Formula One 
/ Ralph Ellis / 03 May 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Vitaly Petrov is leading the charge for Lotus Renault
"Petrov and Heidfeld are anywhere between [95.0] and [180.00] to win in Turkey... "
Never mind the battle at the top of the market, a shrewd, forward-thinking team are starting to quietly make an impact on the podium. Bettors take note, says Ralph Ellis.
Sport in the 21st century is dominated by money. We know this. It is why Real Madrid and Barcelona dominate La Liga, and why Chelsea and Manchester United battle it out every year for the Barclays Premier League.
In Formula One, it's why McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari slug it out every week for the front of the grid. The richest buy the best, and stay ahead of the field that way.
But just occasionally somebody comes along with a bit of brilliance that puts a dent in the dominance of the big boys. Jenson Button won his Drivers' World Championship because of the ingenuity of Ross Brawn, who dreamed up the idea of the double diffuser, winning half a dozen races before anybody else caught up.
You just wonder if there's a similar brain working behind the scenes at Lotus Renault this year. In the opening battles between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton it's gone pretty much unnoticed that they managed a podium finish in two of the first three races. Whatever is going on, it's clearly the car and not the driver because Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov have shared those two bits of Grand Prix glory.
They rather spoiled the good start by messing up qualifying in China, where some technical problems failed to get Petrov into Q3. But the only Russian in F1 still finished ninth, and as the Formula One circus sets up its big top in Istanbul this week there are encouraging noises coming from their factory to suggest the improvement could go on.
"We have a good upgrade package coming for Turkey," promises team principal Eric Boullier, the man masterminding whatever gadgets and gizmos are being dreamed up. "The car has shown it has good straight line speed. It is also kind on its tyres which will be important in Istanbul, as it was in the warmer weather of the first couple of races."
There's a new front wing coming, various design tweaks inspired by work in the wind tunnel, and a few other technical bits that frankly went above my head. But it's still enough of a hint that Lotus can remain the dark horse (as opposed to Ferrari's prancing horse).
It's worth knowing, because the dominance of the wealthiest teams at the front of the grid has limited betting opportunities in the first few races. Vettel is already [2.4] favourite for the Turkish Grand Prix, a price that's too short to back but not really short enough to lay either. So unless you hang your hat on Hamilton, who is [4.5], at a course where McLaren scored a 1-2 last season there isn't much value to be found in the early market.
Petrov and his sidekick Heidfeld, in contrast, are anywhere between [95.0] and [180.00] to win which suggests that when the weekend comes you'll get [30.0] or maybe more for either of them to get on the podium again. Alongside your serious stake to sort out the winner, it's a bet that's going to be well worth a little flutter, and at the least could turn a profit if you lay it in running.
Five things you might not know about Vitaly Petrov
1. Born September 1984 in the Russian town of Vyborg, close to the border with Finland, his mother was a schoolteacher.
2. He was five when his dad, who owned land, bought him a beat-up Volkswagon Golf and started teaching him to drive. He started racing in Lada events because there are no go-karts in Russia
3. He was reprimanded for being overweight during his first Formula One season with Renault
4. He's a big fan of Spanish football, and describes himself as the only person in the world who supports both Barcelona and Real Madrid
5. He collects playing cards from around the world
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