Massa senses F1 title chance

Lewis Hamilton is odds-against to win the Formula 1 drivers' championship again after a blow-out 15 laps from the end of the Turkish Grand Prix cut his lead in the title race to five points over McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso. Hamilton looked set for a third-place finish behind the two Ferrari's in Istanbul only to see his right-front tyre disintegrate. Somehow the McLaren driver kept his car in the race but, after a quick tyre change, couldn't find the pace from his damaged car to keep ahead of Alonso and Nick Heidfeld and had to settle for fifth. The championship leader may insist that his hopes have not gone up in smoke but the current 13/10 shot with Sportingbetmust be hearing the chastening hooves of the chasing pack closing in. Defending champion Alonso, who is now 6/4 to claim a third title, lies just five points behind him and is hell-bent on throwing a spanner in the works of a team-mate he views as Ron Dennis's favourite son. Perhaps more worrying for Hamilton is that the Ferraris of Felipe Massa (13/2) and Kimi Räikkönen (6/1) are now just 15 and 16 points adrift respectively. The Italian cars are simply faster and more reliable than the current McLaren package. Indeed, when you consider Hamilton's crash at the Nurburgring and his puncture in Turkey you have to question whether his car is fit for purpose. Little wonder then that errors are creeping into his driving, as evidenced at Silverstone and Turkey, where he was overtaken by Räikkönen at the start. An exciting final five races of the season should take the title race down to the wire. Much depends on Monza on September 9, where the Prancing Horse will be determined to perform on home soil. Räikkönen had already been advised for the drivers' title at 4/1 and he he has an excellent chance of winning at 6/1. I'm not sure, either, why Massa, who is a point better off than his team-mate, is 13/2. He has done nothing wrong this season and as he looks to reel the leaders in from behind is, unlike Hamilton, not saddled with pressure, so worth a saver. Verdict: 1pt e/w Felipe Massa for drivers' championship @ 13/2 (Sportingbet); 3pts Massa to finish in top 3 in drivers' championship @ Evens (Sportingbet).