Sports Betting Makes Formula 1 More Exciting

We all know Sebastian Vettel was crowned Formula One drivers champion in 2011, but who will challenge him for the title next year? Punters can get started thinking about it, because the online sportsbooks have already released their early odds.

Sebastian Vettel is unsurprisingly the evens favorite to back up his championship win next year, but the William Hill sports betting odds predict four major challengers: Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, both 9/2, this year's runner-up Jenson Button, 7/1, and Aussie Mark Webber, 12/1.

There should be some steady competition for the F1 constructors championship too, with William Hill giving Red Bull evens, just ahed of McLaren, 13/8, Ferrari 5/1 and Mercedes 25/1. Lotus Renault, Force India and BAR are considered to be outsiders.

Another exciting feature from some of the online sports betting agencies is the match bets option. Place wagers on Hamilton (8/13) v Button (6/5), Shumacher (11/10) v Rosberg (4/6) and Vettel (1/3) v Webber (9/4).

Once the season gets underway next March with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the options will no doubt expand. Many betting agencies made formula one part of their in-play betting and live broadcast features this, so there's a lot to look forward to in 2012 for racing enthusiasts.