Formula One / Andrew French / 25 February 2010 /

Andrew French is overwhelmed - the world's most predictable sport is back - back the guy with the fast car is his advice

It's often been levelled at me that I'd watch any sport. In fact my wife thinks I've meddled with our Sky box so that it defaults to the 405 for Sky Sports News.

And on more than one occasion I've had someone say to me that "you'd bet on two raindrops running down a window". Technically impossible of course (although it's not a bad idea for a Betfair market), but I do understand the accusation.

However, there are some sports I do struggle with - and motor sports feature prominently. Particularly Formula One. Sorry, I just don't see the excitement of it. When I was a kid, I remember watching part of the M25 being built not far from where my parents lived, and when it was finished it was a novelty to stand on a bridge and watch the cars go past. It was nowhere near as busy as it is nowadays, so one car would scream past, then another, then two or three together, then a long pause, then a few more. And when I watch Formula One, that is what I see.

Now I have this very, very simplistic view of it - and I'm prepared to be shouted down by petrolheads - but doesn't the bloke with the best car win? I accept you've got to allow for some drivers being better than others, but if someone has a car that can go faster than all the others, isn't that going to make the most telling difference?

Then there's overtaking. I hear pundits talking enthusiastically about tracks where overtaking is very difficult. Nigh on impossible even. But isn't that what we want to see? Cars jostling for positions, brave drivers nipping through a small gap? I mean, if it was all about a procession then the Lord Mayor's Show would be a massive betting heat every year.

And what about those tyre changes? I confess I don't know a great deal about cars. I know where the petrol goes, which pedals speed me up or slow me down - but not much more. So I am always ultra willing to defer to anyone with more knowledge than me (and that is quite a large pool of people). So, when I popped down to my local Kwik Fit the other day and it took them about half an hour to change a flat tyre for me, I was actually reassured that it took so long. You'd not catch me tearing out of the pit lane in a car when all four tyres have been whipped on in 10 seconds.

I have tried to watch Formula One, and I have found myself taking more interest in recent years as the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have been involved in the Drivers' Championship battle. But it's one of those sporting events when I'll concede control of the remote and let Mrs F enjoy a little Everybody Loves Raymond.

Yet to add further fuel to that 'betting on raindrops' theory, I'm still prepared to have a wager. With Britain having enjoyed more than their fair share of titles in the last few years, I'm assuming we'll revert to type and be polite losers this year, so I'm laying Hamilton for the 2010 Championship at [5.3]. I mean, two British champions in the same team at the same time... it'll never work.

And if the Brits do fail, you know who is bound to pounce - so back Michael Schumacher for most race wins at [5.9]. I can't believe he's returning to the sport because he's missed finishing second.

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