Formula One: Back Lewis Hamilton to win in China from pole position

"It is clearly a track which suits both Hamilton and Mercedes – Lewis has won here twice and finished on the podium in each of the past three seasons, whilst Nico Rosberg won his and the team’s first race here last year from pole position."

Lewis Hamilton has secured his first pole position in a Mercedes and looks to have a great chance in Shanghai, says James Frankland... 

His motivation and reasons for moving from McLaren to Mercedes have been debated at length since Lewis Hamilton announced he was to join the Silver Arrows this season, but in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix Hamilton secured pole position to underline the improvement Mercedes has made this year.

It is clearly a track which suits both Hamilton and Mercedes - Lewis has won here twice and finished on the podium in each of the past three seasons, whilst Nico Rosberg won his and the team's first race here last year from pole position. Hamilton is therefore well-placed to repeat the trick and his odds of victory at 3.259/4 offer better value than they might if Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso were occupying pole position. If you're predicting a weekend of Hamilton domination, back him at 5.59/2 to take the win from pole position and set fastest lap on the way.

Alongside Lewis is Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen, who didn't look especially fast throughout qualifying but banged in a time when it mattered most, just over a quarter of a second behind the Mercedes and marginally ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, with Rosberg fourth in the other Mercedes. Raikkonen 4.57/2 will be hoping to repeat his Melbourne trick of stopping one less time than his rivals and if he can achieve it, ought to be a strong contender for victory. You can also never discount Alonso - his Ferrari has looked quick all weekend, evidenced by Felipe Massa being right up there in the standings also - and offers a chance of a good return at 4.77/2 for victory in Shanghai on Sunday.

Red Bull opted for a contrary strategy with Sebastian Vettel, qualifying ninth on the medium tyres. They will hope this will pay off later in the race, by running longer than their soft tyre-shod rivals and switching onto the faster rubber late in the race, hoping to pick off any places in the process. It's risky, but ought to give Vettel a decent chance of a podium finish and he's worth backing at 1.9110/11. If you're feeling really brave then he's available at 6.86/1 for the win.

Check back later before deciding where to put your money in relation to Mark Webber, for the Aussie has yet to hear if he will start from the back of the grid after running out of fuel in second qualifying. In 2011 Mark went from 18th to third so if he ends up last, it's not beyond the realms of possibility he could snare a top six finish. At the moment his odds of 1.51/2 are based on his starting position of 14th, but will improve if, as seems likely, he'll be demoted for his fuel irregularity.

Paul di Resta should also be considered for a points finish at 1.738/11 - the Scotsman starts 11th with a free choice of tyres and, whichever strategy he chooses, needs to only make up one place in order to secure a point come the end of the race. He will probably be eyeing the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo, which qualified seventh but could fall backwards on race day.

Recommended Bets

Lewis Hamilton to win 3.259/4
Sebastian Vettel to finish on the podium 1.9110/11
Paul di Resta to finish in the points 1.738/11

There are no comments on this article.

Product reviews and advice for best reference

Snooker China Open Betting: Time to make his Mark

Snooker / David Hendon / 26 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

Mark Allen is a rare talent but can be hot-headed

"The China Open provides an opportunity for those not among the leading favourites for the world title to shine. Someone like Mark Allen, whose fierce natural talent is yet to deliver him a ranking title."

David Hendon identifies the right profile for the winner of this event and comes up with the two best bets.

It's been said that, in spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love. Well, not if they are a snooker player it doesn't. For snooker's elite this time of the year means only one thing: a claustrophobic theatre in Yorkshire and the chance for glory. In just three weeks time the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield will once again play host to the World Championship and it is the close proximity of the game's biggest event to the China Open that makes betting on Beijing troublesome. Very rarely does the player who wins the last event before the Big One go on to triumph at the Crucible. In fact, the last time it happened was 13 years ago when John Higgins followed up his British Open success by capturing his first world title.

Don't think snooker's great and good won't be trying in Beijing, but there's no doubt that, perhaps subconsciously, they are thinking about how to peak in time for Sheffield. Therefore, the China Open provides an opportunity for those not among the leading favourites for the world title to shine. Someone like Mark Allen, whose fierce natural talent is yet to deliver him a ranking title.

Allen has appeared in five ranking semi-finals, plus the semis of this season's Wembley Masters. All this knocking on the door will surely yield some silverware soon. Stephen Hendry said recently that when the Northern Irishman first appeared on the scene, surrounded by the usual hype that accompanies the arrival of a new young talent, he didn't believe he was that special but that he has since changed his mind after observing him at close quarters. Hendry admires Allen's fearless attacking game, which is reminiscent of snooker's greatest champion in his heyday. Where Allen has fallen down while Hendry flourished is in winning close matches under pressure.

But the 25 year-old is not one to be overwhelmed by reputation. On his TV debut at the age of 19 he beat Steve Davis and, in his next match, John Higgins. He has beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible and Wembley. His time will surely come and, with the attention of the very best diverted by what is to come at Sheffield, there is no reason why it shouldn't come this week. The only real issue with Allen (and perhaps a reason he is yet to appear in a major final) is his hot-headedness if things aren't going his way. He needs to keep cool because there is little doubt he has the game to start landing the game's biggest prizes.

The draw has produced a fiendishly tough top quarter which features defending champion Mark Williams, who plays an in-form Stephen Lee, plus O'Sullivan, who tackles resurgent Welshman Ryan Day. Also in there is Hendry, who plays Matthew Stevens, back to form having just won the qualifying competition for the Premier League. Completing the line-up is Chinese hero Ding Junhui, all competing for a solitary semi-final spot.

Avoiding all this carnage in the bottom half of the draw is John Higgins, whose sense of purpose after returning from his suspension last November has been clear from the four titles he has won since. Better value, though, is provided by another Glaswegian in Graeme Dott, China Open winner in 2007, who has steadily produced some good snooker in the last year ever since he reached his third Crucible final.

The eight lowest ranked qualifiers have to play invited Chinese wildcards, who tend to vary in quality. The best of them is Tian Pengfei, who beat an admittedly poorly motivated O'Sullivan in Beijing last year. On Monday, Tian faces the enduringly popular Jimmy White, who will have his work cut out to progress to the first round proper. Tian is on home soil and, as he doesn't have ranking points or prize money to play for, is not under anywhere as much pressure as the Whirlwind. The other wildcard to watch is Jin Long, who has more experience than his fellow compatriots having played on the pro circuit and could threaten to cause an upset against Nigel Bond.

In the last 32, Barry Hawkins is worth supporting against Stephen Maguire, whose practise time has been limited due to the recent birth of his third child. Martin Gould, a former casino croupier, is on a high after his surprise run to the final of the Players Tour Championship and is more than capable of beating world no.15 Ricky Walden. Stuart Bingham, a fluent break-builder but yet to appear in a major semi-final, has enough firepower to see off Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter.

Recommended Bets:

Back Mark Allen to win the China Open at [19.0]
Back Graeme Dott to win the China Open at [22.0]

This is a tournament that should be won by one of the big guns. A good analysis of the draw and an understanding of the format gives us a good idea of which of them are well worth backing, says...

John Higgins has had his fair share of problems over the last year but since his return he's been as focussed, committed and ruthless as ever. David Hendon pays tribute to the great man and selects the other best bets...

He's been the scourge of the markets all week and Paul Krishnamurty believes that Marco Fu will round off today's Masters final by bringing more misery to favourite fanciers......

Play Casino & Poker here