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Japanese Grand Prix Betting

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX BETTING
Briton Lewis Hamilton has shortened to 1/3 favourite, with Paddy Power, for the 2008 Drivers’ Championship, following a third-place finish in Singapore. Formula One returns to the revamped Fuji International Speedway for the 16th of 18 races that will decide the 2008 World Championship. The Fuji racetrack requires a certain amount of compromise in the way in which the cars are set up, balancing the need for minimal drag on the long straight against the downforce required for the tight sections of the track, with several first or second-gear corners, many with an unusually late apex. The numerous directional and camber changes around the circuit provide a stern test, and the car which behaves in the most predictable manner will be quickest. The last 11 runnings of the event (until 2007 held at the Suzuka circuit) has been dominated by Ferrari and McLaren, with Fernando Alonso’s 2006 victory in 2006 the only race won by another team. Ferrari have won 6 (including 5 wins for Michael Schumacher) and McLaren 4, including 2 wins for Mika Hakkinen and ironically, a 2005 win for Kimi Raikkonen (now with Ferrari).

Drivers’ Championship

With both Ferrari drivers failing to score at Singapore, the Drivers’ Championship is now surely just a two-horse race. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton 6 points for third place give him a 7-point advantage over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, with only the Grands Prix of Japan, China and Brazil remaining. Massa has been eased to 5/2 with William Hill, while the other pursuers are surely too far behind to trouble the leading duo. BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica (64 points) and Nick Heidfeld (56 points) rank as 100/1 and 250/1 chances with Ladbrokes. Massa’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen must have no chance of regaining his 2007 crown and rates a 150/1 chance with the same firm.

Constructors’ Championship

Despite picking up no points in Singapore, Ferrari (134 points) are still odds-on favourites (5/6 with William Hill) to collect the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren (135 points) now lead the title race, but can still be backed at 5/4 with totesport. BMW Sauber are 50/1 with the same firm.

Leading Contenders for Japan

Lewis Hamilton
McLaren will have fond memories of the Fuji track, where Hamilton won the first Grand Prix to be held at the track for over 30 years. Hamilton is favourite for a repeat performance, at a best-priced 7/4 with Stan James.
However, Hamilton is mindful of the fact that he led the title race by 12 points after Japan in 2007, but collected only 2 further points, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to “steal” the title. He believes he has learnt from his mistakes and is a more mature driver as he seeks to move closer to securing the Championship.

Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa (2/1 with William Hill for success in Japan) insists he will push Lewis Hamilton all the way in the battle for the World Drivers’ Championship. The Brazilian is adamant that he is over the disappointment of Singapore and ready to resume the title fight on the Fuji circuit. After the debacle in Singapore, Ferrari have reverted to the hand-held “lollipop” pit-stop system for Japan.

Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, 11/2 with vcbet for success in Japan, may have blown his own chances of the Drivers’ Championship, but may still have a large part to play in its outcome. Despite not scoring for over two months, he certainly has the car to take points off Hamilton in the remaining races.

Unpredictable weather conditions may play a large part in deciding the outcome of the Japanese race, and hence the World Championship. Ferrari’s performance has been marginally better than McLaren’s in the dry conditions in Hungary, Spain, Belgium and Singapore. Massa was fastest in Hungary and Spain, while Raikkonen must surely have won the Belgian GP but for the late downpour. In the latest Grand Prix in Singapore, the Ferrari duo seemed set for a 1-2, before the safety car triggered what team supremo Luca Montezemolo described as a “circus.”

All odds correct at time of writing. Please click here for the latest odds