Now is the time to back Alonso as Vettel pulls ahead
Published:Sebastian Vettel’s serene drive to victory in Bahrain cemented his place at the top of the world drivers’ standings, and his billing as favourite for a fourth world championship at 10/11.
Despite the German bagging two wins from the first four races, it may be wise to look elsewhere in what’s shaping up to be a closely-fought season
Kimi Raikkonen sits in second place in the standings, after an exemplary start to the year by taking the chequered flag in Australia.
The Finn has notched up 21 consecutive points finishes since his return to F1 last year, and a price of 5/1 could tempt many after three top-two results already this season sees the 2007 champion just 10 points behind Vettel.
Fernando Alonso is fourth in the standings after a scrappy start to the year.
The Spaniard was hotly-tipped in pre-season to end Vettel’s domination, and though Alonso is 30 points behind the Red Bull man, there is plenty to suggest that a price of 9/4 on the 31-year-old may warrant attention.
The Ferrari driver finished second in Melbourne and won in China, but those results were interspersed with a crash in Malaysia and eighth in Bahrain after DRS issues.
The two-time champion has been a contender for victory in every race so far, and those problems in Sepang and Sakhir robbed Alonso of roughly 30 points, the total by which he trails Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton may be worth backing after a dream start with his new team, and the Mercedes man is third in the standings after four top-five finishes including two podiums.
Hamilton’s W04 car has struggled with overheating of its tyres in the early races, but with many of the hottest rounds out of the way, the 2008 champion has reason to be confident of fighting for wins on a regular basis.
The Brit is 16/1 to claim a second world title.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
