European F1 Grand Prix Wagering Preview

The Formula One programme resumes this weekend in unfamiliar surroundings with the European Grand Prix being held in Valencia on a completely new circuit. Some will argue that the new track will have a levelling effect, but the bookies appear to disagree with the three main title contenders , Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, and Kimi Raikkonen heading the market as usual. Having said that Toro Rosso driver, Sebastien Vettel, put in an excellent performance in the first practice session on Friday morning and the young German is surely destined for a bright future in the sport, but not in his current car. The fact is that between them, the big three have won nine of the eleven races so far this season, with only BMW's Robert Kubica and Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen from outside of that group managing to record wins.A lot has been made of the issue of consistency in this season's title race over recent weeks, and in truth, that is what one of the three drivers will need to find in order to secure the drivers championship. It looked as though Lewis Hamilton had managed to find that elusive quality when winning back to back races in July, but he followed that up by finishing fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix though, despite having held pole position at the start of the race. The hard luck story that day was all about Massa, who drove brilliantly and looked certain to win before his engine cut out with three laps to go. Massa is still in contention though, and despite his awful performance at Silverstone where the adverse weather conditions appeared to get the better of him, he has been the one of the three who has driven the most steadily all season. Hamilton has had himself to blame for problems early in the season caused by his risk taking tactics, whilst Kimi Raikkonen cannot seem to buy a decent time in qualifying at the moment and is leaving himself too much to do to come back and win from way back on the grid. Massa is my pick for this race and his second fastest lap in practice bodes well for what could be a successful weekend for the Brazilian.Recommendations:Felipe Massa to win European Grand Prix - 4.5 (Betfair)Fernando Alonso Podium Finish - 11/2 (Canbet)