Can Sebastian Vettel ever overtake Michael Schumacher's all-time record of seven Formula One World Drivers' Championships?

A few years ago, you would have been forgiven for responding with a resounding "no" to this question - but all of a sudden, anyone who did so must now be feeling decidedly edgy to say the least.

Nevertheless, the odds are still against it... literally.

To win one World Drivers' Championship is a feat beyond the powers of most mortals and beyond even some of the most gifted drivers in history. Bruce McLaren, Stirling Moss, Clay Regazzoni, Carlos Reutemann, Giles Villeneuve, Jean Alesi and John Watson are all drivers whose names immediately spring to mind as great drivers who never managed the feat. And those are just a relative few.

So to blithely add a few more championships to Sebastian Vettel's running total is a dangerously optimistic game and Michael Schumacher was, after all, one of the best, if not the best, driver of all time to grace the Formula One circuits.

On the other hand, his fellow German Sebastian Vettel is one heck of a driver and many people who know Formula One best reckon him to be even better than Schumacher. Of course; the stats don't tell the whole story, but they are important in deciding the 'best ever' and it would mean everything for Vettel to overtake or match his compatriot's record.

Currently, however, you can get odds of around 3/1 on Vettel beating Schumacher's record seven drivers' titles haul. And you can get odds a couple of points more generous than that on Vettel overtaking Michael Schumacher's overall total of 91 Grand Prix victories.

This may be a fun log-term punt for Vettel fans for the seasons to come, particularly if you're shrewd enough to take advantage of some of the best free bet bonuses on offer. With Betway Sports, for example, players newly registering with the site qualify for an immediate free £50 sports bet when they join - whilst players registering with Betway's casino can qualify for three percentage-based bonuses which can run to a maximum total of £1,000. So if you (literally...) play your cards right and you think the still-young Vettel will overtake his countryman, you may be able to have a free ride in the seasons to come, and an exciting one at that.

A lot may depend on where Vettel drives in the years to come and, of course, what sort of form his teams are in. Whether or not he's the best ever may be a moot point as this owes at least an equal amount to the manufacturer as the driver - and you could argue that it's all about being in the right place at the right time. Vettel has indicated, for example, that he'd like to drive for Ferrari at some point in his career. But whatever the outcome may be - it's certainly a riveting story to follow.