Sebastian Vettel relishing Belgium challenge

Sebastian Vettel is looking forward to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix on one of his favourite tracks on the F1 calendar. The German ace is a three-time winner at Spa, having taken the chequered flag in 2011, 2013 and 2018 and his triumph 12 months ago was his last victory in Formula 1.

The four-time F1 champion has not made the expected impact this season, with promising pre-season testing not translating into race wins and he finds himself fourth in the standings, nearly 100 points behind table-topping Lewis Hamilton.

His Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc is just 24 points adrift in fifth and Vettel, 32, is hoping for better luck on a circuit he admires. “This is a legendary track and it is definitely one of my favourites,” he said.

“It has climbs and drops and so much of it runs through forests – once you learn it and you know it, it is impossible not to love it.”

Vettel is 3.75 to win at Spa, with reigning F1 champion Hamilton priced as the 2.40 favourite. Leclerc is on offer at 4.00, with Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas 7.50.

There has been much speculation about the Finn’s future with the Silver Arrows but all the talk in the paddock is that he will be confirmed as one of Mercedes’ 2020 drivers ahead of the weekend’s grand prix.

Bottas has two wins in 2019 and sits second in the Drivers’ standings but is only seven points ahead of exciting Red Bull Flyer Max Verstappen. The young Dutchman has a couple of wins this term and is 9.00 to make it three in Belgium.