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Formula 1 is by far and away the most complex sport of them all. You really do need to know your stuff when it
comes to wagering on those speed addicts which are Formula 1 drivers. It's a sport where every single minor
detail is taken into account, from purchasing the right or latest parts to ensuring you have the correct tire
type for each individual race. That's also another point. No race is ever the same. One week they could be racing
in the blistering heat of Dubai while the following weekend they could be involved in a manic monsoon in Malaysia.
Of course, for the spectators at least, this makes for a more entertainment but for the drivers and the
constructors, it makes their task even harder and to succeed in Formula 1 it all boils down to the preparation.
Rules
Unfortunately, there are far too many rules governing Formula 1 for us to list them. The rules vary from the
maximum size of the front wing to the amount of testing each team is allowed. They really do run a tight ship at
F1 headquarters but the rules are there for a reason. To try and make the sport an even playing field.
For a full list of rules and regulations, visit the Formula 1 website
Fine Tuning
Every sportsman needs to be accompanied with a passion for their chosen sport but more importantly a dedication.
It's mind boggling the amount of time and effort every team puts into making their F1 team a success, along with
stacks of cash of course. To win any given race the team will need to work as just that, a team. This will
stretch from configuring the car itself, right up tothe men working in the pits. Every wrong move could cost the
car 1% of time. This may not seem a lot to the untrained eye but these small percentages are what those dedicated
to Formula 1 thrive on.
Race Know-how
Before betting on any race, you need to ensure you've done your research. There are more then a dozen factors
that come into affect when trying to predict a race winner and we will highlight just a few.
Fuel Amount - Make sure you've read up on who's carrying the most amount of fuel. This comes into affect
in both qualifying and the race itself as the more fuel a car has, the heavier the car becomes. This will lead
to much slower lap times and will affect the teams pit stop strategy's.
Qualification - To ideally pick a potential winner, you will need to watch qualification. This normally
takes place on the Saturday before the race. You will need to spot any crashes or any peculiar lap times. If a
car is lapping slower then everyone expects then there's usually a problem, either with the car, the team or the
driver. In either case it's advised you stay away from betting on these.
Form - Just like any other sport, winning a race can come down to confidence. If Lewis Hamilton hasn't
won a race for five successive races then chances are his confidence is on a serious lull and it would be advised
to steer well clear of betting on Lewis. The same can be said for the team itself. If McClaren haven't won a race
in six or so attempts then there maybe an internal fault within the camp.
Interviews - A lot can be taken from interviews with members of a certain team or the drivers themselves.
They can often provide you with information in regards to any potential problems, any race day tactics and give
you a good indication of their overall mood. If they look buoyed and full of smiles then they are probably
confident of their chances.
Conditions - The weather conditions play a big part in how the race can pan out. Not only will it make
driving extremely difficult, but it will also favour some drivers more then others. Just like horses, some
drivers perform better in certain conditions. This can be said for Red Bull's Sebastien Vettel. The young German
has made a name for himself by producing some fabulous drives in monsoon weather.
There are of course plenty of other characteristics and factors that will come into play and basic rule of thumb
is do your homework! You can visit several sites to enhance your knowledge of the drivers and the teams. Try
visiting both the BBC and F1 websites. They will include various pieces of information that will aid you in
picking a winning selection on race day.
Betting Markets
There are a variety of markets available on Formula although they mainly fall into the category of predicting
where a driver will finish. This can vary from betting on the race winner to taking a punt on a driver finishing
in the points(1-8). However, you can also have a few fun bets with certain aspects like betting on the amount of
finishers.
Types of bets:
Race Winner - Predicting the winner of the race
Podium finish - Predicting a driver to finish in the top 3
Points finish - Predicting a driver to finish in the top 8
Fastest lap time - To win this bet you will need to successfully chose the driver who records the fastest
lap in the race.
Safety Car - With this you can bet on whether you think the safety car will be deployed. The Safety Car
will usually be used in drastic weather conditions or after a driver has crashed their car.
Number of finishers - Betting on how many drivers will finish the race. The quote given by bookies can
normally vary depending on the weather. The wetter the conditions, more driver retirements.
Winning distance - You can bet on the winning distance. This will be in seconds so if you think a
driver will take to the front and enforce a healthy gap then it's worthwhile considering a bet on the winning
distance.
2010 Rule Change
A big change to Formula 1 is how the Championship will be decided. Since F1 began, the Championship was always
awarded to the driver with the most points throughout the entire F1 calendar. That has been binned and it will
now go to the driver with the most amount of wins. However, if two drivers finish with an equal amount of wins
throughout the year then it will go back to deciding the Champion by virtue of points, so ensuring you finish in
the points is still as crucial as ever.
Point Scoring
The aim of any race will of course be to win it. However, for some teams, this is very unlikely and they will set
out to try and finish in the points. Only the top eight finishers will receive a point reward and this is
generally where the more entertaining battles take place.
1st - 10 Points
2nd - 8 Points
3rd - 6 Points
4th - 5 Points
5th - 4 Points
6th - 3 Points
7th - 2 Points
8th - 1 Point
Formula 1 Teams
Brawn GP
Jenson Button
Rubens Barrichello
Red Bull
Mark Webber
Sebastian Vettel
Toyota
Jarno Trulli
Timo Glock
Ferrari
Felipe Massa
Kimi Räkköen
Williams
Nico Rosberg
Kazuki Nakajima
McClaren
Lewis Hamilton
Heikki Kovalainen
Renault
Nelsinho Piquet
Fernando Alonso
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica
Nick Heidfeld
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Bourdais
Sebastien Buemi
Force India
Adrian Sutil
Giancarlo Fisichella
2010 Venues
The official venues for the 2010 Formula 1 campaign have yet to be confirmed. This is mainly down to the fact
that several of the big constructors have threatened to withdraw from F1 altogether after those in charge
introduced a new rule where each team would be restricted in the amount of money they could spend in a F1 season.
A good news for British fans though is that we will still have racing here in the UK. Donington park will be the
new host for the British Grand Prix although the venue is still under construction. Were Donington park not to be
ready in time then it would revert back to Silverstone.
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