Sports Blog 24/07/2015: F1 Preview – Hungarian Grand Prix, Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2015

The 30th Hungarian Grand Prix marks the half way point of the 2015 Formula One season, and the racers will be going into the weekend with the tragic death of Jules Bianchi on their minds.

Since the start of the season Lewis Hamilton has sat atop the World Drivers’ Championship table, with the 2 time champion extending his lead at the top after winning his third British Grand Prix, making him the most successful driver at Silverstone since Michael Schumacher. Hamilton now has another milestone in his sights. If he wins 3 of his next 4 races he will have equalled Aryton Senna’s stats at the time of his death: 41 wins from 161 starts.

The Hungarian Grand Prix shouldn’t post too much of a problem for the Brit; Hamilton has won at the Hungaroring 4 times, and will leapfrog Schumacher to become the most successful driver in the Grand Prix’s history if he finishes first on Sunday. Last season’s race was a bit of a nightmare, with Hamilton’s car catching fire before he could post a qualifying time, leaving him to start form the back row, contributing to an eventual 3^rd place finish. However, following the first 9 races Hamilton is sitting 17 points clear at the top of the table and already has more points in 2015 than he did at this juncture in his Championship winning 2014 season. This easily leaves him with the best Race Index spread at 63-67, and is odds on favourite to top the podium at 4/9.

However hard it might be to look past the ascendant British driver this season, other competitors do still exist, and if anyone is going to challenge Hamilton’s 2015 dominance it will be his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. The German has pushed Hamilton from first place 3 times this season, in Spain, Monaco and Austria, but most of the time has had to be contented with a second (and a couple of times a third) place finish.

Beyond the Mercedes duo (at this point the 2014 World Constructors’ Champion is basically guaranteed to hold onto the title, with 160 more points than 2^nd place Ferrari) only Sebastian Vettel has managed to challenge for a first place finish, winning the second race of the season in Malaysia. Couple that with 4 3^rd place finishes and the 2^nd place spot in Monaco, and Rosberg’s German compatriot has 135 points; a decent haul, but a long way off of his 2010-2013 dominance. He sits at a Race Index spread of 35-38, with a 22/1 fixed odds price.

The only other podium finishers this season have been Valtteri Bottas (Race Index spread of 20-23)and Felipe Massa (Race Index spread of 18-21), the former coming 3^rd in Canada whilst the latter got the bronze medal in Austria. 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, has a Race Index spread of 13-16.

The only other podium finishers this season have been Valtteri Bottas (Race Index spread of 27-30)and Felipe Mass (Race Index spread of 24-27), the former coming 3rd in Canada whilst the latter got the bronze medal in Austria. 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, has a Race Index spread of 24-27.

Make sure to check back at Spreadex for all the latest fixed odds and in-play spread betting opportunities across the racing weekend!