 Schumacher Already a Winner in Betting Odds Tuesday February 27th, 2001 By Alan Baldwin
The pre-season odds offer less encouragement for McLaren's Finnish double champion Mika Hakkinen, expected to be closer to Schumacher in the title race but still seen filling the runner-up slot for the second year in a row. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, making his debut with Williams, and McLaren's British driver David Coulthard have been revealed as dark horses for success by attracting money from the "shrewd punters". Without a point having been scored so far in 2001, the odds are of course merely a reflection of last season's form. Schumacher won in Australia last year and went on to beat Hakkinen by 19 points overall. Ladbrokes quote the 32-year-old German at evens for the championship and 6-4 favourite for his second victory in a row in Melbourne, while William Hill offer Schumacher at 11-8 for the race and 11-10 for the title. Both have Hakkinen at 2-1 for the race and crown. Coulthard is 3-1 for the race, followed by Schumacher's Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello at 10-1. Divided Over Montoya The bookmakers are divided over Montoya, the 1999 CART champion and Indy 500 winner who has already been hailed as a future Formula One sensation. Ladbrokes have him level with his team mate Ralf Schumacher at 20-1 to win in Australia, while Hill's have the German at 25-1 and the Colombian at 28-1. But in the long run, Montoya is seen as a 25-1 championship bet with Ladbrokes while Ralf is 40-1. Hill's give Montoya at 33-1 for the title, his team mate at 28-1. "There's been quite a lot of interest in Montoya with the shrewd punters, the ones who follow motorsport religiously around the world," said Ladbrokes' spokesman Matt Finnigan. "He could be the surprise package of the season and at 25-1 that could be excellent value. "Coulthard has also become slightly firmer over the past few weeks on reports that he has been flying in practice." Finnigan cautioned however that the market was really waiting for the first few races. "It's really a suck it and see sort of situation. There's more interest in the Australian Grand Prix than the outright championship at the moment," he said. Those who like backing underdogs can always take a flutter on Minardi. Ladbrokes were offering 5,000-1 on either Spanish teenager Fernando Alonso or Brazilian Tarso Marques taking the title for a team that failed to score a point last season. Race odds on either were a more modest 2,000-1 while Hill's slashed them further to 1,000-1 with 19-year-old Alonso an almost respectable 500-1 for the championship. Ladbrokes offered handicap betting and bets on the highest finishes in 2001 for individual drivers. By that reckoning, Montoya was 13-8 to win a race in his rookie season while 21-year-old Briton Jenson Button, now at Benetton after a fine debut at Williams, was 6-1. Michael Schumacher was at scratch in the handicap, with Hakkinen given a 10-point handicap, Coulthard 22 and Barrichello 35. Montoya was next up with 58. "Our odds compilers are saying that Schumacher is going to win by at least 10 points," said Finnigan.
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