Sports Blog 29/06/2016: Formula One Preview – Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday 3rd July 2016

With the halfway point on the horizon, and the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, what better time to look back over the 2016 Formula One season so far.

After storming to his 3rd (and 2nd consecutive) Championship in 2015 Lewis Hamilton seems to have stalled this season, much to the delight of his Mercedes teammate, and bitter rival, Nico Rosberg. The 31-year old German, who is yet to win a Championship in his decade long F1 career, got off to his best ever start to a season, winning the first 4 Grand Prix in Australia, Bahrain, China and Russia. Hamilton, on the other hand, could only manage 2nd place in Australia and Russia, 3rd in Bahrain and 7th in China (his worst completed finish since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix).



Things have become a bit more complicated since then, however. Both drivers retired in Spain, before Hamilton took Monaco and Canada back-to-back, only to finish 5th at the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan as Rosberg climbed to the top of the podium once again. That leaves the German with 141 points to the Brit’s 117 (with Sebastian Vettel, runner-up in China, Canada and Azerbaijan, on 96).

With such a small gap separating the two men Spreadex has found it incredibly difficult to find a clear favourite for the 2016 Championship. Hamilton has a Drivers’ Season Points spread of 330-336 to Rosberg’s 329-355, while on the Drivers’ Championship Index things are similarly tight, at 48-51 to 47-50 respectively. The Brit does, however, come out on top in terms of fixed odds, at 8/11 to his teammate’s 11/8. Hamilton also seems to have a slightly greater advantage heading into the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, sitting at a Race Index spread of 55-59 to Rosberg’s 52-56 despite the fact that the German has won the past 2 races at the Red Bull Ring.



Yet for all the focus on Rosberg and Hamilton the story of the season so far arguably lies with Max Verstappen. In Australia last year the Dutchman became, at 17 and a half, the youngest driver to ever compete in a Formula One Grand Prix, beating Jaime Alguersuari’s previous record by almost 2 years.

This season he went one better; moving to Red Bull Racing from Scuderia Toro Rosso in time for the Spanish Grand Prix Verstappen not only (briefly) interrupted the Mercedes monopoly but became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix, taking the honour previously held by Sebastian Vettel. Spreadex expect Verstappen to have a decent second half to his season, offering a Drivers’ Championship Index spread of 9-12, above the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

Recent Posts: