A surprising detail to emerge from today’s press conference was that Timo Glock has bet money on Sebastian Vettel winning the drivers championship on Sunday.
Glock wouldn’t reveal how much money was riding on the outcome, saying: “I have my money on him to win the championship this weekend so he has to push for it.”
Competitors in other sports have been banned for betting on their rivals. Should F1 drivers be allowed to?
For
What’s the harm in allowing a driver to take a punt on a rival?
Just because they have a stake in another driver winning does not mean they would do something to influence the outcome.
Glock and Vettel race at opposite ends of the field in F1, so it makes little difference if the Virgin driver has a wager on the outcome of the championship.
Against
When sportsmen bet on their rivals, the accusation that they will rig an event to ensure they win the bet cannot be far behind.
While Glock may not be in a position to take points off Vettel’s rivals there are obviously ways he could affect the race, particularly when his Virgin is being lapped.
None of this is to say that Glock would do such a thing. But he – or another driver in the same position – could do. And, as we’ve seen in the past at this very circuit, some drivers will try to manipulate races for their own reasons.
I say
I don’t think this is something Glock or any other driver should do. The potential for abuse and accusations of race-fixing are too great.
Clearly Vettel does not need any outside assistance to win the title this year. But if Fernando Alonso or Jenson Button were to collide with Glock while lapping him, even if it was entirely innocent, the knowledge of Glock’s wager would raise difficult questions.
To put it another way, imagine if Vitaly Petrov had bet money on Vettel winning the championship before last year’s title decider.
This is a fundamental matter of sporting ethics. Football, cricket, rugby and other sports have been dogged by betting scandals which have seen players fined, suspended, banned and even threatened with jail.
In F1, article 151(c) of the International Sporting Code forbids “act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally”. This seems like exactly the sort of thing that clause should prevent.
You say
Should drivers be allowed to be on each other? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.
Should F1 drivers be allowed to bet on each other?
- No opinion (7%)
- No (78%)
- Yes (15%)
Total Voters: 275
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Image © Virgin Racing
Dougy_D (@dougy_d)
22nd September 2011, 17:19
No way should any one be allowed to bet in a category they are involved in.
On the other hand, I think his comments have been taken out of context. I’m sure he would not be stupid enough to do this.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 17:23
He said, unprompted, that he had money on Vettel to win the title. You can read the excerpt via the link in the article.
Scootin159 (@scootin159)
22nd September 2011, 17:40
It’s possible from the way he worded his answer in the press conference that he doesn’t actually have a bet placed – “I have my money on…” is a common phrase outside of a betting context. The fact that he didn’t mention the exact amount, or confirm with the reporter supports this, but at the same time it’s telling that he didn’t explicitly deny the bet when given follow-up questions.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 18:10
Given how specific he was (“this weekend”), and how he didn’t make use of any of Rosberg’s questions to say he was joking (as you say), and the phrasing of Rosberg’s question which suggests he already knew about the bet, I think you have to go a long way not to take his word on it.
But even if it does turn out this was a clumsy figure of speech, I think it’s a debate worth having. As another comment below points out, other F1 drivers have done similar things in the past.
moonlight (@prdsh)
23rd September 2011, 8:05
Just think abt the awkward position he would have been if he said he has placed his bet on lewis winning the title in 2008 brazilian GP. Lewis passed him in the last lap last corner and there would have been an outcry after the race
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 18:29
OK I’ve just had an email back from Virgin confirming Glock wasn’t joking, he has made a bet.
Todfod (@todfod)
22nd September 2011, 21:25
The bet could be a friendly wager of 100 Euros with his friends. No details were mentioned about the size of the bet, so I guess we cannot commit to the seriousness of his actions.
If it was a sizeable bet placed with bookies, its a different story. Then I would completely be against it, but for now, I’m neutral
Mike (@mike)
23rd September 2011, 4:55
I think if it’s a small amount, like $50, yeah they should have a bit of fun. But if it’s any significant amount of money it’s very bad.
However, I doubt Glock would be stupid enough to announce it like this if he had bet a large amount.
I don’t have a problem with this.
Mike (@mike)
23rd September 2011, 4:57
Having thought about it I’d add, Although I don’t have a specific problem with it, I think it puts Glock in a very dangerous position.
Macca (@macca)
23rd September 2011, 8:30
From reading the press conference it looks pretty clear to me that it is just clumsy language on Timo’s part, I don’t think he has put a bet on.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
23rd September 2011, 8:37
Yes he has, see my previous comment.
paulipedia (@paulipedia)
23rd September 2011, 10:27
I think it depends on the size of the wager i.e Trading Palces
dkpio
22nd September 2011, 17:54
when people say “i have my money on…” it is usually just a figure of speech, it does not mean they actually put money on a bet, but reading the rest of his comment suggests he actually did make a bet.
Klaas (@klaas)
22nd September 2011, 17:58
Maybe we shouldn’t take this phrase literally. It could mean that he’s sure that Vettel’s gonna win. There’s no proof anywhere that Timo actually made a bet, I think that he just tried to joke and now everyone is gonna stirr up on this.
Should F1 drivers be allowed to bet on each other? – Of course not, and I think the reason in very clear. Back-grid drivers could make a living from betting by deciding the winner under the blue flags “Oooops, I spun while yielding”.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd September 2011, 17:54
It has happened in tennis and it’s not a good thing.
frood
23rd September 2011, 12:32
before professionalism in tennis, it was de rigeur for players not only to bet on themselves but to hustle for better odds.
it’s clearly not ideal. i remember eddie jordan bet £2000 on frentzen winning at monza in 1999, and no one seemed too bothered then because he was betting on himself/his team.
infy (@infy)
22nd September 2011, 18:04
What drivers say and what they have actually done are often very different.
I bet the FIA went to him afterwards and asked if that was true, and he replied “HAHA ARE YOU KIDDING? OF COURSE NOT! I just said that for the camera”.
PedroCandeias (@pedrocandeias)
22nd September 2011, 17:20
Sportsmen should never ever be allowed to place wagers in the events they compete in, for reasons which are exceedingly well known.
disjunto (@disjunto)
22nd September 2011, 17:21
My original thought was “what’s the harm, they’re nowhere near each other” then I remembered that they’ll be passing each other on track more than most people, so anything that can be seen as blocking one driver more than another is going to raise flags.
It’s probably only a friendly £10 bet, but still it should definitely be frowned on
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd September 2011, 17:22
Been through the debat with football players, Hockey players and even tennis players and golf stars before. Answer stays a clear no.
As Keith writes, even if they would not think of influencing the results, it can always leave a bad taste and raise questions about how the sport works.
Not to mention that I think betting is as little to be encouraged as is smoking, dangerous driving or drug abuse.
In Glocks case, might it have also been a reference to their team sponsor, doesn’t Virgin have an internet betting company between their sponsors? Or was that just an internet stock trader.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 17:29
They were sponsored by a poker website and a currency trading company last year, but I don’t see the logos of either of those on their car any more.
Flutter F1
22nd September 2011, 19:53
If I remember correctly it was Full Tilt who have not covered themselves in glory..
BBC News Full Tilt Story
You raise a good question and this is something I have kept an eye on over the years. However the drivers are just the tip of the iceberg. Think of all the mechanics, the strategists etc – all of them can bet on the opposition and are open to potential conflicts of interest should they place a bet.
I personally would be against all F1 personnel betting on F1, but its not something you can legislate.
The thing is, we are talking about people who have worked hard to get where they are. These are passionate people who take what they do seriously. If they are willing to carry out an act that would benefit a bet they’ve placed, no amount of legislation would avoid that situation (there are plenty of ways to get around it). At the end of the day there will always be ‘bad eggs’ about who’s going to cheat or scam there way to a beneficial outcome. There were no bets involved in Renaults’ Singapore antics, although if there were I imagine the headlines would have slated ‘gambling’ and how ‘evil’ it was. So the question ‘Should F1 drivers be allowed to bet on each other?’ is really no different to ‘Should F1 drivers be allowed to cheat?’. Of course, the answer is no!
Flutter F1
22nd September 2011, 20:01
Let me rephrase that last bit! If you say no to ‘Should F1 drivers be allowed to bet on each other?’, then what you are saying is really no different to ‘Should F1 drivers be allowed to cheat?’. If you don’t believe they would cheat, then there is no problem with them having a bet. Get me?
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd September 2011, 22:08
Well Flutter F1 you raise an interesting question, and I think your notion about it not being allowed to bet should be for the whole team indeed.
You say there was no betting on that 2008 Singapore race. But honestly we don’t have a clue about that, as no one researched it.
Just think about how the recent cases of fixed matches in European and Turkish football were uncovered after following amounts betted on lower level games in Asia. Possibly if anyone had bothered to look at that we would have known about this having been a fixed race much earlier!
I think we can be certain, that a considerable proportion of viewership in China and Asia actually is about betting, just look at the amount of streams offered by betting sites.
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd September 2011, 22:35
I think it was indeed FXpro – currency trading company and Full Tilt poker website (thank you Flutter F1 for giving details on them).
From what that BBC link shows, its clear why Full Tilt was not seen on the cars since, I do not know when FX pro dropped off, but they do not list either as a team partner on the Virgin site anymore.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
23rd September 2011, 1:41
I think the episode with Full Tilt Poker scared a lot of sponsors off. Oxigen, Carbon Green, and a few other sponsors have disappeared from the car, too. So had Clear shampoo (I’ve always through “shampoo” is a hilarious word, like “marzipan”), but they were one of Lucas di Grassi’s sponsors.
Judging by the article Flutter posted, it wasn’t really Virgin’s fault that they took money from an illegal gambling operation. From the sounds of things, a lot of people got conned by it, including big-name poker stars. For an operation like that to have lasted as long as it did, it had to be very well structured. It’s a bit like Daniel Tzvetkoff, who ran Intabet in Australia. He sponsored an independent V8 Supercar team, IntaRacing, then got himself arrested (and it let to VESA revoking four Racing Entitlement Contracts because they were scared that smaller teams might align themselves with naughty folk for sponsorship to stay afloat).
Mark Hitchcock (@mark-hitchcock)
23rd September 2011, 10:23
Full Tilt poker was one of the more reputable poker sites and as you say, they were endorsed by many professionals. So yeah, pretty much everyone was conned.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
22nd September 2011, 17:24
Pretty unanimous so far. All 7 votes say no, including mine. I doubt Glock would do anything to warrant a favourable outcome but Keith said it best with his reference to Petrov last year.
Not acceptable, in my opinion.
Fixy (@)
23rd September 2011, 15:01
I guess Alonso wouldn’t bet on Vettel winning because he wishes to beat him on track, and he wouldn’t give up positions to win his bet.
Glock probably wanted to have fun betting on the results of the top drivers, without thinking that he has the potential to influence the race outcome. If something happens with him favouring Vettel most people will think he did it on purpose, so betting on the sport you’re in should be banned.
LSL1337 (@lsl1337)
22nd September 2011, 17:25
Well, interesting question, but Glock doesn’t rly have any influence over the title in that car. And why would he say anything if he wanted to *fix the race? again, not like he has much to do about it, and even if he had, the onboards, and telemetry would show it clearly, like 2 years ago, it’s just that it wasn’t investigated right after the race. So why rob him of the opportunity to bet on this sport? :), On the other hand, where would you draw the line, what if alonso would make a bet?, IMO he has the most chance (around 0,1%:)) to keep the championship alive, so if he would bet as Glock, he could somewhat change the outcome, but these are very unlikely scenarios, and i don’t think fernando has money problems with his contract. Every point worth much more prestige, than what he would win. So i say, let them, it’s not like a boxing game, or even a goalkeeper
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd September 2011, 17:29
but you did not cast a vote, right? As there are no “Yes” votes so far.
LSL1337 (@lsl1337)
22nd September 2011, 17:31
No, i haven’t
Ragerod
22nd September 2011, 19:26
Anyone directly involved in the sport should not be allowed to bet on it so that includes engineers, press officers even the truck drivers.
HxCas (@hxcas)
23rd September 2011, 1:41
It’s all well and good to say that Glock can’t influence the championship therfore he can bet but where do you draw the line? Can Michael Shumacher place a bet? He can’t win the championship but if Vettel has a poor race he may find himself in a position to stop the younger german from getting the points he needs. It’s better to put a blanket rule over the whole grid and senior personnel and disallow it.
Roald (@roald)
22nd September 2011, 17:26
Can’t believe Glock is allowed to place a bet in the first place, how come there are rules and fixed sizes for the tiniest piece of bodywork on the car while there’s no rule preventing drivers from making such a bet? Besides there being no rule preventing such things, I think Glock should’ve been wiser himself… and why on earth would Virgin approve?
lundis (@lundis)
22nd September 2011, 17:30
How much did he have on Hamilton winning 2008 WDC?
LSL1337 (@lsl1337)
22nd September 2011, 17:31
wow :)
daykind (@)
22nd September 2011, 17:34
COTD ;)
LSL1337 (@lsl1337)
22nd September 2011, 17:35
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1648/1386821hamiltonf1891042hv3.gif just an old fun gif you made me remember, OFC it’s just a joke, i know about the tyres and the conditions, it’s just a little FUN, although, in my opinion, 2008 was massa’s year absolutly (hungary, singapore :'( :'( ), but grats to lewis too.
in 2011 it’s hard to imagine that 3 years ago he dominated races and was even on pole a few times:(
Buran (@buran)
22nd September 2011, 17:35
I was going to say that. That move left that question back then. Now with his comments makes it difficult to stop thinking of it as a possibility.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
22nd September 2011, 17:38
Comment of the year :) I, for one, don’t believe it but there must be a conspiracy theorist on here looking for some love ;)
FlyingLobster27
22nd September 2011, 17:45
In the past, on other forums, we have had trolls siding with conspiracy theories – specifically that both Glock and Mercedes are German – in that last-corner title decider.
Not a good move by Timo and it’s definitely something drivers shouldn’t do anyway. In the same vein, Bernie shouldn’t make comments on the drivers, but then again, there are lots of comments he shouldn’t make.
verstappen (@verstappen)
22nd September 2011, 19:12
Yeah, I think Timo was joking, as Bernie has done before…
Bad taste, sometimes funny, sometimes not, but I think Timo’s gonna get some flak on this one…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 19:44
He wasn’t, see my comment above.
verstappen (@verstappen)
22nd September 2011, 22:12
Now all the flak is even more deserved. I couldn’t believe someone in his position, after that finale, would be stupid enough to both place the bet, and talk about it, in a press conference.
He should be banned for this race. It’s Singapore! If I were the organiser, I would be furious.
Man!
Steph (@)
22nd September 2011, 17:51
Lol! :D
George (@george)
22nd September 2011, 18:09
First thing that came to my mind too.
I’m usually quite lenient on these kind of things but I dont think this should be allowed, it would set a bad precedent and raise questions that would harm the sport. Voted no.
Sterling Mindenhall
22nd September 2011, 18:31
Came here to post that very comment.
But for me it’s not as much about whether he had money riding on Hamilton in ’08, but that he’s stupid enough to admit betting on Vettel given what happened in Brazil.
xanathos (@xanathos)
23rd September 2011, 11:42
Come on, the connection to the 2008 championship is just stupid.
I think that this bet is just about a small amount of money (otherwise he wouldn’t talk about it like that!) and so I think in this case it is no big deal. But the FIA should definetely look into it and put up some regulations. Just to be safe, it should be banned.
Paulocreed
22nd September 2011, 20:18
I was just about to say the same thing!
Todfod (@todfod)
22nd September 2011, 21:27
Brilliant!
Toby. (@toby)
22nd September 2011, 17:34
Sportspersons should be able to bet, yes. Not on others, but on themselves. There is no harm in Vettel putting a tenner down for him to win the championship this year. It’s when he puts money down on Alonso to be the first retirement this weekend that it becomes a bit iffy. On the whole, it’s probably best if they’re not allowed to.
daykind (@)
22nd September 2011, 20:05
I disagree with that. What if Glock bet on himself to retire on the first lap? He’d just crash on purpose (and we’ve seen that before) so I’m afraid I disagree with you there, Toby.
dank (@dank)
22nd September 2011, 17:36
Is this any worse than the time Webber placed a £200 bet on Kovalainen winning the 2008 British Grand Prix? I don’t recall anyone batting an eyelid when he revealed that little titbit!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 18:09
I don’t remember him saying that, but I don’t see it as being any different to this.
Toby. (@toby)
22nd September 2011, 18:34
I don’t remember that, either.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
22nd September 2011, 18:43
So that’s why Webber spun off at the start.
dank (@dank)
22nd September 2011, 19:49
He definitely did. Google it.
Got pre-race odds of around 23/1, which wasn’t too shabby.
Arkadiusz Kuna (@thekuna)
22nd September 2011, 17:38
The Singapore GP seems to have some kind of Piquet Jr curse on it.
LSL1337 (@lsl1337)
22nd September 2011, 17:39
what does this have to do with Piquet Jr?
Buran (@buran)
22nd September 2011, 17:43
Easy. Piquet Jr could have bet that Alonso was going to win
Klaas (@klaas)
22nd September 2011, 17:45
I think it’s a vague allusion to “race fixing”.
Imagine how much money Nelsinho could have got if he made a fat bet on Alonso.
dkpio
22nd September 2011, 18:07
it would have been a wild bet, you couldnt predict before the race that that all teh circumstances would have worked out for the safety car and crash scenario to result in alonso actually winning the race.
Klaas (@klaas)
22nd September 2011, 18:10
Yeah, that’s what Flavio said too.
W-K (@w-k)
22nd September 2011, 17:40
Just think back to Monza, and imagine if a driver who also has the same bet was in front of one of Vettel’s main rivals.
I’m not suggesting at all that anyone did have that bet on two weeks ago, but similar situations could arise in the future.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
22nd September 2011, 17:48
Out of all the people it could be it’s the guy who many conspiracy theorists believe fixed the title in 2008.
It sounds like a bit of fun but could you imagine the backlash if he had an unfortunate collision with Alonso during the race?
daykind (@)
22nd September 2011, 20:08
That’s why I voted no. If that were to happen, then F1 would be in the news for bad things (again), and we’d be in the same position that one of my other favourite sports, rugby league, is in, where as mentioned in Keith’s article a player made a bet (on himslef I believe) and RL is getting much criticism for that incident right now. I’d hate for F1 to have any of that.
Steph (@)
22nd September 2011, 17:50
At first I really didn’t care and voted “no opinion” as my immediate thought that this was yet another way F1 drivers were told something else they couldn’t do. A few seconds later though I realised that I was a bit dim and it shouldn’t be allowed at all.
F1 has had so much bad press these last few years and one incident that nearly ruined F1’s reputation was an incident involving race fixing. I don’t believe an F1 driver would fix a race simply for a bet but it could happen and even if it didn’t there are far too many things that could happen to make it look like a race was rigged. Glock may only be a backmarker but what happens if Alonso is leading with Vettel close behind and Timo holds them up and a Hungary ’90 situation arises? It’s just asking for trouble and bad press.
matt90 (@matt90)
22nd September 2011, 19:25
I thought the same. “What’s the harm?” “Oh yeah, a load of stuff.” It was bad enough hearing the Glock-Hamilton nonsense before, imagine if it came to light that he’d had even a 10p bet on Hamilton. It wouldn’t change the truth, but I think there are plenty enough conspiracies as it is.
Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
22nd September 2011, 17:50
I say no, don’t allow it. I’m sure any baseball fan or Cincinnatian will remember the Pete Rose scandal. I’d hate to see that repeated with any driver. It’s a sad way to tarnish one’s image in sports.
That said I have to imagine it happened between drivers of older days all the time. They just probably never spoke publicly of it (which would be wise).
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
22nd September 2011, 19:03
pete rose was the first thing i thought of.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 19:45
Hadn’t heard about the Pete Rose thing, am reading up on it now.
Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
23rd September 2011, 2:28
basically, he holds a number of records in professional baseball, but is blackballed from the hall of fame for admitting he’s bet on the sport many times.
aka_robyn (@)
23rd September 2011, 0:33
Yep, Pete Rose was the first thing I thought of, too — well, right after I thought “Wow, did I really just read that correctly?” Pretty unbelievable.
@jsdkirby
22nd September 2011, 17:52
in general I would say definetly not, way too much potential for abuse… But for him to say it in a press conference it’s obviously not intended to be serious.. And face it, vettel hardly needs the help
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
22nd September 2011, 17:52
While I think this is harmless, there should be something in the rules to prevent it. As you said, the opportunity for abuse is there, and if nothing else, if Alonso and Glock ere to collide it would raise awkward questions.
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 18:00
Let’s hope he was speaking metaphorically .
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:28
So he was speaking literally, hope somebody throws the book at him. I understand that he has little if any chance of manipulating the result and that he is not the highest paid driver out there but this just should not be allowed.Imagine if Vettel is lapping him with Alonso attacking Vettel and there is a collision as Alonso passes Glock, should we believe him when he says “I thought it was just Vettel, I didn’t see Alonso” ?
RumFRESH (@rumfresh)
22nd September 2011, 18:07
I agree with you here Keith. On one side betting on a rival can be seen as harmless particularly because I don’t think Glock would act in a way to ensure Vettel’s win (i.e. blocking rivals). On the other hand if some sort of incident were to occur, the accusations would fly and it’s not the kind of publicity Formula 1 needs. In the end it is the driver’s responsibility this is true but it is also the reputation of the sport at risk as well.
Ciaran (@walsh-f1)
22nd September 2011, 18:10
It depends on the amount. If its £10 then it’s harmless fun. If it’s £10000 than it shouldn’t be allowed. I don’t think Glock will actually try and help Vettel win the championship because if he does everyone will know why he did it.
kbcusa (@kbcusa)
22nd September 2011, 18:11
Absolutely not! Drivers – and all employees of every team must be banned from any betting on all races. Violations must be dealt with harshly: suspension and/or banned from the sport.
I don’t even see why there’s a debate about it.
85q
22nd September 2011, 18:13
Timo has to be keep the sport interesting for himself somehow hasnt he?
cos he cant be up to much exciting where he is.
*im joking by the way ;) lol
LosD (@losd)
22nd September 2011, 18:14
Depends. If it was ie. him and Hammy betting 100$ for the heck of it, who cares? If it was serious betting, it’s a completely different matter.
PJA (@pja)
22nd September 2011, 18:16
I don’t think any person in sport should be allowed to gamble on an event where they can affect the outcome or where they have privileged insider informatio.
snowman (@snowman)
22nd September 2011, 18:44
I would be more worried if he had something on Hamilton winning the year he had to pass Timo to deny Massa the championship!
I don’t think it should be allowed as any one of the drivers can influence a result, even back-markers as they have to be lapped and if some big money was involved crazy things can happen all too easily.
I am actually amazed it is allowed and suspect it will be banned rather soon with Glock getting it out in the open.
Eggry (@eggry)
22nd September 2011, 18:58
I don’t like it.
sato113 (@sato113)
23rd September 2011, 9:39
short. concise. too the point. but overall a great read. :D
Lord Stig (@lord-stig)
22nd September 2011, 19:01
I don’t really think that in this particular case it is large issue. The problem is that this can become a bit of a “slippery slope” (not the logical fallacy) and you could end up with a bigger issue. Do I think it will become a bigger issue? Not really. I think it is pretty clear this is not a very serious bet and I doubt Glock would actually do anything to help Vettel to the WDC. It is pretty clear that he is going to win either in Singapore or Suzuka.
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:37
What if he had won $100,000 on Hamilton winning the championship in Brazil? Many people accused him of moving over for Hamilton, he claimed lack of grip.
Alex (@)
22nd September 2011, 19:04
I am an auditor. My job is to give an independent opinion on a company’s accounts. We are told very clearly that we don’t just have to be neutral – we must be seen to be neutral. Otherwise our ‘independent opinion’ is worthless.
The same applies to sportsmen. It is not enough that they are fair and honourable: they must be seen to be fair and honourable. If we fear they take bribes or place bets, then the thrill of the sport goes away – whether the athlete in question is guilty or innocent.
This is why I believe that nobody directly involved in F1 should be permitted to bet on it.
MethylONE (@methylone)
22nd September 2011, 19:36
Properly pointed out.
No way, no how, never ever, ever should a sportsman of any type be allowed by their sport to bet on the outcome of that sport.
If the powers are smart – which they’ve proven they aren’t – they will issue a statement forbidding this practice.
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd September 2011, 22:16
Exactly. Enough sports have been pulled down by even hints of fixing to be very cautious here.
PaulGrainger (@)
22nd September 2011, 19:36
A question for Keith perhaps:
What rules are in place to prevent team members from betting on races? I hate to imagine but it’d be pretty easy for someone, say a wheel man, to deliberately set the torque of his wheel gun wrong so that something failed on the car – wheel falls off… I’m not for a second saying that anyone would actually do it but there’s some dodgy people out there unfortunately…
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
22nd September 2011, 20:32
i would start with sporting code 151 c) :
“Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the
interests of any competition or to the interests of motor
sport generally.”
i’m sure there’s more if 1 cares to read thoroughly
http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/96D7482AECF43715C1257846004017EB/$FILE/CSI%20après%20AG%20Nov.%202010%20_EN%20avec%20modifs_%2001.01.2011.pdf
gwenouille (@gwenouille)
22nd September 2011, 19:46
I find that quite shoking really…
Mr Glock, as a F1 driver, surely has a few millions somewhere. He could well bet a few thaousands on Vettel clinching the title, then forget the blue flag and cacth F Alonso in a spin while being lapped, and the chances are that SV will be World Champ.
Don’t tell me that is Sci-Fi, we’ve seen worse on this very track !
mattyvengenz (@mattyvengenz)
22nd September 2011, 19:55
The amount of the bet or the potential winnings is irrelevant. Placing a bet on an event where you can have a direct influence is wrong on every level.
Mads (@mads)
22nd September 2011, 20:58
I don’t think it should be allowed.
I don’t think any driver would try to manipulate the outcome of a race because they have made a bet on it. I guess they earn enough to not need that. I think it is more a case of doing it for fun.
But for the sake of the drivers I think it is better to stop them betting on each other.
It would be one in a million if Glock crashed into Alonso or Jenson this Sunday, but if it happened it could end up really messy afterwards.
There are enough conspiracy theories all ready about things like engine customer teams helps their engine supplier in the races if they are not competing directly against each other by slowing their engine suppliers competition down.
I think it would be better for everyone if we kept the risk of speculations and accusations because of bets could be kept out of the business.
graham228221 (@graham228221)
22nd September 2011, 21:08
Oh wow, I bet he got great odds.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 21:20
He’s bet Vettel will win the title this weekend, which as you can see from this article is not unlikely but far from certain:
How Vettel can win the title in Singapore
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:43
Keith I really think it is very unlikely, the only likely scenario involves a Vettel, Hamilton 1-2. Betting on Hamilton coming second should get you pretty good oddseven before you add in the other permutations.
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 22:05
Before you come back at me, or a crash taking out MW,JB and FA.
leroy (@leroy)
22nd September 2011, 21:12
I just dont think it should be made public… ever. If he wants to do it personally and has the integrity not to cheat, ok. He should never publicly reveal that he’s having fun with it!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 21:19
Keeping it private doesn’t solve the ethical problem here, it just hushes up.
And besides, the worst-case scenario would be a driver making a bet, keeping it secret, spoiling some other driver’s race to ensure they win the bet, and then it comes out later and there’s a huge stinking controversy.
Not a million miles away from ‘Crashgate’ really.
UKfanatic (@)
22nd September 2011, 21:15
Its wrong even though Glock doent mean to harm anyones race he is clealry trying state something?! on the other hand Glock has a bad history in 2008 there was rumor that he might switch to mclaren in 09 and coincidently he was overtaken by a mclaren last corner of the season.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 21:21
First I’ve heard of it.
That’s what happened when you’re driving on a wet track on dry-weather tyres.
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:46
But Keith, would we be so sure if we found out he had a bet on Hamilton.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
22nd September 2011, 21:48
Yes, because the only reason Glock was in front of Hamilton in the first place was because Glock hadn’t switched to wet-weather tyres when everyone else had. If he’d been so keen to help Hamilton win the championship, he wouldn’t have taken that gamble to begin with.
Sterling Mindenhall
22nd September 2011, 22:07
Follow me on this one.
Brazil 2008: Supposing the team had decided (as is common) to split their strategy and had Trulli come in for inters, but kept Glock out.
If it later emerged that Glock had money on Massa, what kind of discussion would have ensued?
I don’t suspect their was foul play, but I do suspect that it’s only a matter of time before the FIA either bans drivers from betting, or a kerfuffle develops.
Speaking of, I wonder if Piquet, Jr. had money on Alonso in Singapore…
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:50
In fairness, he could have pitted for inters and that would have given LH the place also.
@HoHum (@hohum)
22nd September 2011, 21:51
Must think faster in future.
PJTierney (@)
22nd September 2011, 22:42
You should never be allowed to bet on an event where you can directly affect the outcome. Doesn’t matter if it’s F1, football or table tennis.
maxthecat
22nd September 2011, 23:05
Lol, i thought this was a joke story or something. It really does take a self righteous person to have a problem with this.
Are you suggesting Timo Glock is untrustworthy? or he would somehow influence the drivers title for his own financial gain? It reads a little like that and if i were you Keith, i’d hope he doesn’t see it.
PJTierney (@)
22nd September 2011, 23:44
Nobody’s questioning Timo’s integrity here, we’re just pointing out that if he felt like crashing into Fernando/Jenson while being lapped then he could very well do so.
Maksutov (@maksutov)
23rd September 2011, 2:52
errr.. well yes. I am surprised people are starting to realize this “now”. The gambling system (and opportunity to exploit it) has been there for years and there is nothing anyone can ever do to stop it.
However, in saying that, it is not as easy to execute in racing as it may be in say tennis or other sports.
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd September 2011, 7:17
The truth of it is, we will never know. Sure Vettel winning all the time means there was little chance of that having been rigged.
But who knows about China, or Canada? And what about GP2, GP3 etc. where the results can be really supprising at times.
Those are exactly the circumstances a betting mafia needs. Not saying its happening, but it might be.
ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
23rd September 2011, 0:10
I too say no to placing bets on fellow drivers. That said, will this warrant a grid penalty? :p
Rocky (@rocky)
23rd September 2011, 1:07
How much did he have on Hamilton winning 2008 WDC?
WOW!
My first thought was Rose, Glock should be Rosed
manatcna (@manatcna)
23rd September 2011, 1:57
If it’s not against the rules, why not?
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
23rd September 2011, 2:33
A straight No for me,especially for a driver who is racing if this was done someone by Hulkenberg or Chandok then it was OK but for a current driver it wasn’t good.
Maksutov (@maksutov)
23rd September 2011, 2:42
There is nothing wrong with Glock making the bet.
Besides, no one can EVER stop drivers from making bets even if there was a system in place to do so. One could always give money to friends and family (or agents) to make bets for them. Welcome to reality.
We may not like it, but the system has been in place for years…
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
23rd September 2011, 2:54
As others have said it all depends on the amount, I think F1 should place a restriction on bets, not the initial amount bet but the amount that will be won.
If Glock has only placed a $1000 wager at say 3:1 odds (not sure of the total amount) then this should be allowed as it is a small amount (again relative due to F1 drivers wealth) if however it’s a $100,000 bet then something dodgy could be going on and it shouldn’t be allowed.
Or an even better idea they can place bets of any amount BUT any money won (less the initial wager) must be donated to charity, that way those less fortunate benefit instead of those who have it all.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
23rd September 2011, 3:01
Kinda glad I bet on Monteiro for a podium at Indy ’05.
;)
Seriously tho, what stopped anyone at Michelin then?
Anonamooooose
23rd September 2011, 4:02
I’m assuming it’s just something he’s been told to do by the team so they get some free advertising. He’s not that stupid, surely. However… I actually have £200 on Vettel winning it this weekend, so i’m almost hoping he gives Alonso a little shunt. Would be a terrible way to win the title though, and frankly we don’t need anymore drama surrounding this circuit!
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
23rd September 2011, 5:01
I wonder if he had a bet on Hamilton coming into Brazil 2008 then :P
OzF
23rd September 2011, 5:06
I personally don’t think Vettel will win it this weekend. He has been on a phenomenal run but i’d say he’ll take the title in Korea.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
23rd September 2011, 7:36
In principal it shouldn’t be allowed, absolutely not.
However I am guessing that this is just a public show of appreciation from one countryman to another.
HounslowBusGarage (@hounslowbusgarage)
23rd September 2011, 8:30
Whether he has or he hasn’t, is allowed or shouldn’t be, it’s a pretty poor decision by Glock to make it public.
Beyond that, I’m trying to think how the rules are set in other sports. In horseracing, I don’t think jockeys are allowed to bet on each other, but trainers and stable personnel are allowed to bet.
Football, Rugby, Cricket, American Football?
graham228221 (@graham228221)
23rd September 2011, 9:40
Football is pretty strict. My football betting scam favourite story (probably because it involves the greatest player of all time IMHO) is this Matt le Tissier tale from 1995:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/6130280/Matthew-Le-Tissier-admits-being-part-of-attempted-betting-scam-at-Southampton.html
I’ve got a feeling that most other sports are pretty strict too – cricket has been embroiled in a pretty big scandel recently.
Tyson Evans (@bobtehblob)
23rd September 2011, 9:53
Depends on the code, but i’ll talk about the ones I know. Cricket for instance, has really been under a cloud of betting scandals recently. Though not necessarily on the outcome on the matches themselves, but more on the micro betting within matches. Indian and Pakistani players have been caught out bowling no-balls and wides at pre determined points in the match.The players in the wrong have received both heavy fines and suspensions up to a year.
In the A.F.L. (Aussie Rules), no one with any direct influence on the match can bet on the game. Not even on games in which their team is not involved. Recently one player was banned for 8 weeks after betting on one of his team mates to kick the first goal (microbetting once again)and in a similar case an assistant coach received a 14 week ban for betting on A.F.L. matches, one in which his team participated in.
In my opinion, if you have any kind of direct influence on the result of a professional sporting competition. Then you shouldn’t be allowed to bet on it. In this case, it’s anyone from the mechanics. Up to the Team bosses and drivers. Chances are Glock’s just having a friendly bet, but when you’re in a position to alter the outcome of that bet, then it can really raise some questions about it’s integrity.
MattJG (@mg)
23rd September 2011, 8:54
Well it might seem harmless but could in a small number of cases make drivers take risks for a bet. I mean betting is never good in a sport, should just be between the car and the driver nothing more.
Also does anyone here know how to make a profile picture for my F1 Fanatic account? Can’t see where you can upload an image.
Alex (@)
24th September 2011, 9:05
The site uses Gravatar. Make an account there using the same e-mail address you use here. Your picture will automatically start to appear.
lukaskhan (@lukaskhan)
23rd September 2011, 9:17
Wasn’t it Glock who Hamilton overtook to win the 2008 WDC? Did he have a bet on that championship too?
Ernie Becclestone (@ernie-becclestone)
23rd September 2011, 9:51
Not the smartest thing Timo has ever said, proffesional sports personalities betting on the outcome of events that they are involved opens up a pandora’s box, and nothing good comes out!
graham228221 (@graham228221)
23rd September 2011, 9:57
On a related note, I’ve found that F1 is a great sport to bet on – if you’re a real geek about it you can find some great odds on things like fastest laps, number of safety cars, etc. And I’ve many failed attempts at gambling on other sports, so now I just stick to small F1 bets. My triumph was a Kubica podium a couple of years ago – I won £12!
Certainly can liven up a dull GP too.
In fact, I’ve got 50p riding on Alonso to be P1 in first practice – come on Fernando!
graham228221 (@graham228221)
23rd September 2011, 10:00
Saying that I do think that gambling is evil – don’t do it [much]!
dennis (@dennis)
23rd September 2011, 10:02
Must have been a slow week on news, eh?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
23rd September 2011, 10:06
If you don’t think this is worth an article then say why.
But it’s clear from the hundred-odd comments and votes that precede yours that people have strong opinions on this. Which is to be expected, given what has happened in other sports.
Rohan (@rohan)
23rd September 2011, 11:08
I have no problem with it at all.
ZanteX (@zantex)
23rd September 2011, 12:08
Me neither.
NickTheGeek (@nickthegeek)
23rd September 2011, 12:17
I dont think a driver like glock would need to bet to make money. I dont think he is short of a bob or two.
Carl Craven
23rd September 2011, 12:25
No, he has the power directly even if accidentally to affect the outcome of the race.
He should only be able to bet on himself.
celeste (@celeste)
23rd September 2011, 12:37
I think the same as other are saying! Probably it was a joke or a little amount…
daykind (@)
23rd September 2011, 13:32
Look at what happened today…
If that were to happen in the race, then there would be outcry.
Pingguest
23rd September 2011, 20:09
Glock could, just as all other participants, influence the outcome of the world championship. Integrity thereby demands him not to bet on any possible outcome of the world championship.