Motor Racing Betting: Malaysian Grand Prix

ChrisMRichards

After his faultless effort in Melbourne last week it is no surprise to see Lewis Hamilton leading the market to take this Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix but with bad weather expected to rain on the parade, better value can be found in some of the outsiders.

Quite why ITV have decided to throw in the towel on their Formula 1 coverage just as things are getting interesting is anyone's guess but now that the new rules regarding traction control have been introduced Grands Prix have become infinitely more interesting with drivers rewarded more for their dexterity above whose car they are driving.

As they showed last week, McLaren still have the edge in terms of mechanics but this weekend's offering in Sapang is arguably the toughest test for drivers. If the weather is clement then the intense tropical can suck up to four litres of fluid out of the drivers in what is a gruelling test; if it is inclement then the car and the driver's concentration is tested to the limit.

This weekend, storms are forecast and so the wet conditions will bring the best, and worst, out of the drivers. At the time of writing the two Ferraris have been the quickest in Friday testing, but Hamilton, who has the most reliable car, is rightly favourite and should come to the fore as the race approaches.

However, the conditions are such that we could well see an outsider coming good, as fellow drivers crash out or find their machines struggling in the deluge. Hamilton has warned of the threat of the BMW Sauber team in bad conditions. "The last time I drove in the wet was in Barcelona [during the most recent test] where BMW looked very strong and were a bit better than us," he said recently, which makes Nick Heidfeld, who finished second last weekend and fourth at Malaysia last year, excellent value at 20/1.

It is unlikely that both Ferraris will have a shocking repeat of last weekend when neither car finished again but the failure of the Italian team's engines last weekend makes the Prancing Horse too untrustworthy for the time being, even If they have so far clocked the fastest times in practice.

McLaren will obviously be major contenders again this weekend and with all the fuss surrounding Lewis Hamilton it seems that Heiko Kovalainen has been completely forgotten. Inexperienced he may be but so was Hamilton this time last year, and at 10/1 the understated Finn is excellent value to win his first GP. He will not always be so generously priced as people get to know what an excellent driver he is.

Verdict: 2pts each way Kovalainen @ 10/1 (Blue Square);

1pt each way Heidfeld at 20/1 (Blue Square).