Hungarian Grand Prix Betting

With no time to rest after last weekend’s controversial Ferrari 1-2 victory in Germany, Formula One moves onto Hungary. Who will take the chequered flag this weekend? BetRepublic.com previews the outright markets here.

Top Outright Race Winner Odds at Motor Sports Bet

Fernando Alonso – 15/8

Sebastian Vettel – 2/1

Mark Webber – 9/2

Lewis Hamilton - 6/1

Felipe Massa – 8/1
However, the Hungaroring closely resembles the track at Monaco with its short straights, lots of turns and usually a massive lack of overtaking action. Will things be different this year?



As always, first up for the race weekend comes qualifying. Of the eleven races so far this season a Red Bull has started on pole position on ten occasions, with Sebastian Vettel claiming six poles, including the last three straight top grid slots, and Mark Webber claiming the other four. Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, which he went on to win, to prevent Red Bull having 100% domination. Will we see an eleventh Red Bull pole position this season this weekend?

I feel that we will, as the Red Bull car is still the fastest car over one lap. Although the Ferraris made massive steps forward last weekend, allowing them to finish in the top two positions, they were given a two massive advantages after Vettel had a second consecutive poor start from pole position and Mark Webber’s car developed an engine problem. With the Hungaroring being so tight and twisty aerodynamics are going to be at a premium this weekend and the Red Bull cars are best at getting cleanly through the air and as a result my money is on Vettel to extend his pole positions to four in a row, as he is the quicker of the two Red Bull drivers over one lap, at odds of 15/8.

Will Vettel be able to convert this pole position into a race win? Of the six times that he has started at the front of the grid this season, Vettel has won just once. This win came at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, and Lewis Hamilton has a 100% pole position and race win record after his win in Canada and Mark Webber has won two races from his four pole positions, including the Monaco Grand Prix. If not Vettel, then who will take the chequered flag? With the lack of overtaking in Hungary most years, grid position is going to be pretty important and it could go anyway as Red Bull will be near the top of the grid as will Ferrari after their improvements in Germany and McLaren enjoy the Hungaroring having won it for the last three years, and four of the last five with current driver Jenson Button winning the other race in 2006 in a Honda.

After their poor showing in Germany McLaren will want to bounce back with a positive performance and after their recent showings in Budapest they have the knowledge and data to win this race. Lewis Hamilton will be looking to make it two wins in a row after winning last year. He could have had three straight wins in Hungary apart from a puncture in 2008 that saw him finish fifth. Button will also be in confident mood as he has a great chance of getting a win at the venue he scored his first win in 2006. Since then he has had poor luck in Hungary, with a retirement, twelfth and eighth his results for the last three years. I see a good result for the McLaren team this weekend.

Ferrari will be in confident mood after their showing in Germany, but with the $100,000 USD they received for the team orders they gave to their drivers they will be looking to keep their noses clean this weekend. This will be a good thing for Felipe Massa who, prior to being hospitalised after an accident in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, led the 2008 race until his engine exploded with just three laps remaining as should be leading the race Ferrari cannot ask him to move over for his team-mate. This will mean that Alonso will have to be more aggressive also, which has seemed to be his problem this year as when he behind someone of equal pace. I foresee a good weekend for the Ferrari squad also.

So, with the big three teams all gearing up for an excellent weekend we, the fans, should see an spectacle that is not often seen at the Hungaroring – overtaking and tactical battles at the front of the field. However, it is not any of the previous five drivers mentioned that I feel will take the chequered flag. I see Mark Webber as the race winner, as he is more consistent over race distances than he his team-mate and his has equal machinery so will be able to put his car up at the head of the grid, most likely second or third. I will be backing the Australian to win at odds of 11/2.

My final two outright bets, as ever, are who will place on the podium and the top six at the end of the race. The podium bet will be difficult to predict as there will be six drivers battling for three spaces on the podium, however I am going to back Felipe Massa to finish on the podium after his accident last year. With the form he showed last weekend in Germany and the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve and thanks the marshals and track staff for looking after him following his accident last year he will want to give something back. For all of this I see him taking a place in the top three and I will be backing him to do so at odds of 7/5.

Despite not having finished in the top six for the last two races due to the resurgence of the top three teams Robert Kubica is still my pick for a top six finish. He is available at odds of 8/11 to place in the top six and although he will need for one of the Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren drivers to have problems to trouble the top six places, but being as Jenson Button is the has the best odds of the top three teams to place in the top six, but is available at 2/5 I feel that Kubica is a better investment for this market.

During the race weekend I will be providing further bets on both qualifying and the race in the BetRepublic.com Formula One Stadium. Drop in to check out my bets, join in the chat and provide your own bets to myself and the BetRepublic members.