Singapore Grand Prix Betting: KERS key as Hamilton relishes mean streets

Formula One / David Croft / 26 September 2009 / Leave a Comment

"Betfair offer [4.5] on Hamilton winning in Singapore and [4.2] on him making it three pole positions in four races. He won’t be far away from either."

You couldn't make it up, says David Croft as Romain Grosjean crashes into the very same barrier as Nelson Picquet last year. Meanwhile, our man believes Sunday's race is between two British drivers and one Brazilian...

There was, I'm told, a round of applause in the press room half-way through first practice. I'd imagine the applause was followed by a few hoots of laughter as well. What else could you do in the circumstances?

Even Bob Bell, Renault's acting team principal smiled ruefully to himself, a knowing smile that gave the impression that at that moment he knew what those watching above him and on their TV screens around the world were thinking.

Meanwhile, about half a mile away Romain Grosjean, the man who replaced Nelson Piquet at Renault, was now climbing out of his car and inspecting the damage. His car was resting against a concrete barrier. The very same barrier that 12 months ago took the impact of Nelson Piquet's car, an impact that is still being felt by the sport itself, a year later.

You just couldn't script it. With the fall out from crash gate dominating the pre practice conversation, the man now driving in the second Renault car had gone and crashed in the exactly the same part of track in an almost identical fashion. Never ever doubt sport, and in particular Formula 1's, capacity to amaze and surprise, and offer the odd moment of light relief too.

You had to feel sorry for Grosjean, who had spent the build up to the race battling a bout of food poisoning. In what is only his 4th Grand Prix, driving as a number two to the soon to be departing Fernando Alonso, his voice sounded just a tad sheepish as he radioed back to the team to tell them he'd parked at Turn 17.

Anyway, for those who think that all of that might just be a devious ploy by Renault to get one of their drivers to crash whilst the other benefits from the resulting safety car, Fernando Alonso is available at [16.5] with Betfair!

The way Alonso was driving in the first two practice sessions, he could well squeeze onto the podium, without or without some help from his number two. Betfair offer [4.9] on the Spaniard making the top three. He looked quick through the first two sectors, but lost heaps of time in the last part of the lap. Something that doesn't bode well for qualifying later tonight.

Personally, I think this race will be fought out between three drivers. Two British and one Brazilian. For Lewis Hamilton KERS will be the key, giving him some extra help out of some of the slower corner and down the one fast main straight where the cars nudge 190mph as they flash by the front doors of the many shops and hotels that line the track.

Hamilton loves the feeling of driving aggressively on streets circuits. We've seen in Monaco how he rises to the challenge more often than not, and without his qualifying accident there this year I firmly believe that he would have made the podium places. Betfair offer [4.5] on him winning in Singapore and [4.2] on him making it three pole positions in four races. He won't be far away from either.

Down at Brawn the championship rivals are preparing for their latest encounter. Rubens Barrichello after his second win in three races last time out is up for the challenge whilst Jenson Button fresh from his first podium appearance since Turkey is in buoyant mood. Brawn don't have the domination at the moment that they enjoyed in the opening seven races of the season, but they do have a car better suited to the demands of this track than Red Bull and they do have the temperatures in their favour to get the best out of their tyres in qualifying.

That means both drivers can have some faith in their machinery. Betfair have Rubens Barrichello at [5.7] and Jenson Button a touch shorter at [5.4]. For me Button has the most to lose as championship leader should he crash out, so could be the more cautious of the two, allowing Barrichello the chance to muscle past off the line or push it that much harder in qualifying. However, Rubens has concerns over the durability of his gear box and that may force him on the back foot.

Either way I take them both to have a good race and Red Bull to struggle, despite Sebastian Vettel's fastest time in second practice. He was running around 20kg lighter than McLaren or Brawn at the time and may need to be doing the same in qualifying to get his car near the front row. He's [6.2] for pole, his team mate Mark Webber, another to hit the concrete yesterday, is [16.0], they're both a long shot in my mind.