in the race pace while McLaren have the speed advantage in qualifying and may well hog the front row for most starts. Williams-Toyota, with Nico Rosberg and Kasuki Nakajima at the wheel, came third and sixth in Melbourne and will be keen to build on that.
Raikkonen is an all-time, top class driver and was the bookies favourite prior to Melbourne but Hamilton's win there has changed all that. Hamilton is now an odds-on chance for the title at 5-6 while Raikkonen has dropped back to 13-8. Fellow Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is next at 8-1 and McLaren's other driver Heikki Kovalainen is a 12-1 shot. The latest news from Malaysia, scene of the season's second race this coming Sunday, is that Hamilton is fastest in second practice having overturned the lead built by Massa in first-practice. Raikkonen sits in third position.
These first two races, together with the third in Bahrain on April 6th, are undoubtedly an indicator of how things will pan out over the next few weeks but shrewd online betting buffs will know that the real test of man and machine will come in the less humid conditions of continental Europe in the many races to follow. It's also early days to assess the impact of the many mechanical alterations that have been imposed on the cars. Certainly, if Melbourne was anything to go by, the banning of "traction and launch control", which prevents the rear wheels from spinning if the driver applies too much power, had a few drivers all over the track (and off-track!) last weekend.
Many Online sites offering free bets for new customers
With all this stuff going on we can reckon on an interesting season for a change and you should check out the many online betting sites offering free bets for new customers. Look around for the most competitive odds and a more interesting range of bets than just trying to guess the winner. Look for the useful and informative sites offering free advice, gossip, inside stories and stats to help in your decision making. It's never been a better time for the online sports betting fan.
