Following the historic 2009 F1 season, the turn of the decades forthwith hoped to replicate the excitement of the seasons that preceded it.
The 2010 season saw many stories unfold from the return of the sport’s hero Michael Schumacher, to the on-track excitement that saw 5 different winners through the first 7 races, these stories all leading the season’s climax in South Korea.
5.5 hours downwind from Seoul, a battle for the most coveted title in motorsport was being shaped up between a young hot shot matador from Germany and a seasoned champion from Spain piloting the worlds most expensive show pony. With only three races to go in the season it was coming down to the wire and the stage was being set for a weekend of pure thrill, it was the 2010 Korean Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel would take the first battle of the weekend by taking pole from his teammate Mark Webber, while title rival Alonso would set a lap only good enough for the second row.
With the grid set and the title fight being separated by only one grid position, it would all come down to Sunday, and it would deliver.
As the sun set on Saturday, the rain began for Sunday. Monsoon-like conditions would cause the race start to be delayed until the decision to start the race under a safety car. After just three laps in these conditions, it would be red flagged until the rain eased.
The race would eventually begin with Vettel pulling away in the lead ahead of Webber who would go off and take out an unsuspecting Rosberg causing another safety car, but more importantly it would place Vettel and Alonso next to each other on the restart.
Vettel would continue to lead through several other safety cars until light levels at the track would lead to a steep performance drop for his Red Bull leading to his eventual retirement with only 10 laps left in the race.
With Vettel retiring, Alonso would take the lead meaning as long as he finished, he would leave South Korea with the championship lead. Alonso would coast to the race win with Hamilton and Massa closing out the podium.
Following Alonso crossing the line, the race would conclude with a final total race time of 2 hours and 48 minutes making it over an hour longer than any other race that season.
While the overall legacy of the Korean GP is one of disappointment, 2010 was a true spectacle in how everything can go wrong but still somehow make for an entertaining and successful race.
Hope you enjoyed that installation of Flashback Friday! Let us know in the comments what race you’d like to see next in the series.
The Fastest Sector 