Going into the last race of the 2010 Formula 1 season there were four contenders for the title. Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso was leading the 2010 Drivers’ Championship with 246 points; Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were second and third on 238 points and 231 points respectively. McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was close behind holding fourth place in the championship, although it would have taken an extraordinary amount of luck it was still mathematically possible for his to win the championship. With the stage set for an epic season finale, 24 cars lined up on the grid and the lights went green at the Yas Marina Circuit!
It was Vettel on pole with Hamilton close behind in p2. Alonso lined up in p3 alongside Jensen Button with Webber not far behind in p5. The start of the race was chaotic, and Button got the jump on Alonso moving him into third. A few corners into the first lap Mercedes driver, Michael Schumacher, spun after brief contact with teammate Nico Rosburg, and was then hit by Vitantonio Liuzzi in the Force India Mercedes and the safety car was deployed.
After both brushing the Armco due to lack of tyre grip, Alonso and Webber pitted and when they re-joined the track, they were much further down the field than they would have liked. On lap 18 they caught up to the back off Vitaly Petrov and remained in a fight to overtake him until the conclusion of the race, ending both their chances for the world championship. Hamilton and Vettel continued to set faster lap times than their rivals despite having old tires! Alonso finished the race in 7th with Webber coming in behind him in 8th. Petrov had maintained his track position and made it impossible for the pair to take a run at the podium.
Vettel had missed out on the 2009 Championship after making a number of mistakes in the final race, he continued to make mistakes all season long during the 2010 world championship. Despite his errors, Vettel finished the season with 10 pole positions and 5 race wins. On the day, his sheer speed in the Red Bull and the mistakes of others allowed him to gain his first world championship and become the unlikely winner of the 2010 season.
Written by Cesca.
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