The Formula 1 racing circuit has been utterly dominated for the last 2 months by Sebastian Vettel, with the result that the 2013 Drivers Championship is all but decided. To put things in perspective, Vettel – who drives for Red Bull Racing in partnership with Renault – is atop the standings with 297 points, with 2nd place driver Fernando Alonso following up with 207, and with only 4 races to go. A comeback for Alonso is not mathematically impossible, but it would require Vettel to drop completely out of contention in the remaining races, which given the fact that he’s won the past 5 consecutive competitions is unlikely to say the least.

However, the fact that Vettel has the Championship all but wrapped up, even in mid-October, has done nothing to affect the intrigue surrounding the rest of the competitors. Formula 1 is a sport that largely revolves around continued progress of drivers and constructors alike, as well as consistency in competitions, and for that reason fans will be intently focused on watching which drivers line up behind Vettel at the season’s close.

In looking at the rest of the contenders, we took a look at Betfair news online. This is a sports betting website complete with news and headlines in various sports, and which includes a section dedicated to Formula 1 odds, both on season finishes and individual races. Among the betting options is a particular section that offers odds for each driver to finish in the top-3 for the Drivers Championship. Based on these odds, here are the top-5 contenders (to finish top-3) behind Sebastian Vettel.

1. Fernando Alonso(1/20) – Alonso, driving for Ferrari, is fairly solidly in 2nd place in the standings, with 207 points, and seems like a fairly sure bet to finish top-3.

1. Kimi Raikkonen (4/5) – With 177 points, Raikkonen is alone in 3rd place, but he’s not in the clear yet, and will need to perform well in the closing races – he hasn’t won since his opening victory in Australia.

1. Lewis Hamilton (2/1) – The Mercedes driver’s 161 points are perfectly within range of catching Raikkonen, and it’s not completely out of the question that a strong finish could challenge Alonso.

1. Mark Webber (2/1) – Webber is beginning to become a long shot, but his 148 points are keeping him in the conversation.

1. Jules Bianchi (7/2) – Bianchi’s odds are a mystery, given that he has accumulated 0 points, sits near the bottom of the standings, and just failed to finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. We’d count him out of contention at this point.

Again, Vettel’s success has made the conversation about the championship a dull topic. But the race for a top-3 finish is not quite over yet. Alonso and Raikkonen are clear favourites, but in the upcoming races keep an eye out for final surges from Hamilton and Webber!