Lotus and Ferrari Getting Closer in Chasing Down Red Bull

LONDON, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

bwin's F1 mid-season overview

After a poor 5 points at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, McLaren Mercedes have called a crisis meeting. At the same time, Mark Webber signed another 1-year-contract with Red Bull to help secure his chance of winning the title, and both Lotus-Renault and Ferrari promise an exciting second half of this F1-season as their cars gear up and chase down the Red Bull team.

After the British Silverstone Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso (currently on 129 points) is leading the drivers' championship in this unpredictable Formula 1 season that has been, so far, dominated by the Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren teams. But the big names haven't had all the attention or success this year, with Williams back to winning ways, Mercedes and Sauber scoring strongly.

After 9 races with 11 still to go, the constructors' championship table looks far more interesting than expected. Red Bull is leading the table with 216 points, gaining 40 points through Webber's first place and Vettel's third at Silverstone, and is still one of the favourite constructors' teams to win the championship. On the other hand, following an unusually poor start to the season, Ferrari has shown that its cars are now capable of running a lot faster than expected.

Alonso and Webber are the only drivers to win 2 races this season, and while Webber has been a steady scorer all season, Alonso has 'rung the neck' of the difficult Ferrari to gain great results in places, whilst falling foul of his car's appetite for tyres at others. But Alonso is clearly feeling more comfortable with his car and Ferrari's improving form in the last 5 races is underlined by better performances from Massa who is now delivering some valuable points for the team.

bwin spokesperson Warren Lush comments on Ferrari's improving stats: "Ferrari are fighting hard to justify their illustrious reputation and please their huge fan base. But the competition is very close. Lotus-Renault are also improving rapidly and shaping up as one of the toughest contenders for the title. We are hoping to see more of Ferrari in the upcoming races, and as the most experienced manufacturer in Formula 1 they should be able to handle this pressure."

bwin is offering great odds for the upcoming German Grand Prix, with Red Bull team (2.2) Ferrari (4.75) and McLaren (5.5) showing as the favourites to win the race. Hockenheim, the current home of the German Grand Prix, is very different from Silverstone, and Vettel is the favourite with odds of 3.25 to deliver a win in his home country. Despite the recent improvements in consistency and pace made by Lotus-Renault and Ferrari, nothing is certain at this stage in the season.

Warren Lush comments: "McLaren and Red Bull have not shown their expected performance, and Ferrari, as well as Lotus, are improving in the way they handle more tracks." He adds: "This season is not only gripping for all fans and viewers of Formula 1, but also for all drivers and teams. Many of them find themselves frustrated and the teams are struggling to improve their cars. There have been many rumours about which cars the leading drivers will race next season, and that probably says more about who is performing well than the results alone suggest. This is a great Formula 1 season."

Contact details:

bwin spokesperson: Warren Lush, [email protected]  

http://www.bwin.com

Press contacts:

For more information, please contact Rosie Everard [email protected] or Charlayne Iwanczuk [email protected] / +44-(0)113-391-2929

SOURCE bwin