Sportsbook fans were treated to a great Formula One race on Sunday as McLaren’s Jenson Button used great tire strategy to win the Australian Grand Prix. Button was not the favorite at the offshore sportsbook but he was considered a contender.
Sportsbook odds favored pole sitter Sebastian Vettel and things were going good for Vettel until his brakes failed midway through the race. Button actually had to survive a first corner collision early in the race. He got into Fernando Alonso on the first corner but was able to come out okay. He took the lead at the halfway point when Vettel lost his brakes. He then changed from intermediate tires to slicks on a drying track and that was the key to the victory. The hard luck loser for bettors at the sportsbook was Vettel. He was in great shape in the race but his car let him down. It is the second straight race that Vettel was let down by mechanical failure.
Robert Kubica finished 12 second behind Button for second place. Offshore sportsbook results showed that he finished just ahead of Felipe Massa and Alonso. Those three stayed with one set of tires while Button changed to slicks when the track was still wet. It worked out great and he won his second straight Australian Grand Prix. “I thought it was a terrible call initially. I thought it was a catastrophic mistake. Once I got it going and up to speed, the pace was pretty good,” Button said. “It was the right call, and I am very happy.”
Fans at the sportsbook were able to see an exciting race where strategy played a part in the win. “I don’t know in general pace where we would stand,” Button said. “But that’s not all that racing is about; it’s about strategy, it’s about thinking and it’s about conserving and we did it correctly today and we came away with a good victory.”
While the decision worked for Button to change tires it did not work for his teammate Lewis Hamilton who was very upset after the race. “I drove my heart out today and I deserved better,” Hamilton said. “The strategy was not right. Everyone else in front of me did one stop and I did two.” He had moved up to third place from 11th but he never recovered after the pit stop for new tires. He ended up finishing sixth. Michael Schumacher continued his disappointing start to the season as he finished 10th. Alonso leads the point’s race after two races with 37 points while Massa has 33 and Button 31.