Vettel takes pole as penalty pushes Hamilton back into fifth
Published:Sunday’s Indian Grand Prix will see Sebastian Vettel in his usual spot as favourite to win after the German landed his sixteenth pole position of the season.
A qualifying lap of 1:24:178 was good enough to land pole for Vettel and the champion is as short as 4/7 to win the Indian Grand Prix.
Red Bull will line up first and second on the grid and Mark Webber is available at 4/1 second favourite to win in India, but it could have been so different had Lewis Hamilton not suffered a three-place penalty for ignoring caution flags.
It’s yet another mistake from Hamilton that could cost him a race win and while many lay blame at his recent split from popstar Nicole Sherzinger, the form of the Brit all year suggests he can’t wait for this season to end.
Speaking after the Q3 period had ended this morning, Hamilton admitted it was a “silly mistake” and the McLaren driver will start from fifth on the grid despite posting the second fastest time in qualifying.
Hamilton will see Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button in front of him when the drivers line up for the inagural Indian Grand Prix on Sunday, but very little seperate the three in the betting.
Alonso is available at 8/1 to win, as are both Hamilton and Button with the bookmakers fully expecting to see the Red Bull dominance continue.
However, while Hamilton’s silly mistakes have crept in all too often this season, posting the second fastest qualifying time suggests the Brit holds all the value in the betting.
A good start will be paramount but you can guarantee Hamilton will be determined to right his wrongs from Friday and a aggresive start can be expected from the McLaren driver.
The four that start in front of Hamilton will be tough to pass but the Brit will not be afraid of the competition and at 8/1, Hamilton may be worth a punt on Sunday.
