Betting Angle

I was going to start with the exciting news that Ryanair is set to become the new sponsor of the Barcelona Grand Prix. In the belief the Circuit de Catalunya is, like numerous Ryanair airports, upwards of 50 miles away from the city it is supposed to be in, it seemed the perfect sponsorship fit.

Naturally I was being facetious as there is little to get excited about at this circuit which has regularly been accused of delivering a boring spectacle. That’s a little harsh. With the pole-sitter winning this race every year for a decade, a sequence broken only by Mark Webber in 2011 and resumed by Pastor Maldonado last year, tedious is a better description.

On the bright side I’ve just learned Rodolfo Gonzalez will be at the wheel of a Marussia for the first free practice session. That offers some relief as I’m looking forward to hearing quips about ‘Speedy Gonzalez’.

Talking of TV icons, it was also great to see the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, in Bahrain. I confess every time I heard his name I thought of cigars – of the slim panatella variety – and the classic 80’s television commercial featuring ‘Carlos Fandango wide wheels’. For those intrigued and under the age of 45 I refer you to YouTube.

OK, with the notable exceptions of McLaren and Williams, last year’s form has been an exceptional insight into this year’s results. Yes, the Ferrari looks more competitive than at this stage last season and Lotus slightly better but, all in all, cars are performing pretty much as they did at individual circuits twelve months previously.

Therein, when looking for form clues, I’m going to delve no deeper than the outset of the 2012 season. Nothing else should bear any relevance.

Strikingly the Red Bulls qualified seventh and eleventh in China last year and that form translated into a ninth and fourteenth qualifying in this year’s rendition of the very same race.

Alarmingly for Red Bull fans they only qualified seventh and eleventh here in Barcelona last season and I’m confident that will equate to another disappointing showing this weekend. I appear to be alone on this stance as Vettel is just 6/4 at Betvictor.com (and that’s the biggest price of all the bookmaking firms) to claim pole this weekend.

Most are aware you need to start at the front of the grid to have any chance in Barcelona – it is the ideal prep for Monaco – and therein I am leaning towards a bold showing, potentially a race win… from Mercedes.

Before you offer me a straight choice between a breathalyser and our old friend the canvas cardigan with those arms that tie behind the back please stop to consider…

Many were stunned when Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes claimed pole in Bahrain – he was backed at 200/1 to do so – but should it have been such a surprise? He had done the same twelve months previously and his teammate, Hamilton, took pole in China, the third race of the current season, a week beforehand.