2009 FORMULA ONE OUTRIGHT BETTING

Paddy Power has released some extremely interesting odds for the outright betting on the upcoming Formula One season. As it currently stands, Jensen Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton are all weighing in at 4/1 odds. Felipe Massa, driving for Ferrari is just behind them listed at 5/1. Fernando Alonso is slightly off at 11/2 while BMW's Robert Kubica slides in at 15/2. Rubens Barrichello is sitting at a longer 12/1 towards the back of the pack with a dozen or drivers listed anywheres up towards 300/1. One would have expected Lewis Hamilton to be listed slightly shorter, but most of the news out of the early training sessions this pre-season have had a starkly negative tone with a number of different issues being raised. On the other side of the coin, Jensen Button has been the picture of stoic confidence in the early-going with many punters predicting that this could be his year while lining up for Brawn GP. Paddy Power is offering up some very interesting each way odds with 1/5 available on the top 3 finishing places of the season. If you're looking at a longer-odds driver to finish in 3rd or if you think somebody is particularly poised for a breakout year, then you can definitely take a shot at the each-way odds at Paddy Power. If you're looking to take your punts early this year, you'd do well to have a go, based on current form at least on Rubens Barichello who has just posted the fastest time during the pre-season test in Juarez. At 12/1 and on an each-way as well, you're looking at competitive odds on a very impressive driver who I believe is poised for a successful season. Hamilton and Jensen Button are also solid bets, but I would expect a bit more fluctuation going forward, especially as we get closer to the first race at the Australian GP.