The F1 returns this weekend in Spa, with 9 races to go over the next 14 weeks ending in Abu Dhabi in November. So as we approach the halfway mark, let us recap what we’ve seen so far.
Mercedes as a team has been a class apart, but prone to wobbling under pressure. Hamilton and Roseberg will claim first and second respectively after winning 5 and 3 races respectively. Williams have been impressive this campaign after not much hope at the beginning of the season, as their budget was far more modest than their rivals, Valterri Bottas may have won in the British Grand Prix in Silverstone had he had better advice from the pit wall.
Red Bull will go into the second half of this season spurred on by their double podium in Budapest. Lead driver Daniel Riccardo has been continually frustrated with his car’s lack of competitiveness, and the Red Bull team have a lot to change if they wish to challenge in the future. Ferrari are the best of the rest, but still have a massive half a second gap between them and Mercedes. They’ve made significant improvements to their inconsistent engine but are still prone to chassis issues. With 2 wins in Malaysia and in Hungary, Ferrari driver Vettel has continued to see his stock rise. For Raikkonen the “Dream goes on” as Ferrari have retained the 35-year-old veteran as a driver for 2016. Lotus head to Spa not knowing what the future is given the speculation that they may be bought over by Renault, Romain Grosjean looks good in qualifying but ultimately disappoints on match days.
Force India continues to punch above their weight, even starting this season with last year’s car essentially. The form of their drivers will give them confidence, with lead driver Nico Hulkenberg winning the Le Mans in June and then really impressing in Austria the same month. McLaren have been disappointing this season, Fernando Alonso pushing his car in qualifying is one of the images of the season. Only twice this season have Alonso and Button both finished, so not a good year for McLaren despite their modest expectations. In Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso have one of the most exciting drivers in the world, and the team has been the most consistent of the smaller establishments, teammate Carlos Sainz jr has also impressed this year.
Manor Marussia have been left behind, their car simply has not been competitive and they head into the second half rather deflated and without much hope. Losing driver Jules Bianchi was a horrible blow to both the team and the sport, and the fact they’re still competing seems a minor miracle. Lastly, Sauber, who have (to be fair) been better than last year. Drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr have both been competitive, but the car badly needs upgrading and it’s hard to see how that’s going to happen.
All in all this season has been an exciting, yet sadly predictable one with Mercedes clearly dominating from the off. The intrigue remains however, and we’re still in for some turns and twists as the season comes to an end.
Don’t forget to look out for BetXchange’s Driver Pick the week of every race!
This week’s Driver pick is Sebastian Vettel.
Formula 1 Betting Odds
If the driver fails to win but finishes on the podium, BetXchange will refund your stake.
The betting on the F1 Driver’s Championship currently looks like this:
Lewis Hamilton 1/5
Nico Rosberg 9/2
Sebastian Vettel 14/1
Driver’s Championship Standings:
1st- Lewis Hamilton 202 pts
2nd- Nico Roseberg 181 pts
3rd- Sebastian Vettel 160 pts
4th- Valtteri Bottas 77 pts
5th- Kimi Raikonnen 76 pts
6th- Felipe Massa 74 pts
7th- Daniel Riccardo 51 pts
8th- Daniil Kyvat 45 pts
9th- Nico Hulkenberg 24 pts
10th- Romain Grosjean 23 pts
11th- Max Verstappen 22 pts
12th- Felipe Nasr 16 pts
13th- Sergio Perez 15 pts
14th- Pastor Maldonado 12 pts
15th- Fernando Alonso 11 pts
16th- Carlos Sainz jr 9 pts
17th- Jenson Button 6 pts
18th- Marcus Ericcson 6 pts
19th- Roberto Merhi 0 pts
20th- Will Stevens 0 pts
Constructor’s Championship Standings:
1st- Mercedes 383 pts
2nd- Ferrari 236 pts
3rd- Williams 151 pts
4th- Red Bull 96 pts
5th- Force India 39 pts
6th- Lotus 35 pts
7th- Toro Rosso 31 pts
8th- Sauber 22 pts
9th- McLaren 17 pts
10th- Manor 0 pts
