Hungarian F1 GP Betting Preview – Hamilton Takes Ninth Pole in Ten Races

Dominant throughout practice, reigning F1 champion Lewis Hamilton also recorded the fastest lap of 1:22.020 in Saturday’s Hungarian Grand Prix qualification shoot-out to take pole position for the ninth time in ten races.

Qualifying half a second slower with a time of 1:22.595, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg had dominated his 2014 world champion colleague in the early European races, but had to settle for second place on the podium after Hamilton returned to form to take the win at Silverstone.

F1 World Honours Jules Bianchi

After the recent death of former Marussia driver Jules Bianchi, the Formula One world honoured their fallen colleague with a range of social media tributes, car and helmet decorations, including #JB17 and #CiaoJules, on Friday in Hungary. The FIA have also announced that they will retire Bianchi’s number 17 as a mark of respect.

Vettel Looks for Second Podium in a Row

Only qualifying sixth at Silverstone, Ferrari’s four-time world champion and one-time 2015 race winner ,Sebastian Vettel, nevertheless managed to finish on the podium in England and is well primed for a repeat in Hungary after qualifying third with a time of 1:22.739. Meanwhile, under pressure team-mate Kimi Raikkonen recorded a fastest lap time of 1:23.020 to line-up fifth in Sunday’s race.

Williams Back on Form

After a poor start to a season in which they were overtaken by Ferrari in terms of performance and results, Williams appear to be getting back to their 2014 form after series of podium’s and top six finishes. This time, at the Hungaroring, Valtteri Bottas qualified sixth with a time of 1:23.222, with Felipe Massa a slightly disappointing eighth after lapping at 1:23.537.

Despite being unhappy that they can’t compete for race wins anymore, Red Bulls’ Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat still had an excellent session on track at the Hungaroring, qualifying fourth and seventh respectively with times of 1:22.744 and 1:23.332.

Toro Rosso’s Rookie driver pairing of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr outperformed their Renault-powered car by consistently finishing in and around the top ten during practice in Hungary, and backed this up with times of 1:23.679 and 1:23.869 to earn ninth and twelfth placed starts in the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hungarian Grand Prix Betting

Pole-sitter Hamilton is priced at 2/7 with Paddy Power, while team-mate Rosberg is 7/2 with SkyBet. Third on the grid, Ferrari’s Vettel is offered at 20/1 with Betfred.

In conclusion, four-time Hungarian GP winner Hamilton won all three of the practice sessions at the Hungaroring, qualified on pole and, as such, will be full of confidence. So we think the Briton will win, but at 2/7 we can’t bet on him.

Instead, even though he’ll likely come second, we’re reverting to the back Rosberg each-way at 3/1 or bigger scheme, which should at least provide a little profit, hopefully more.

Finally, if you want a second bet, after finishing seventh, sixth and fifth in the three practice sessions yet only qualifying twelfth, Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr looks a good bet for a top ten (points) finish.

Advised Bet: Rosberg e/w (1/3 odds) race winner at 7/2 with SkyBet

Worth a Punt: Sainz Jr points finish at evens with BetVictor

Tune into Sky Sports F1 from 12:30 on Sunday to watch the action unfold