Alonso tops Formula One odds

Spaniard goes into this weekend’s opening event in Bahrain as Drivers' Championship favourite ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

The 2010 Formula One season begins this weekend in Bahrain with Fernando Alonso favourite to take home the Drivers' Championship followed by Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Alonso is a two-time Formula One champion but his previous three seasons have been largely unproductive and he had only one podium finish in the whole of last term. However, the Spaniard moved to the iconic Ferrari team in the off-season and is now being offered at odds of 2/1 to win the Driver’s Championship by SportingBet.com and Bwin.com.

The 28-year-old will partner Brazilian driver Felipe Massa for the 2010 season with Expekt.com offering odds of 28/13 on a third title for Alonso while Bet365.com shows 11/5. Slightly longer, bettors can get 9/4 from Coral.co.uk, BoyleSports.com, BetFred.com and StanJames.com while 888Sport.com, PaddyPower.com, ToteSport.com and BlueSq.com have 5/2.

At the far end of the spectrum, WilliamHill.com, VictorChandler.com, SkyBet.com and Ladbrokes.com show odds of 11/4 on the Oviedo-born driver winning the 2010 Driver’s Championship.

British driver Lewis Hamilton is also in the running after choosing to remain at McLaren Mercedes with VictorChandler.com offering odds of 5/2 on a second title for the 25-year-old.

Stevenage-born Hamilton won the Drivers' Championship in 2008 after a season-long battle with Massa with StanJames.com showing odds of 3/1 on success this season while SkyBet.com is offering 10/3. Longer still, WilliamHill.com, Ladbrokes.com, 888Sport.com, BlueSq.com and SportingBet.com show 7/2 while punters can get 4/1 from Bet365.com, ToteSport.com, BoyleSports.com, Coral.co.uk and Expekt.com.

Hamilton will partner defending champion Jenson Button this season and is being offered at odds of 9/2 by Bwin.com, PaddyPower.com and BetFred.com to win the Drivers' Championship.

At only 22, Sebastian Vettel finished as runner-up last time out and is being offered at odds 4/1 by Ladbrokes.com, WilliamHill.com, Bet365.com, SkyBet.com, SportingBet.com, StanJames.com, PaddyPower.com, Expekt.com and Coral.co.uk to win the Drivers' Championship this time.

The German driver has remained with Red Bull Racing alongside Australian Mark Webber with BoyleSports.com, ToteSport.com, VictorChandler.com, BetFred.com, BlueSq.com, Bwin.com and 888Sport.com showing the youngster at odds of 9/2 to win it all.

One of the season’s biggest talking points has been the return to action of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher after three years in retirement. The German has joined Ross Brawn’s Mercedes Grand Prix team alongside Nico Rosberg and is shown at odds of 15/4 by Expekt.com to win the 2010 Driver’s Championship.

At 41, Schumacher will be the oldest competitor on the track and punters can get odds of 4/1 on the Hurth-born driver winning one of motorsports highest honours from Ladbrokes.com and VictorChandler.com while WilliamHill.com and Bwin.com show 9/2.

Schumacher has signed a three-year deal to drive for Mercedes, suggesting that he has long-term ambitions, with Coral.co.uk, BetFred.com, SkyBet.com, Bet365.com, ToteSport.com, PaddyPower.com, BlueSq.com, StanJames.com and 888Sport.com offering odds of 5/1 on an eighth Drivers' Championship followed by BoyleSports.com with 11/2 and SportingBet.com showing 13/2.

For his part, Button is now being given much hope of defending his title with VictorChandler.com showing odds of 7/1 followed by Ladbrokes.com, Coral.co.uk, WilliamHill.com, BetFred.com, Bluesq.com and 888Sport.com with 10/1.

The 30-year-old stated recently that he moved to McLaren Mercedes in a three-year deal in order to compete head-to-head against Hamilton with ToteSport.com, SkyBet.com, Bet365.com, StanJames.com and PaddyPower.com offering odds of 11/1 on a second Drivers' Championship title for the Englishman. This is being followed by 12/1 from BoyleSports.com while Bwin.com, Expekt.com and SportingBet.com show a very long 14/1.