Expressing sentiments calculated to delight Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 commercial rights holder, not to mention just about every television company on the planet, Lewis Hamilton has predicted that the world championship contest will go all the way down to the wire and not be resolved until the Brazilian GP at Interlagos on November 2.
The British star was talking this week at Hockenheim where he had been continuing his Silverstone-winning form by setting the pace during testing in preparation for the forthcoming German GP.
"The last race. I can only guess, but I am sure it will be a lot like last year,"said Lewis in response to questioning on the subject. "Last year it was just as close between the top three drivers and there was one point separating us at the end. So I can only assume it will be at the last race again. I hope it's not, but..."
Meanwhile Kimi Raikkonen, who made the wrong tyre choice and wound up being lapped in the British GP, predicted that there was still plenty of time for Ferrari to counter-attack and see off the McLaren across the season's remaining nine races.
So yet again the F1 world looks as though it revolves around a Maranello-Woking contest. But the betting odds you really need to consult are not whether Hamilton will win the title - but whether the British GP moves to Donington or not in 2010.
If you can get some really fancy odds on that, it might even be worth half a bar on the strap. Let me know what you think.