Lewis Hamilton’s third place finish in the British Grand Prix saved bookies a multi-million pound payout but he is still odds-on to win the driver’s title.
The 22-year-old was a warm favourite to win on his home turf after securing pole position but proved no match for either Kimi Raikkonen, who was the Sports Book tip on Friday at 5-2, or Fernando Alonso.
Graham Sharp, of William Hill, said: “We predicted a betting turnover of up to £10 million and it looks as though that estimate was fulfilled - it was certainly the biggest betting Grand Prix ever. And from our point of view it was the best possible result as victory for Lewis would have cleaned us out as badly as this year’s Derby did when Frankie Dettori won for the first time. Ninety per cent of the bets we took on the race were for a Hamilton victory and when he was leading early on he became odds-on favourite at 8-15 and we feared the worst.”
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Nick Weinberg, spokesman for Ladbrokes, said: “We were delighted to stall the Hamilton gamble. If the youngster had claimed yet another win it would have lead to a seven-figure industry pay out. Without question it was the biggest grand prix ever in terms of betting.”
Hamilton still boasts a 12-point lead in the World Championship, but Hills have lengthened his odds from 4-9 to 8-13. They make Alonso 100-30 second favourite, with Raikonnen 4-1 and Massa 10-1. Coral quote Hamilton at 8-11 (from 8-13), while Ladbrokes go 4-5 (from 8-13).
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Simon Clare, of Coral, said: “Hamilton continues to demonstrate great consistency and maturity to go with his undoubted talent and he is still more likely than not to win the title in his first season.”