Formula 1 – Indian Grand Prix – Preview and Tips

With just four races remaining, Formula 1 heads to the Indian Grand Prix in Greater Noida. The race starts at 8:30 PM AEDT on Sunday. Vettel has won the last three races to take a six-point lead over Alonso in the title race. Räikkönen leads a four-car pack that is in with a mathematical chance of winning, but at this stage it appears that the Drivers’ Championship has become a two-horse race.

2012 Season Results

Below are the 2012 season results to date.

Driver and Constructor standings

Vettel’s third win in consecutive races sees him move into top position with four races to go. Räikkönen, Hamilton, Webber and Button are not mathematically ruled out, however it appears the Drivers’ Championship has become a two-horse race between Vettel and Alonso.

1 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) – 215
2 Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 209
3 Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus) – 167
4 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) – 153
5 Mark Webber (Red Bull) – 152
6 Jenson Button (McLaren) – 131
7 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 93
8 Romain Grosjean (Lotus) – 88
9 Felipe Massa (Ferrari) – 81
10 Sergio Perez (Sauber) – 66

In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull enjoy a sizeable lead at the top, with a tight race between Ferrari and McLaren for second. Lotus too could finish second, with a big drop off between them and Mercedes in 5th.

1 Red Bull Racing-Renault – 367
2 Ferrari – 290
3 McLaren-Mercedes – 284
4 Lotus-Renault – 255
5 Mercedes – 136
6 Sauber-Ferrari – 116
7 Force India-Mercedes – 89
8 Williams-Renault – 58
9 STR-Ferrari – 21
10 Marussia-Cosworth – 0
11 Caterham-Renault – 0
12 HRT-Cosworth – 0

Buddh International Circuit

The Buddh International Circuit, opened in 2011, is located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, near New Delhi. The 5.14 km long circuit was designed by Herman Tilke, who has also designed race circuits in Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey, the UAE, South Korea and the US.

At 1.06 km in length, the circuit’s main straight is among the longest in Formula 1. The pit lane is also one of the longest, stretching over 600 metres. The lengthy time it takes to get in and out of the pits plays a significant role in race strategy here. The track surface is pretty similar to Korea. It will evolve a lot over the weekend so lap times will come down as the grip levels improve.

After the circuit’s debut in 2011 it has received a positive reception from drivers, who praised the high-speed layout and challenging corner combinations.

Below are the most recent results in India.

2012 News and Titbits

The inaugural Grand Prix of America to be held in New Jersey will be postponed to 2014 due to financing problems, organisers have confirmed. The race was pencilled in for 16 June next year but there had been doubts whether it would take place.

Ferrari have signed Sebastian Vettel for 2014, reportedly contingent on Ferrari’s results in 2013. Vettel’s potential arrival at Ferrari has been approved by Fernando Alonso, who reportedly vetoed the idea of Lewis Hamilton joining them earlier this year. Massa will continue to drive for Ferrari in 2013.

Nico Hulkenberg is to leave Force India to race for Sauber next year. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber’s reserve driver, is tipped to partner the German, which would leave Kamui Kobayashi without a seat in 2013. Sergio Perez, Kobayashi’s team-mate at Sauber this year, will join McLaren to replace the Mercedes-bound Lewis Hamilton. Ex-Toro Rosso drivers Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari are vying with former Force India driver Adrian Sutil to be Hulkenberg’s replacement. If Kobayashi loses the Sauber drive, he could potentially to go to Force India, but will likely need to find sponsorship to secure his seat.

In other contract news, Lotus have said they will retain Romain Grosjean in 2013 despite his series of first-lap incidents this year.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso says he is still “very optimistic” he can win the drivers’ title despite losing the lead for the first time since June. Vettel has won the last three races, but Alonso believes his luck would run out. “It is difficult to win consecutive races. Sooner or later [he] will arrive [at] one bad one.” Alonso points out that he would still be on top had it not been for his forced retirement in Japan after contact with Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso also retired at the first corner of the Belgian Grand Prix in the multi-car pile-up caused by Romain Grosjean.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton has conceded his world championship hopes are over after finishing 10th in the Korean GP. Hamilton dropped down the field following a rear suspension failure – his second in as many races – and is now 63 points off the lead with only 100 still available. “In terms of winning, I think that’s it for us,” Hamilton said. “We were still in the fight up until now but it’s too far away. We’ll keep fighting in the constructors’.”

Indian Grand Prix Preview

Pirelli have brought the hard and the soft tyres, a combination that has been used in Barcelona, Britain and Japan, which provides insight into the demands of this circuit. This is last time that we will see this combination in 2012. With a full step in-between the available compounds and long pit lane, tyre management will be crucial. The long corners put a lot of lateral stress on the tyres and there is a risk of graining if drivers do not manage their tyres properly. A one-stop strategy is possible if drivers can look after their tyres well.

With only one previous Formula 1 race held at the Buddh International Circuit, it’s difficult to gauge the importance of qualifying position. Vettel won from pole position last year however Hamilton and Webber failed to finish on the podium after qualifying 2nd and 3rd, respectively. I get the impression that the first lap is critical. Button qualified 5th last year but a good start saw him jump to 2nd after the first lap – a position he occupied for the rest of the race.

The weather forecast in Delhi is good with predicted dry running throughout the weekend and reasonably high track temperatures. The Buddh circuit was specifically designed to encourage overtaking, so let’s hope we get an action-packed race at this crucial juncture in the championship.

Indian Grand Prix Betting

Below are the latest betting odds (subject to change). Click here to compare live Indian Grand Prix odds across a range of Australian and international bookmakers.

Having won this race in 2011 as well as last three races this year, Vettel is the deserved short odds favourite for pole position and race victory. With the Drivers’ Championship on the line, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Red Bull impose team orders if Webber gets ahead of Vettel. For this reason I think Vettel’s winner odds are better value than his qualifying odds, because no team orders will apply in qualifying and Webber took pole position ahead of Vettel in Korea two weeks ago.

McLaren have fallen off the pace in recent weeks, and while fortunes have undulated this season, it’s hard to look past Red Bull to win both the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship through Vettel for a second season running.