Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday from 11.30pm (ITV1), bet here

McLaren and Ferrari, F1’s two big dawgs, have shared the spoils in the first two races of the 2008 season: Lewis Hamilton cruised to victory in the season opener at Melbourne, but Ferrari roared back in Malaysia, thanks to Kimi Raikkonen’s dominating drive. Something’s got to give in Bahrain this weekend, unless one of the other teams can find a way to beat the two front runners.

Here are five handy facts that might influence what you write on your betting slip for Sunday’s race…

1. Three of the four winner of the Bahrain GP have started on pole position.

2. Three of the four race winners have gone on to become world champion, except for Filipe Massa, who won in 2007.

3. Ferrari have twice been the best-performing team at Bahrain; it’s no surprise that reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is the bookies’ favourite to win this year.

4. Fernando Alonso won the race in 2005 and 2006. Shame he’s now driving a mid-grid Renault.

5. Bahrain is a Muslim country, so the champagne sprayed around on the victory podium is a non-alcoholic substitute. That fact won’t help you decide on whom to bet, but it is a good piece of trivia to file in the part of your brain marked ‘Useless facts that may never come up in a pub quiz’.

Chicken Dinner has the full betting guide