DELHI, INDIA – Round 17 of the 2012 Formula One season comes from the Buddh circuit just outside Delhi. India and the rest of the world will be gripped as the world's best drivers face off in the 17th of 20 Grand Prix around the world. In the 16th race, held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongnam, Sebastian Vettel won his third consecutive Grand Prix to cement his position at the top of the pile. The German now leads the way with 215 points. There seems very little prospect of anyone winning the F1 Drivers' Championship other than Vettel or his closest competitor, the Spaniard Fernando Alonso.
Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in the opening practice for the Grand Prix, finishing three tenths of a second faster than Jenson Button, who is all the way down in sixth in the Drivers leaderboard, 76 points behind Vettel. Alonso, on 209 points compared to Vettel's 215 came third. He is the odds-on favourite to win the Grand Prix, which would surely go a long way to confirming his status as the world's top F1 driver. bet365 make him a 4/6 (bet £60 to win £40). The same firm make Vettel the 1/4 favourite to lift the trophy after the 20th and last Grand Prix, which takes place in Brazil.
Fernando Alonso is surely the only competitor left who can pose a threat to Vettel. He is a 3/1 shot with William Hill to win the Drivers' Championship. The Oviedo-born 31 year-old's last victory came in Germany, where the Ferrari man controlled the race throughout. Bookies are not predicting the Indian Grand Prix to be one of Alonso's strongest, so he is a 9/2 shot with BlueSQ.
It is, however, difficult to look past Vettel. Ever since Lewis Hamilton's gearbox failed on Lap 23 in Singapore, Vettel has led every racing lap. He has hit form at the optimum time. The performance of Red Bull and Vettel in the far east has taken the motorsport world by storm. Red Bull look even more certain than their best driver to win something, with Ladbrokes offering 1/50 on them winning the Constructors' Championship.
Even if many think the Drivers Championship may be done and dusted, there are still plenty of interesting factors and unresolved stories which should make Sunday's race a great watch. First, will Lotus win a race? Despite sitting in third place and at 100/1 with Ladbrokes to win the Drivers Championship, Kimi Räikkönen has yet to actually win a race, something he is 33/1 with Bodog to do at the weekend. In contrast to Vettel, Lotus Renault peaked at the wrong time, and they now languish in fourth in the Constructors' standings, something they are 250/1 with Betfred to win.
It will be interesting to watch the improving Felipe Massa in India on Sunday. Some good driving in Singapore followed by a spot on the podium in Japan, combined with a respectable fourth place in Korea, has shown a great improvement for the Ferrari man. Ferrari have rewarded the improvement by awarding him with a race seat for the 2013 Formula One Season. Massa is a tempting 66/1 with Bodog to win in India, and is 25/1 with Ladbrokes to drive the fastest lap.
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