Heat in Hungary lends favour to Ferrari’s dwindling title hopes

The sweltering conditions that are forecast for the Hungarian Grand Prix are set to favour Ferrari, at least according to driver Felipe Massa.

This could add value to the team’s 9/2 third favourite price to be the winning car in Budapest, though the Brazilian’s belief that the Hungaroring circuit is still better suited to Red Bull should also be considered.

The Italians need wins if they are to stay in the Constructor’s Championship mix, having fallen 70 points behind their Austrian rivals following a winless run of four races for both of their frontline drivers, Massa and Fernando Alonso.

This barren spell has allowed Mercedes – widely cited for having a substandard car prior to the season’s beginning – to creep ahead of them into second, though both remain a long way back from Red Bull.

Massa’s theory carries a bit of weight when you consider that his team’s first and third in the Spanish GP occurred around a track with temperatures around the 37-degree mark, which is approximately what the thermostat will be reading come race day in Hungary.

However, it’s been far hotter in places like Bahrain where the franchise flopped spectacularly with Alonso finishing eighth and Massa withdrawing.

Still, following the pair’s strong showings while others sizzled in Spain, backing both for a podium spot at least could prove a worthwhile activity.

Massa is a monster 50/1 pre-race no-hoper, while his teammate is a fairly beefy 5/1, in the wake of Sebastian Vettel’s 6/4 favouritism. However, the 12/1 that says Massa finishes amongst the medal positions, might well be worth an each-way dabble.

He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any of his last three outings around the Budapest circuit and, in the apparently favourable conditions, he could prove a shrewd investment to bring about some Ferrari joy in Hungary.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date