Thursday, March 29 2012
Posted on June 5, 2010
In the eleven races held at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve since I started keeping my records, there have been seventeen safety cars deployed. Only three of those races have seen no safety car at all. Statistically that is more often than any other circuit bar Melbourne, including Monaco. At the last round of the F1 World Championship in Monaco, bookmakers were offering best odds of just 1/4 on th...
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Posted on May 30, 2010
It has been a testing week. I entered it knowing exactly how I wanted to play things, by backing Massa to outpoint Alonso before the media previews drew attention to his record around the Turkish circuit. Unfortunately with so few firms pricing up the head-to-heads early and so little liquidity on Betfair, by Thursday I had decided to cancel my unmatched bets and sit things out until the race. Al...
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Posted on May 16, 2010
The starting point for any Monaco GP betting is the Safety Car. Not only its appearance, but the influence that it will have on the race. One common mistake that people make is assuming that the Safety Car is omnipresent at Monaco. In fact it has only been deployed seven times in the last twelve years and in just five of those twelve races. That makes the near-4/1 available on Betfair for Bernd M...
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Posted on May 8, 2010
The Circuit de Catalunya is renowned for being processional. It is the circuit that the teams know best, where car set-up should be as close to optimal as possible and where the layout provides such limited opportunities for passing. This puts more emphasis on qualifying position than any circuit that we have visited so far this season. This has manifested itself in the teams changing their appro...
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Posted on April 16, 2010
Forgive me for sounding flippant, but I really don’t have a clue about where the value lies this race at this stage of the weekend. Never has an F1 race felt more middle-of-the-road and less interesting. I’m hoping Qualifying will prove unpredictable and spark my enthusiasm, or perhaps the weather will save us yet again. Otherwise I’ll be forced to tip a Vettel victory! It looks...
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Posted on March 31, 2010
The start of the 2010 season has drawn much comment, ranging from the expected – are the new regulations working? – to the less expected – was the track too long to encourage overtaking? One observation that I haven’t seen anywhere however is that we have had two wide-margin winners. Is this just a coincidence, or is it a product of the new rules and revised strategies? Fernan...
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Posted on March 12, 2010
One of the most intriguing rule changes for the 2010 has been the ban on refuelling. At first glance that would seem to indicate nothing more than shorter, simpler pit-stops and the increased challenge for the driver of handling a car with a massively different weight profile throughout the race. Closer inspection reveals some technical challenges too, which some teams are inevitably going to ove...
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Posted on March 4, 2010
Last year was a bad one for Felipe Massa. Having finished 2008 coming so close to the championship and in the course of doing so, shown terrific humility and sportsmanship, he had every right to be excited about 2009. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, the combination of the worst Ferrari for years and a horrific accident put paid to his hopes. 2008 showed just how far Massa has come. From his driv...
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Posted on February 28, 2010
The old adage states that analysis of lap times from pre-season is meaningless; set on unknown levels of fuel, without scrutineering and in the pursuit of unclear objectives. Yet despite this, it is only natural that we try to rationalise what we see happening. The internet has been buzzing for the last few weeks with coverage and discussion about individual driver and team’s performances a...
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Posted on October 18, 2009
After yesterday’s eventful qualifying session, we are left with starting grid that few would have predicted. The headlines will focus on Barrichello finally turning up at his home circuit and Button handling the pressure like only a Brit knows how, but it is the performance of some of the supporting cast that I think gives the best opportunity make some money from the race. As soon as the s...
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