Belgian GP inside line
Spa-Francorchamps, Michael Schumacher's favourite circuit, title number seven there for the taking. The result should be a foregone conclusion. Schumacher will start this race such a strong favourite that 2-7, I'd suggest, is really not that bad
But, okay, if it doesn't set the pulses racing, you should have a careful think about where we are. This is Spa, where a weekend without rain is the exception rather than the rule. Granted, it doesn't really help a lot. Although we haven't seen how much progress the Michelin wets have made, the smart money would be on Bridgestone having an advantage in 'proper' wet conditions. So Michael and Rubens will be strong come rain or shine.
So, look at this as one of those potential venues for a one-off further back. Like Brazil last year, when Fisichella 'won' for Jordan. The only problem with betting on the other Bridgestone runners for a podium in the event of rain, is that Spa is actually one of the quickest drying surfaces anywhere. Remember Schumacher, on slicks, outbraking Damon Hill on grooved tyres on a wet track in '95? If you don't, it was only made possible by the surface drying so quickly, a factor that Schumacher was well aware of. So the question is: will it be wet enough for the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld to make progress?
To make a bet, CLICK HERE.
Maybe not. Which is why Kimi Raikkonen, 10-1 for a win, might attract your coin. In wet/dry conditions that don't actually need a change to a full wet, Michelin looks good. And before McLaren's tyre faux pas at the last race, Raikkonen was looking more and more convincing. So, perhaps, an each-way bet on Kimi is worth a look - you get one third of the odds, but only if he finishes in the top two, not the top three.
But for those of you who can't resist the long shot, go for Fisichella for a podium at 25-1 or Nick Heidfeld at 200-1. And, keep faith with Mike Gascoyne's new Toyota for points. Spa will suit the car's strengths much more than Hungaroring.
To make a bet, CLICK HERE.
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 7
Autosport International - Teaser
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 6
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 5
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
