Formula One Betting: Kubica a dark horse to be the prince in darkness

Formula One / David Croft / 26 September 2008 / Leave a Comment

The BBC's David Croft on how Singapore has welcomed the F1 circus with open arms, how there may not be that many drivers hanging around to see the chequered flag and why Kubica may impress in the darkness.

Bernie Ecclestone put it very simply in my conversation with him just before Friday's first practice session. The Formula 1 supremo talking about the spectacle of the sports first night said that the doubters only had to watch the action under the lights to realise that 'it wasn't such a stupid idea.'

I haven't heard many doubters to be honest, certainly not here in Singapore where the local population seemed to have embraced Formula 1 with genuine warmth. True some of the drivers voiced their concerns about how bright the lights would be and what would happen if the power failed or if we suffered a Monza style down pour, but so far their fears have been satisfied. Maybe not the problems regarding the rain and possible glare off the surface, but there's not much even Bernie Ecclestone can do about the rain in this part of the world.

Watching the two practice sessions it became clear that this night racing lark could catch on. You wouldn't want it every week but if another venue could replicate the tremendous sight we have here, well why not. Certainly Bernie Ecclestone would like another with a hint that Japan may be the favoured option.

But for all the great facilities and local support the sport does need a good race as well. It would be a huge disappointment to suffer another procession such as we witnessed in Valencia. There the cars quickly became spread-out, it's possible that the same may happen in Singapore but with the barriers once again being in close proximity to the track, the chance of an accident thus forcing out the safety car remains high.

So in theory the price of [2.02] with Betfair for less than 14.5 finishers seems like a decent price at this stage of the weekend. Turn 18, the left hander where the track runs underneath one of the grandstands seemed to catch out a few with Mark Webber hitting the barriers head on, whilst the final two turns seem tricky too. Plenty of cars ran wide finding a lack of grip on the white lines, Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barichello both spun, the later ending up against the wall as well.

As regards qualifying, on the evidence of Friday's practice it could be a two or possibly three car showdown. Less than a tenth of a second separated Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa at the end of the second session, count out Fernando Alonso who was more than likely on a low fuel qualifying run when he bagged the fastest time just before the chequered flag. Given his close proximity to his teammate, the price of Kovalainen seems a little on the high side at [17.0], at that price he might be worth backing although at his, Lewis at [2.5] still gets my nod. Massa at [4.2] will attract plenty of support as well I'm sure whilst Kimi Raikkonen won't find too many siding with him at [6.6] - the Finn just didn't look quite as comfortable out there and as I've written before, has struggled to find enough pace over one lap all season.

Lewis Hamilton at [2.44] is a short price for Sunday's race, understandably so, but with rain always a risk and the chance of a safety car high, is that too short a price? To me there are better value bets to be had, Kubica for instance is a man who revels on tracks such as this and his consistency this season - the rain of Silverstone aside - makes him a stand out choice at [22.0] to win what is the 800th Formula 1 World Championship race.

Remember he should have been on pole bar a slight mistake in Melbourne, finished second only to Lewis Hamilton in Monaco and won when Lewis made his pit lane error in Canada. He knows that this is his best chance of victory in the run in to the end of the season and will be pushing BMW hard to make sure they give him the machinery to do the job. Those not wanting to take a chance on a Kubica win should look at the price of [4.6] for him to finish on the podium, it could be a good weekend for the Pole and fingers crossed an excellent one for the sport of F1 as well.