Vettel can be caught in Turkish GP despite bossing qualifying
Published:Reigning Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel starts Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix on pole just as he has all four races so far this season but there is reason to believe that he can be caught on race day just as he was in China three weeks ago.
Whereas the early years of the Istanbul event saw whoever qualified in first place – usually Felipe Massa – go on to take the chequered flag, a Red Bull driver has put his car at the top of the grid in each of the last two yet failed to convert the advantage.
So that indicates that Vettel is far from certain to secure his third victory of the campaign in the Turkish capital at 8/13, especially as this is a race he has never recorded a top-two finish in. He was forced to settle for third when last on pole in 2009.
A Red Bull driver has never won the Grand Prix before but with the German’s team-mate Mark Webber starting alongside him in second, they won’t receive a better opportunity to change that.
The Australian veteran has improved with every passing week in the current campaign and produced a stunning display in China to claim third place from 18th on the grid, so odds of 7/2 appeal on him triumphing at Istanbul Park.
Nobody has ever taken the top prize at the track from outside the top two positions, however McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton (7/1) and Jenson Button (16/1) are not to be written off as the last two winners in Turkey, despite getting underway from fourth and sixth.
A £30 stake on Hamilton delivering for the second straight year would provide a £210 profit. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.
