Grand Prix Predictor: Europe
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It seems only a brave man would choose not back Vettel for Grand Prix victory at present, but two of our Castrol EDGE Grand Prix Predictor Experts made the plunge and one even emerged top of our quintet's weekend scores.
Three-time Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert and Aston Martin sportscar ace Darren Turner made the bold call to back Lewis Hamilton over Vettel for the win in Valencia, and while the gamble didn't exactly pay off, Turner still emerged with the highest total after scoring for his next five predictions - including a maximum return for selecting Mark Webber to finish third.
He added five-point hauls by backing Vettel for second, Jenson Button for fifth, Felipe Massa for sixth and Nico Rosberg for eighth, while his shout of Fernando Alonso for fourth led to a final two points. So, despite scoring no points for tipping Hamilton to win, Turner topped the week and consolidated his lead - which now stands at 30 points - in our mini-league.
In contrast, three-time WTCC Champion Andy Priaulx and AUTOSPORT's Jonathan Noble and Edd Straw agreed with the Castrol EDGE Grand Prix Predictor's tip of Vettel for the win and duly took a maximum return.
None of the three got another driver absolutely correct however, with Jonathan Noble emerging as Turner's closest challenger this weekend after scoring points for tipping Mark Webber to finish fourth, Nico Rosberg to finish sixth, Felipe Massa to finish seventh and Nick Heidfeld ninth.
Noble's 29-point haul was enough to move him into third in our mini-league, with Andy Priaulx moving in the other direction following a meagre 23-point haul. Priaulx scored five points for backing Nico Rosberg for sixth, but could only pick up two-point hauls for four of his remaining predictions and finished bottom of the quintet as a result.
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As for Herbert, he compounded his mistake in choosing Hamilton for victory by tipping Button for third. His weekend was rescued by full points for selecting Nico Rosberg in seventh and five points for Massa in sixth, but his tally stood at just 24 points and he slipped further behind Turner in the mini-league.
The Castrol EDGE Grand Prix Predictor meanwhile was in fine form and got three results absolutely correct, tipping Vettel and Webber for first and third and Hamilton for fourth. It also scored well by backing Nick Heidfeld for ninth, taking 37 points as a result.
In the overall rankings, long-term leader Eddie hung on to top spot despite only collecting 26 points. His advantage now stands at 19 points over Bodgod GP, who scored his best ever result with 87 points.
TheMuttsNuts and Anewindian enjoyed remarkable weekends, taking 110 points each - improving a combined total of 1197 places to sit seventh and 13th respectively.
