Vettel Favored in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix
After Sebastien Vettel's well deserved victory two weeks ago in the German Grand Prix - his first in his home country - he has extended his lead in the 2013 F1 Drivers Championship to 157 points. Next up is the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, a race Vettel has never won, but that has not stopped bookmakers from posting him as the early favorite.
Vettel Gets Better the More Races he Wins
With 34 points separating Vettel from second place Fernando Alonso in the driver's standings, the young German has this year's title well within his grasp, provided, of course, that he continues to drive with the gusto and confidence that he has been. He is one of those rare drivers who seems to get better the more races he wins, and Vettel sure loves to win.
But in Formula 1, even the best laid plans can go array as there are so many many things that can go wrong like having a poor start, being the victim of defective tires or a careless pit crew member, or worse succumbing to a miniscule loss of concentration, which in a precision high speed sport like F1, can prove to end a driver's race in the blink of an eye.
That said, Vettel has shown himself to be one of the most reliable and consistent drivers on the circuit, and one where if his equipment and team are faultless, is more prone to winning races than any other driver. This is why he has won the last three championships, and looks set to win a host more. And why oddsmakers feel confident in his favorite status.
Hamilton Won 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix
Looking at Sunday's big race, Vettel's biggest contender may be Lewis Hamilton of England, who won this race last year and who will no doubt be confident in his abilities to repeat the feat at Hungaroring racetrack in Mogyor?which is just outside of Budapest. Interestingly, this circuit is often compared to that in Monaco due to its many twists and turns.
In fact, it is described as an extremely technical circuit, where concentration is the key. Vettel's countryman Nico Rosberg won this year's Monaco Grand Prix (Vettel came second) so between Hamilton, Vettel and Rosberg, it will be interesting to see how they shape up in qualifying on Saturday, which will obviously determine where they start on Sunday.
For my money, Vettel will set some scorching times in qualifying to secure himself pole position, followed by Hamilton. Here are the latest 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix odds as posted by Titanbet, a Canadian-friendly online sportsbook:
2013 Hungarian Grand Prix Odds
Sebastian Vettel +138.0
Fernando Alonso +550.0
Lewis Hamilton +550.0
Kimi Raikkonen +600.0
Mark Webber +750.0
Nico Rosberg +800.0
Romain Grosjean +2000
Felipe Massa +5000
Jenson Button +10000
Adrian Sutil +12500
Paul di Resta +12500
Sergio Perez +25000
Daniel Ricciardo +30000
Jean-Eric Vergne +50000
Nico Hulkenberg +50000
Pastor Maldonado +100000
Valtteri Bottas +100000
Esteban Gutierrez +150000
Charles Pic +500000
Giedo van der Garde +500000
Jules Bianchi +500000
Max Chilton +500000
