F1 champion Hamilton excited by battle with Ferrari’s Vettel
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Defending Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton currently leads the driver’s championship by 27 points ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in second place and German Sebastian Vettel sitting in third position.
With such a dominant lead so far this season, British number one Hamilton recently admitted his excitement at battling it out with four-time world champion Vettel ahead of the next championship race, who is 7/1 with Coral reign in Spain.
“I’m looking forward to being able to have a fight with him on the track [this year], as well as with other drivers,” said Hamilton.
Although, the championship leader has questioned whether a true rivalry between himself and his German counterpart can truly be competitive if both drivers are in contrasting machinery.
“I think ultimately you will never have a true race unless you are driving the same car, because there is always going to be differences in the cars,” continued Hamilton, who is the odds-on 4/9 favourite for victory in Barcelona.
“We might have more power but they might be better on the brakes, we might be better at one circuit but they might be better at another.”
Vettel’s fellow countryman Rosberg will be aiming to tighten the gap on Hamilton before the Englishman becomes a runaway leader. Last season’s championship runner-up is a 3/1 chance to secure victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, with his teammate Hamilton having declared that the German is a closer competitor than Vettel due to their equally superior vehicles.
“It balances out over the year, but naturally if you are fighting it out with your teammate it’s a real battle because you’ve both got the same materials,” stated Hamilton.
“The cars are getting closer and closer matched, so I’m looking forward to having that battle with not only Nico but now Kimi and Vettel.”
Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso are the only multiple winners of the Spanish Grand Prix currently still racing, with the Finnish and Spanish drivers available at 8/1 and 300/1 respectively to triumph again.
