by Anton Johan
Paddy Power and other UK bookmakers have decided on very sportsmanlike behaviour by agreeing to refund hundreds of bets, following the discovery of race fixing during the German Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hundreds of punters bet on Felipe Massa of the Ferrari team winning the race, but he changed the outcome of the race by allowing his fellow team mate, Fenando Alonso pass him and go on to win.
"What a joke!" posted Paddy Power on its site. "What chances do punters have when drivers are pulling in to let their team mate past? Massa would have won the race, so anyone who backed him shouldn't lose out. Getting their money back won't right the wrong, but it might make it easier to swallow."
As such, Paddy Power has agreed to reimburse hundreds of bets on Massa's victory, and will lose out around £15,000 as a result.
It was found that Massa allowed Alonso to pass him during Sunday's Grand Prix race after being indicated to do so by race engineer, Rob Smedley.
As a result of his victory, Alonso gained seven extra points, closing the gap between him and the current championship leader, Hamilton significantly.
In the meantime, Ferrari has been fined $100,000 for breaching regulations, and there is also a chance that race standings will be altered.
"Hopefully, it will please our F1 punters!" said Paddy Power in a blog statement.
