Betting tips / James Frankland / 14 May 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now

With another surprise Formula One win, James Frankland assesses the betting markets and recommends some long term bets going further into the season.

Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix delivered another new winning driver/car combination, with Williams' Pastor Maldonado taking his maiden Formula One victory in a fascinating strategic battle against Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen.

Maldonado, elevated to pole position after Lewis Hamilton was demoted to the back of the grid, put in a faultless drive to fend off the challenge of home favourite Alonso. Raikkonen, on a different strategy to the leading duo, appeared to be out of contention for the win but came back to the fore in the latter stages as Maldonado and Alonso battled to keep their tyres in shape while the Iceman hunted them both down on fresh rubber. In the end, Kimi finished just 3.8s away from the Venezuelan but it was Maldonado's day and a hugely popular win for Williams in the Formula One paddock.

Today's race would also suggests that Ferrari have got on top of their aerodynamic troubles, with this circuit exposing cars with aero problems. Ferrari pushed hard to have last week's in-season test at their own Mugello circuit and the team's efforts have been rewarded with a much-improved showing. Alonso now jointly leads the championship, tied with Sebastian Vettel on 61 points, and in terms of bets, the Spaniard is worth backing at 2.1 to finish in the top three.

In terms of the Drivers' Championship, Vettel is available at 3.6 and Alonso at 5.05, which are good odds given they are joint leaders at this stage. Hamilton is further back at 4.0 but still hasn't won a race and, until he does, he can't really be considered as a championship contender. Kimi Raikkonen's9.4 also looks good, especially if the Iceman continues his upward trajectory.

Over in the Constructor's Championship, Red Bull's 2.5 is good considering they are still leading by 11 points and McLaren are shorter at 1.92 despite trailing the Milton Keynes squad.

Next up is the Monaco Grand Prix, a unique track which tends to throw up surprise results. Given the unpredictability of the season so far, it will be hard to tell an unpredictable result from a more run of the mill race.