Schumacher's Back - Odds to Win the 2010 F1 Drivers Championship
by Charles Jay
BetUS Sportsbook F1 Racing Betting Odds
To Win 2010 F1 Drivers Championship:
I would say that Michael Schumacher's return to action in Formula One racing would be kind of like Michael Jordan coming back to the NBA, except Jordan did it twice already, the first time triumphant, the second time rather ho-hum, and he insists on hanging around the league as shadow boss with those so-so Charlotte Bobcats.
Schumacher teased us last year when he decided for a split second, it seemed, to return to the Ferrari team to replace Felipe Massa, only to go back to the rocking chair because his neck injuries would likely have been aggravated. Now, with time to heal a little more, he's ready to roll, and he is +350 to win the 2010 driver's title in the BetUS Formula One odds.
- Lewis Hamilton +225
- Fernando Alonso +300
- Sebastian Vettel +550
- Felipe Massa +850
- Jenson Button +600
- Mark Webber +1500
- Nico Rosberg +1000
- Robert Kubica +3500
- Rubens Barrichello +4500
- Nick Heidfeld +4500
- Heikki Kovalainen +12500
- Adrian Sutil +10000
- Jarno Trulli +10000
- Timo Glock +10000
- Bruno Senna +10000
- MICHAEL SCHUMACHER +350
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This had been a foregone conclusion to some, even before the 2009 season closed out. Ferrari, for which Schumacher had functioned as a consultant, was actually going to petition to have third car on the grid for 2010, and that was clearly for Schumi.
For those not familiar with F1 racing, it is not just a matter of hopping in the car, taking it around the circuit, and proceeding to the podium. Make no mistake - this is an athletic pursuit - and more and more emphasis is put on conditioning. That certainly may be one area of the game where Schumacher has some catching up to do.
Personally, I think he is going to have a heck of a hard time breaking into the winner's circle, but opinions on the 41-year-old's prospects differ. "At some point the season is going to get very tough and it's going to get unpleasant and it might bring back memories of why he retired in the first place," said Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, to F1 reporter Alan Baldwin.
Bernie Ecclestone, the boss of Formula One, is tickled to death that Schumacher is back , because it is a shot in the arm for a sport that has gone through some very difficult times over the past year, and that might, to say the least, prejudice his view. "Forget about winning races - I have him on my bill for winning the championship," says Ecclestone.
Niki Lauda came out of retirement to win a world championship, but asserts that conditions back then were more conducive for it than they are now. "What is for sure is that there are many more strong drivers in the field now than in Schumacher's last years," Lauda told the Bild newspaper. "There's no question he can keep up. But I'm betting no money."
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull's star driver, who is +550 at BetUS to win the 2010 title, told Italy's Gazetta dello Sport that while he thinks Schumacher's presence will become familiar rather quickly, he is interested to see how it will impact new teammate Nico Rosburg (at +1000 for the 2010 title at BetUS). "It will be very interesting, starting from the big age difference between Michael and Nico," said Vettel. "Schumi brings a lot of experience, which the team will be able to take advantage of hugely."
Ah yes, his "team." Schumacher is not coming back with Ferrari, but with the re-branded Mercedes team, which won the constructor's title last season under the Brawn GP banner, then let go of champion driver Jenson Button (+600 at BetUS to win in 2010) and teammate Reubens Barrichello (45/1), then signed former Williams driver Rosburg.
By the way, Button, who now races for McLaren, says that Schumacher "will be putting his reputation on the line coming back into the sport. But I'll race against anybody. I want to beat the best and he was one of the best." There were rumors that Button was nudged from the Brawn/Mercedes team to make room for Schumacher, but Ross Brawn denies that.
Are the Ferrari people sore? Well, yes and no. Piero Ferrari, son of the team's founder, does not think Schumacher is a traitor. “I wouldn’t use that expression [betrayal]," he told Gazetta dello Sport, "even though obviously we would have preferred him to stay with us. But he wanted to race and the conditions weren’t there for him to do it once again with Ferrari.”
That's right, they weren't. Ferrari wasn't getting a third car on the track and had Felipe Massa (+850 at BetUS) coming back from his injury to join the newly-signed Fernando Alonso (+300 at BetUS). There just wasn't any room for him there.
Will there be any room at the top?
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