The first day of pre-season Formula 1 testing is under way at Valencia, with three teams choosing today to unveil their cars for the coming season. Mercedes, Toro Rosso and Williams have all shown their hand for the first time today, as Michael Schumacher completed his first laps in an F1 car since returning to professional racing.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who is also returning from a spell on the sidelines through a head injury, topped the times in both the morning and the afternoon sessions. However, the times are relatively unimportant at this stage of the season, with the new rule changes meaning that the cars cannot be refueled during a race meaning that this was largely a test of different fuel loads.
The 2010 season starts at Bahrain on the 14th of March, and for the first time since 1999 there will be four former champions on the grid, in McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, as well as two time champion Fernando Alonso and seven-time champion Schumacher. Alonso completed his long-anticipated move to Ferrari last season, and will be desperate for Ferrari’s car to be competitive, after a nightmare three years at McLaren and Renault.
Despite the presence of so much racing pedigree, there could also be challengers from outside the former champions, with Massa desperate to overcome the disappointment of his last-lap loss to Lewis Hamilton in 2008, and Sebastian Vettel, who came second last year, sure to mount a strong challenge.
Nevertheless, Lewis Hamilton is favourite to win the title, priced at 3/1. He is followed by Alonso at 4/1, and Schumacher at 9/2. Sebastian Vettel comes in at 13/2, while Jenson Button is at 9/1. Massa is priced at 10/1, while Schumacher’s Mercedes team-mate Niko Rosberg is at 14/1.
Since we can only guess, at the moment, as to how competitive the cars will be, these odds are very rough at the moment, and could change a lot in the coming weeks, as more testing is done, and as such there are currently no odds for the Constructors Championship. However, the season is starting well, and looks like it will be one of the most competitive and exciting championships for years.
Formula 1 Drivers Championship betting odds
tags: brawn, f1, felipe massa, fernando alonso, ferrari, formula 1, formula one, jenson button, lewis hamilton, mclaren, mercedes, michael schumacher
