Betting: First Blood Still Unclear

The general consensus after the opening practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix has been that the front pack are very close together, and that knowing just who is in front at this point is extremely difficult to know - something that has been apparent in the betting world as well, with Sky Bet first shortening Fernando Alonso's odds after Practice 1, then pushing the Spaniard back out again after the second session

Alonso is into 5/2 favourite for the race after some decent longer sessions, with Lewis Hamilton the 7/2 second favourite ahead of qualifying. Felipe Massa can be backed at 6/1 to open the season with a win, while Sebastian Vettel is 15/2 and Michael Schumacher 6/1

There are more betting opportunities than ever before ahead of the new season - and the hugely competitive nature of the opening sessions must surely be one of the reasons behind that.

Schumacher's return is another of those reasons of course, and the German is available at just 1/6 to win a race this season, and 7/2 to fail to do so all campaign, while Sky Bet expect the seven-time World Champion to approach the 200pt mark over the duration of the season - offing 5/6 each that the McLaren man scores Over 180.5 pts.

For the Brits, there were suggestions in just the second session that Hamilton could be working his tyres just a touch too hard, but Lewis remains 2/5 to come out ahead of team-mate Jenson Button in a season long match-bet.

Source: Planet-F1