The F1 circus will be swinging into its
long 2013 season again, with new cars and new team set-ups. However,
it may be a familiar picture at the head of the field, the same as it
has been over the past three seasons. Germany’s Sebastian Vettel
has been the picture of power over the past few season in F1, the Red
Bull driver having won the F1 Drivers World Championship for three
consecutive years. So there is little surprise that bookmakers have
installed him as firm favourite to go on and make it four in a row.
Even when he was challenged hard last season, with Ferrari’s
Fernando Alonso making a great run at the title, the Red Bull driver
still had the quality and powerful to lay down some commanding form
over the second half of the season to clinch the title in the final
race of the season.
Red Bull have the perfect blend of car
and driver, and the innovate team, who have never been afraid to make
technological changes, have kept pushing boundaries. They have
Vettel, who is not the most perfect driver in the sport, but he seems
to find time where no-one else can and that is what will keep him on
top of his sport for a long while yet. The question about F1 2013 World Championship betting, is who can wrestle the title away
from him?
The new Ferrari car offers a lot of
promise for Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard a two time world champion.
The Ferrari was very slow out of development at the start of last
season, their early running being a good second slower than other
contenders. But the skill of Alonso, a methodical driver who hits
every corner just right, time and time again, could be in better,
stronger shape from the start of the campaign. That will be key to
him mounting a challenge for the third F1 Drivers Championship of his
career.
Britain’s Jenson Button in his
McLaren could well challenge again for another world title. Button
outshone teammate Lewis Hamilton again last season, and with the
latter departing for Mercedes, there could be a lot more focus from
the team on Button. A very steady driver, the new McLaren for Button
looked very good in the early testing runs in 2013 and there could be
a lot of positives again. Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull teammate Mark
Webber has the car behind him but there are always questions about
the Australian’s ability to push on and take races by the scruff of
the neck. Still, he had a decent season last term and again, has the
car to get him close to the title, but will probably still be second
fiddle to Vettel.
It is unlikely that Lewis Hamilton will
really mount a challenge in his first season with Mercedes. He has
taken a bit of a career risk going there, and the development of
Hamilton and the team may need some time to settle down in serious
challengers. So one of the best outside shots in the F1 Drivers
Championship could well be Kimi Raikkonen. His Lotus took third in
the standings last season, still along way back of Vettel and Alonso,
but with a clear enough gap to the McLarens. The experience of
Raikkonen and the positives from the car last season, could be enough
to perhaps muscle his way into a title race.
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