Wet Spa good news for Alonso ahead of Belgian Grand Prix

It is somewhat appropriate that there has been non step wet weather in the Formula One race taking place at Spa and if this continues McLaren may not be so certain to triumph.

Lewis Hamilton is the favourite to win the Belgian Grand Prix at 11/4 and in dry conditions it would seem that McLaren would hold an advantage on the longest circuit on the F1 calendar.

However, McLaren’s superior speed will not be profitable around the 7km track if the rain continues to fall, with wet conditions making the result more of a lottery.

That said, seven of the last ten races at the circuit have been won by a driver starting from the front row of the grid, which does place a premium on qualifying.

The pressure is certainly on for Hamilton and the rest of the chasing pack trying to bridge the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings on Fernando Alonso and the next two weekends will be critical.

If Alonso can maintain much of his current 40-point lead through Spa and Monza, he will be tough to catch in the closing seven races.

Alonso has proved a master this season at judging the optimum moment to pit and this will be even more critical at Spa given the higher tyre wear because of the lengthier laps.

It is 6/1 that Alonso wins the Belgian Grand Prix and extends his lead in the drivers’ championship.

The race is a big one for Michael Schumacher too as it represents his 300th Grand Prix in Formula One.

His Mercedes is unlikely to have the speed to challenge the big guns, but his experience will be an asset in wet conditions and he showed that he does still have it when posting the fastest lap of the race in Germany.

A podium will feel like a victory for the 43-year-old and Schumacher is 8/1 to finish in the first three.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.