Sebastian Vettel has become the youngest driver ever to win the Formula 1 world championship.
At 23 years and 134 days old he has broken the record set by Lewis Hamilton in 2008, who won the title aged 23 years, 301 days.
This record has now been broken three times in the last six years – Fernando Alonso the first to break it in 2005.
F1 world champions by country
Vettel is only the second German driver to win the world championship, joining Michael Schumacher, who last won the world championship in 2004.
| Country | No. | Drivers/s | |
| 1 | Britain | 14 | Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill (2), Jim Clark (2), John Surtees, Jackie Stewart (3), James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button |
| 2 | Brazil | 8 | Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Nelson Piquet (3), Ayrton Senna (3) |
| 2 | Germany | 8 | Michael Schumacher (7), Sebastian Vettel |
| 4 | Argentina | 5 | Juan Manuel Fangio |
| 5 | Australia | 4 | Jack Brabham (3), Alan Jones |
| 5 | Austria | 4 | Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda (3) |
| 5 | France | 4 | Alain Prost |
| 5 | Finland | 4 | Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen (2), Kimi Raikkonen |
| 9 | Italy | 3 | Giuseppi Farina, Alberto Ascari (2) |
| 10 | United States | 2 | Phil Hill, Mario Andretti |
| 10 | Spain | 2 | Fernando Alonso |
| 12 | New Zealand | 1 | Denny Hulme |
| 12 | South Africa | 1 | Jody Scheckter |
| 12 | Canada | 1 | Jacques Villeneuve |
2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
DavidS (@davids)
14th November 2010, 14:45
Congratulations Sebastian Vettel
He won the WDC outright. No team orders involved. The best man on the day won. Although I’m a Webber fan, and would’ve liked to have seen him take the title, there’s no denying that Sebastian completely deserves the title due to his absolute pace.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
14th November 2010, 15:02
Yep spot on. You cannot begrudge Vettel, so congratulations to him! :) Although Vettel was faultless in the last rounds of the championship – my worst fears were realised when the title decider became an anti-climax, as I felt was imminent with the last race at a bland circuit. Today, the Renaults acted as a real buzz-kill. I don’t mind who wins the championship so much, but I do mind when it isn’t as exciting as it could have been. Next year should be a few thousand times better considering it may be decided at a track where overtaking has been known to occur. In fact, Abu Dhabi was the buzz-kill.
Nevertheless, well done Sebastian Vettel, everyone was focusing on Webber and Alonso and he came through to spoil it for them! :)
Red Andy (@red-andy)
14th November 2010, 15:12
Yep, agree with both of you. As I said yesterday, whoever wins the title deserves it, and Vettel showed why that’s the case today. The race wasn’t that exciting but young Seb was faultless. Good on him.
Keamo
14th November 2010, 15:16
I have to agree with you, Yas Marina is beautiful but unfortunately not much overtaking can be done there, it would have been much more sensational in Brazil for instance.
AK
14th November 2010, 15:25
So swap the results of Brazil and Abu Dhabi, if you’re not happy. Vettel still be champion. ;)
Skett
14th November 2010, 15:31
Its also a bit crap winning the championship where they’re not allowed champagne!
al_amana
14th November 2010, 16:12
I know because after all what’s a party with out some drunken idoiots running around……………
Nick
14th November 2010, 15:37
Interlagos was one of the most boring race in years let alone this season. As always, a long list of unpredictable factors contributed to a mediocre race.
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 16:58
Yes, but imagine Alonso’s attacks on Petrov into the Senna S’s at Interlagos.
The track deserves to trend on twitter as a #fail.
Utter rubbish.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 15:13
Yes, Vettel won it in his own special style. Pulling out the laps right there when needed and storming away from the field from Pole.
Good strategic thinking on Red Bulls side to have Webber lure Massa and Alonso out of contention like that. Great teamwork from the Bulls there to make the right guy win.
AK
14th November 2010, 15:29
Webber should have used the SC deployment to pit and get on the primes: he had nothing to lose and everything to gain from such a move.
d-d
14th November 2010, 15:47
not like Schumacher in 1994, indeed with all class, despite Mark repeatedly asking for his help. It’s so much respectable.
Brian Baum
14th November 2010, 16:31
Seriously, what does 1994 have to do with this conversation? It’s time to move into the 21st century.
Tim
14th November 2010, 17:01
1994 was Michael Schumacher’s third full season F1, 2010 was Vettel’s third full season…
TomD11
14th November 2010, 17:05
Because it was the only other German champion’s first title.
d-d
14th November 2010, 19:15
This is no secret that Sebastian and Michael are close friends. Michael is an idol for Seb.
I was afraid that Vettel could pull out today one of Michael’s dirty tricks. In fact as much as respectable his win against all odds is, I believe there was also a lot of simple egoism by Seb to accept support for Mark. Last week he was openly admiting they won’t proably stay friends (as contrary to HAM-BUT duo).
Very clear message indeed. Pity Mark didn’t qualify before ALO because I beliebe we didn’t see tru colors of Seb yet.
Fixy (@)
14th November 2010, 15:19
Great job by him.
Bad job by Ferrari.
They controlled Webber that was in the last places instead of staying with the firsts.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
14th November 2010, 15:22
Vettel wins the championship; good on him, but other than that, it was a severely disappointing and inapt finish to what was a great season. No-one will be saddened to know we will finish in Brazil next year…
RaulZ
14th November 2010, 22:09
Yes, that was the key. The SC and that. Poor Fernando. Next year.
Omar Roncal
14th November 2010, 15:47
YEAH BABY!!! Good for sports, because what finally prevailed was racing, not team orders. You can imagine now, the WHAT IF about Vettel giving his 1st place in Brazil to Webber, and today Horner would have been fired! But the IFs disappeared today. CONGRATULATIONS SEBASTIAN!
Fixy (@)
14th November 2010, 16:11
Massa robbed of a victory and Ferrari weren’t even able of taking profit from it.
alexf1man
14th November 2010, 21:56
I think Massa should have been left to win in Germany, don’t see what difference it would have made even if Alonso was higher up the order.
However this is because everyone would have moaned if Alonso had won because of Germany, and therefore Red Bull would have probably wanted to take Alonso and Ferrari to court.
But the main thing is that Vettel is the champion, so well done to him.
Tom
14th November 2010, 16:13
I guess Ferrari just found out how big a mistake it was to mess up the Massa covering Webber move.
If they had pulled that off right, Alonso wouldn’t have needed to react and it could have been different.
jess
15th November 2010, 0:56
I was made to eat my words, I thought that Big Red would win due to that issue of team orders but good for Reb Bull, What a team effort and sportmanship. Great Race and Grats to Vettel, He earned it hands down.
GP4 Carl
14th November 2010, 14:46
Brilliant.
Anyone who can still hold a grudge against this kid after hearing that radio. Swap sports. Please.
Brilliant Season.
Jack Holt
14th November 2010, 14:55
Haha! Had to giggle at the roller coaster of emotion – lovely to hear.
bosyber
14th November 2010, 15:19
Agree, that was good to hear, the real emotion in Vettel’s voice.
Skett
14th November 2010, 15:32
Completely agree, those tears were actually pretty special
Nick
14th November 2010, 15:44
As much as Vettel irks me, I’m glad ALonso who a) blackmailed his own team and ended up costing them over a 100m dollars b) threw a tantrum when he couldn’t handle Hamilton and did shady moves like sitting in the pit box too long to prevent Hamilton from being able to get out in time for another quali lap and c) pulled that cheap move on Massa in the pits among other things.
Nick
14th November 2010, 15:45
*glad Alonso didn’t win
Brian Baum
14th November 2010, 16:51
Nick:
I don’t think it was Alonso who cost McLaren $100 million, it was the fact that the team cheated and thankfully got caught. In 2007, the team favoured Hamilton over Alonso and came away with nothing, despite having the better car that season. Alonso wasn’t the problem, it was McLaren management.
Nick
14th November 2010, 17:22
ONE McLaren employee acting on his own received secret Ferrari engineering files that were not used and could not be used as their car’s design was beyond alteration. The majority of the team was not aware their colleague had what amounted to unusable data.
When Alonso found out, he used it as a poker chip to demand #1 status and when refused, helped blow the lid.
Brian Baum
14th November 2010, 19:09
Since we are beating this dead horse… I guess you forgot the email trail that Alonso and de la Rosa had with several McLaren engineers about trying various Ferrari set-ups, etc. It was far from one person. That’s why the fine was so high and that’s why Ron Dennis did his disappearing act for the last few seasons. Google “McLaren admits guilt in spygate” and you might learn how guilty they actually were instead of the sugar-coated UK press version.
Dipak T
14th November 2010, 19:10
Ron Dennis personally informed the FIA about it as soon as Alonso blurted it out to him in a failed attempt to get No.1 status at McLaren.
Brian Baum
14th November 2010, 20:32
Dennis only came forward after his team was caught redhanded to try to do damage control. It wasn’t like McLaren didn’t have a chance to come clean with the FIA prior to Alonso’s whistle blowing. As they say, the coverup is worse than the crime and that is why the penalty was so harsh… They knew about it and they lied to the FIA.
Nick
14th November 2010, 20:40
Regardless of the severity of the cheating, only a traitor like Alonso would put his own team to the flame for it.
Anyway, it’s weird to picture the Spaniard with McLaren. He seems fit for Ferrari and vice versa for Hamilton.
Brian Baum
14th November 2010, 21:05
Whatever… I just don’t get the British hatred of Ferrari, Alonso, Schumacher, etc. Hamilton has clearly shown the same ruthless will to win at all costs (lying in Australia, racing in the pit lane, passing the safety car, etc) and yet he farts glitter. Give it a rest guys. Alonso is no worse than your British heroes.
Nick
14th November 2010, 22:03
I’m not British and I’m not a big fan of Hamilton either. He may be as ruthless, but we haven’t seen him show it at the level of Fernando in terms of blackmailing his own team, but I think he would pull a scummy move like cutting Jenson off coming into pitlane.
I’m a Kubica fan myself.
It’s clear that to be a consistent champion you have to be willing to be ruthless on track.
glue
14th November 2010, 14:47
Alonso was pathetic criticising Petrov
BillHicks
14th November 2010, 14:49
I so agree, that cheating little boy has never been able to overtake. Karma will out!
Red Andy (@red-andy)
14th November 2010, 15:14
Apart from, you know, one of the best overtakes in modern F1 history (on Schumacher at Suzuka). It was just frustration from Fernando – I was hoping he would apologise when asked about it after the race but there you go.
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 15:40
There is a pattern here and cannot just be whittled down to frustration. He is ruthless and thinks that everyone should get out of his way. First he wanted preference of HAM, then MAS and had this illusion that everyone should get out of the way of title contenders in the final race. What he doesn’t realize is that by getting out of the way, those same cars would also be influencing the outcome but just in a different way.
Maciek
14th November 2010, 15:57
9 out of 10 drivers would have reacted the same way. They all want everyone to get out of their way, they’re all arrogant, they all think they’re the best. It’s basic competitive sports psychology.
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 16:11
In that case I’ll always pick the one that will man up and not be a cry baby!
bananarama
14th November 2010, 16:58
Well, complaining about Petrov wasn’t really the right thing .. complaining about Bridestone for making the worst tyres ever would be more appropriate. I mean, seriously? 53 laps without any kind of degradation? Good we’ll have a different manufacturer next year.
OJi
14th November 2010, 15:15
He was upset for sure, I’m sure he will apologize. I know it’s not an excuse but…
As a Ferrari fan I can only congratulate Vettel and Red Bull.
Ferrari was beaten today by it’s own tactic.
Big congratz again for Vettel and Reb Bull.
Nick
14th November 2010, 15:20
Alonso has always been a whining baby, why would he apologize?
HAHAHAHA ALONSO & FERRARI, kick Kimi out? and no title, well deserved.
Lenny
14th November 2010, 15:18
Agreed. Very poor showing of sportsmanship by Alonso.
explosiva
14th November 2010, 15:56
Yep, another showing of poor sportsmanship by Alonso. Little whiner. Seriously…he may be a double champion, but is also an insecure little baby. He doesn’t want a fair fight. He wants to stack the cards in his favor before the “competition” starts.
Omar Roncal
14th November 2010, 15:54
hahaha… strip all Alonso’s championship points for the after race insults to Petrov (that would be funny). It’s bad to be a sore loser
Skett
14th November 2010, 16:41
Lol, that would make Petrov the champion!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
14th November 2010, 15:38
indeed…
i’ve always supported him but that was both unnecessary and stupid.
He’s now gone down my list…
Nick
14th November 2010, 15:52
I can’t find his comments on Petrov. Can you link?
glue
14th November 2010, 15:58
he took some Advil and Ridalin and then the PR training did the work
Nick
14th November 2010, 20:51
Ahhh, I didn’t catch it was a gesture in the car.
More like oxycontin and ambien.
Nick
14th November 2010, 21:05
Petrov was not intimidated by any means. He gave he international backwards “f off” wave and then even jinked his car at Alonso. Making it even more embarrassing for Alonso. One thing is for sure, Russians are timid folk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DRxeB_21II
mani
14th November 2010, 14:47
Good to see you there Vettel… Alonso wasn’t good enough today, so the best man won! Congratulations Vettel.
BBT
14th November 2010, 14:47
COngrats.
After seeing Alonso raise his fist to PET glad Vettel won it. (I had no preference before that).
DaveW
14th November 2010, 14:50
The true Alonso coming out there
Gerdoner
14th November 2010, 14:55
Well, out of the 2, I like Vet more then Alo (but I’m not a Vettel fan myself.)
That being said, while I agree with “Anyone who can still hold a grudge against this kid after hearing that radio.”, I don’t blame Alonso for showing some emotions right now, as well. He just lost a championship he nearly had in his hands, give him a break :S
SRY
14th November 2010, 15:05
I dont blame Alonso either. He had to restrain his rage but… its understandable. Congratulations to Vetel!!
Lenny
14th November 2010, 15:21
Alonso can get angry at someone else…like his team, not the man he couldn’t get passed…or didn’t even look like getting past.
BliNnk
14th November 2010, 16:08
He should get some overtaking tips from Kubica.
Unbelievable moves on Sutil and Kobayashi!
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:08
Why? Why should we give him a break? If one of my students got angry at a classmate because he wasn’t able to win a game I would put him in timeout to think about his actions, and I would ensure he lost the next few games as well.
Getting angry at someone who beat you is behavior that all but the most spoilt, selfish children cease by the age of about 8, yet we are supposed to “give a break” to a highly paid professional sportsman.
No chance.
Nick
14th November 2010, 20:44
Second that. People give way too much slack to grown men because of “emotion.” Only small children should be given slack for letting that kind of emotion control their behavior.
Ben Curly
14th November 2010, 14:47
Damn it, I will have to eat my hat ;)
Well, I still don’t like him, but he’s a champion and he deserved it. There is no question about it.
Gucha
14th November 2010, 14:48
Congratulations Sebastian! I don’t like you, but you’re good, you’re good.
Who would have thought that Petrov would play such a role in this result.
Alonso’s fist gesture to Petrov – priceless!
Keamo
14th November 2010, 14:49
Congrats Seb, u deserve it!!!!!!!!
Christian Horner was right after all.
Calum
14th November 2010, 14:49
There you go, the team took the moral high ground and won the title.
Congratulations Sebastian – der Weltmeister – emotional to hear him overcome with emotion and in tears at the end.
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
14th November 2010, 14:50
Happiness overload! Today is a good day! The important thing for me is that Ferrari didn’t win after everything that has happened
BasCB
14th November 2010, 15:20
Fabulous job from both Renaults to make up for Singapore 08 to effectively bar Ferrari and Alonso from profiting from Germany 2010 to win the championship.
Great drive from Petrov, he must feel vindicated for succumbing to Alonso in China (or was it Malaysia?). And a bit of hand signals from Alonso, great watching the emotions getting the best of them!
rbc
14th November 2010, 16:01
you seem to forget that in singapore they bared massa that year to win the wdc too
David BR
14th November 2010, 15:40
Not only that: a victory against cynicism in general, including everyone who said Red Bull had to support Webber with team orders! Brilliant result.
RFB
15th November 2010, 0:22
Yep, it would be nice to see an article here on how Red Bull won the drivers championship by not using team orders…
Victor.
14th November 2010, 14:51
What a season… There really isn’t more to say. Bring on 2011!
Keamo
14th November 2010, 14:52
LOL at Alonso thinking Petrov will step aside for him. Sorry Mark but you are just not as good as Vettel. He deserves the first championship for Redbull. Good show from the Mclaren boys. Take in next year!
Jack Holt
14th November 2010, 14:53
Brilliant Seb! I wanted Mark to win, but I guess Vettel is the worthier champion – fabulous drive. Did Alonso really shake his fist at Petrov after the race? What a plonker! Nice to see both Maccas on the podium, can’t wait for 2011.
Kain
14th November 2010, 14:55
I’m not a vettel fan but well done, he was unlucky trough out the season. Happy Ferrari didnt win it :) And glad that Alonso showed his true colours. Come on 2011 !!!!
Calum
14th November 2010, 14:56
The podium is the 3 last champions :)
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:36
Interesting fact thanks and nice one
2008:Lewis
2009:Jenson
2010:Seb(new world champion)
alexf1man
14th November 2010, 21:57
I noticed that at the time as well, has that ever happened before with the 3 most recent champions?
alexf1man
14th November 2010, 21:58
Canada 2010 doesn’t count even though it had the last three active champions.
Torkane
14th November 2010, 14:56
Congrats Vettel, WDC and congrats Red Bull for the Constructors championship. What a great result for the season!
BillHicks
14th November 2010, 14:56
Lol, Ferrari cheated and ‘still’ couldn’t win! Big smiles!!
The mighty Ferrari beaten by a fizzy drinks manufacturer… priceless!!
RIISE (@riise)
14th November 2010, 14:56
Ridiculous, why did Ferrari copy Webber? They knew the consequences of being behind all the driver son hard tyres.
Ferrari just screwed Alonso over completely, pathetic.
matt88 (@matt88)
14th November 2010, 15:10
domenicali told they thought soft tyres would have degraded very soon (as happened to them on Friday) but this was wrong.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 15:22
That was great strategical thinking from Red Bull and nice teamwork from Webber to lure both Ferrari’s away like that.
A shame they had to give up Webbers position to do that, but I suppose this was the most reliable way of making sure a Red Bull driver won the WDC, and the right one as well!
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:13
Red Bull were very clever today, however I don’t think in their wildest of wildest dreams would they have thought that Ferrari would be stupid enough to pit Alonso as well.
Horner probably choked on his red bull when he saw the Scuderia mechanics walking out into the pit lane.
curedcat
14th November 2010, 14:57
great championship. maybe mclaren can learn a lot of things from redbull on how to design a car .
DaveW
14th November 2010, 18:17
They already know the lesson: Pay Newey enough to keep him at the team and keep the team manager off his back.
Everyone else now has to wait until Newey gets bored of winning from the front and goes to Force India or something. We may be in for another era of dominance such as Newey brought for Williams and for McLaren.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
14th November 2010, 14:58
really dissapointed, but well… well deserved championship.
Not only dissapointed about Mark loosing the champ but also at Alonso’s actitude towards Petrov. I always supported him, even if he’s been moaning too much about everything. But that fist at Petrov was way to much. What was he thinking? Petrov to move aside?? why???… pathetic.
d-d
14th November 2010, 14:58
I’m really happy for such race scenario instead of some tricks or dirty defence etc. Great show worth the final.
Daffid
14th November 2010, 15:00
Happiest man tonight? Vettel or Massa? ;p
David BR
14th November 2010, 15:08
That thought passed through my mind too. I’m sure Massa is enjoying a quiet caipirinha, listening to Alonso throwing the toys around in the other room…
nemo
14th November 2010, 15:00
Well Done Vettel..
Great to see the smugness wiped off Alonso’s face. showed his true colours there with Petrov..
roll on 2011 and roll on the Return of Mclaren ;)
sumedh
14th November 2010, 15:00
A deserving champion. And well played by RBR today. Very clearly, they fooled Fernando and Ferrari.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 15:25
Agree, that was very clever thinking to use Webber to lure away the Ferrari’s like that and give Vettel the best shot of winning the title this year.
glue
14th November 2010, 15:03
despite having saying it in the live blog
In Soviet Russia, Fernando is slower than you
andrewf1
14th November 2010, 15:09
Hhahahahahaahahah!! Gosh, what a great comment!
I dunno, im pretty…emotionless. Congratulaions to Vettel for taking the WDC. Im not a fan of him at all, but that radio kinda warmed me up. Gonna be a long wait till 2011 :(
glue
14th November 2010, 17:07
having said* comment too short
Bendanarama (@bendana)
14th November 2010, 18:19
Congratulations Glue, you win the internets.
ALL OF THEM.
dragon
14th November 2010, 15:03
I didn’t like Fernando’s gesture to Petrov, who drove excellently, one bit. Yes he just lost a championship he should have won, but take it out on the team that screwed you over!
glue
14th November 2010, 15:06
no, take it on yourself and your premature spout of confidence
coolbean
14th November 2010, 15:45
^^ what he said
MuzzleFlash
14th November 2010, 15:06
Would I be considered cynical if I hypothesised that Red Bull pitted Mark early in the hope Alonso would copy and be dragged down the field with him? :P
What a season.
SRY
14th November 2010, 15:09
Actually very weird strategy…
Red Andy (@red-andy)
14th November 2010, 15:22
The thought did cross my mind, but I think what happened was that Red Bull just decided to split their strategies. If the soft tyres had degraded quickly Webber would have been up there, as it happened he wasn’t.
Ferrari couldn’t split their strategies as they only had one driver in the hunt for the title. Using Massa to cover off Webber failed so they had to get Alonso to do it; I guess they figured it was better for him to end up behind one Red Bull than behind both, especially as he didn’t necessarily need to beat Vettel to win the title.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 15:26
I think that was pretty clever thinking by them to get at least one of their guys the best possible shot at the title. And it worked!
sumedh
14th November 2010, 16:00
Exactly.
Red Bull simply fooled Ferrari. Ferrari on the other hand naively concentrated only on Webber and no one else, neither Vettel nor the drivers who had already pitted – Petrov and Rosberg.
Its like a game of chess, Mark Webber was Red Bull’s sacrifice pawn.
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:15
I think Red Bull were gambling to help Webber. I don’t think they even remotely believed Alonso would pit as well.
DaveW
14th November 2010, 18:33
RBR didn’t care what Alonso would do, because their aim was to jump him. He could stay out, and Webber would eat him up with the fresher tires, or he could stop and cover, but there was nothing to do about that. Their misfortune of getting stuck behind the STR, was ironically the miracle that saved them. Because Ferrari saw this and, with their minds in mode of being super-safe, they thought, we can 100 percent cover Webber, so lets just do it. But they took their eye off the ball. Their aim was to achieve 5th, not beat Webber, and with the latter in such a desperate position, and showing poor pace, they would have been best to just forget about Webber.
As in many sports, from tennis to volleyball to baseball, espeically american football, you see when a team or competitor has an advantage, they play not to lose, and they loose the entire logic of their game-play and they fall apart. Ferrari should have known, especially as it was this same scenario where they won in 2007 and all but won in 2008.
David BR
14th November 2010, 15:06
Congratulations Seb Vettel and Red Bull! A deserving winner. As it seemed it might, the race turned on Button: getting past Alonso at the start suddenly made it game on for Vettel. The Schumacher-Liuzzi was obviously the turning point though. Amazed that Webber wasn’t even capable of pressing Alonso. And Alonso’s fist shaking at Petrov made everyone neutral happy, I’m sure, that he didn’t win! What an idiot!
alejandro
14th November 2010, 15:07
Sebastian Vettel ist den jüngste Weldmeister!!!
I can quote a friend saying: “Fernando, Vitaly is faster than you.”
And A little song for him: “Fernando: Look at the stars, look how they shine for you… and all the guys you couldn’t pass, yeah, they were all yellow ♫”
BillHicks
14th November 2010, 15:10
Thank you for that!! :-)
d-d
14th November 2010, 15:13
lol, brilliant nickname
d-d
14th November 2010, 15:09
EPIC race of epic season.
VET, PET, and KUB greatly impressed.
VET had fantastic end of the season. and today confired he’s a fighter. He won without controversy like Schumacher.
PET – hero of the day – quality drive, no mistake, I keep thinking he’s better than Hulk.
KUB was impressive doing such a tempo on 1st set of tyres unitl about 5 laps remaining. Great tactical execution.
rfs
14th November 2010, 15:09
Brilliant job by Vettel. He and Red Bull made a meal of it, but in the 6 races since that disastrous Spa weekend he’s made no mistakes and driven beautifully. Congrats!
Peter
14th November 2010, 15:09
I’m an Aussie and wanted Webber to win tonight but it wasn’t to be. well done to Seb Vettel, he drove pretty much perfectly in the last two races and has been the quickest guy out there all season (10 poles).
Alonso has nothing to beef about with Petrov. The Russian didn’t put a foot wrong with Alonso up his exhaust pipe for over half the race and the Ferrari just didn’t have what it took to get past the Renault. To gesture to him like he did after the race might have been frustration spewing out but it was definitely poor form. Seriously, if Alonso and the Ferrari were good enough they would have walked away with the drivers’ championship.
Italian F1 Maniac
14th November 2010, 15:09
What a perfect race from Sebastian Vettel!! Congratulations to him and all at Red Bull for 2 really deserved World Championship titles!
Congratulations even more to the so much from us all beloved F1 Sport! Justice and fairness have won and succeed in the end!
Alonso showed his true face and colors once again during the outlap against Petrov, who was just better as Alonso today, without doing anything unfair.
Ferrari was bad in strategy and their drivers not in shape at all.
All good in the end, fortunately for all real F1 fans!
With love to F1 from Italy…
chaostheory
14th November 2010, 15:11
This circuit was not “designed” for title deciders. If it was Interlagos Alonso would not had problems overtaking Petrov, Webber overtaking Alonso, or Hamilton -Kubica.
Other thing is I am mad right now on everything and everyone – from Tilke to Petrov :P Its 3rd year in a row WDC goes to a driver I dont like.
derek
14th November 2010, 15:16
so you are mad on Tilke that Alonso can’t overtake?
rbc
14th November 2010, 15:23
as hamilton couldn’t
BillHicks
14th November 2010, 15:26
Stop diverting away from Alonso’s uselessness and petulance…
rbc
14th November 2010, 16:13
take it easy bill or buull whatever
chaostheory
14th November 2010, 15:28
Kubica can even on Tilkes tracks :P:P
Ha! That made me happier :D
Kubica and Alonso fighting for wdc next year!
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:13
What an end to a fantastic and epic Season Congrats Sebastian Vettel for becoming the Youngest F1 title you truly deserve it with the speed and maturity you’ve shown with this bloody fast RB6 enjoy your day but i have to warn you that McLaren and Ferrari will be back in 2011 much stronger and Renault will be in there as well.Well done Lewis and Jenson to end the season on the high note and for a brilliant performance this season you gave it all but unfortunately it wasnt enough but like i said its not all doom and gloom we never gave up and we will be back next season.
Sebastian Vettel 2010 FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPION
Red Bull 2010 FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPION.
McLaren we will be back with a VENGENCE!!!
Ab576
14th November 2010, 15:13
What did vettel say over the radio? I missed that.
cyanide (@cyanide)
14th November 2010, 15:15
Hua hua hua hua hua hua
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:32
From what i hear from a friend,he was crying very emotionally
Hare (@hare)
14th November 2010, 15:16
Now I did say Nigel Mansell was gonna win this season… which was in fact a cryptic prediction… RED 5 WON! ;)
matt88 (@matt88)
14th November 2010, 15:17
happy for Vettel, although i’d have prefered Webber to become WDC this year.
Wrong strategy by Ferrari, they opted for a heavy man marking on him and Alonso’s frustration on Petrov is totally understandable, the way he lost the championship is hard to accept.
derek
14th November 2010, 15:20
yep very understandable, waving his little fist at someone just cause he couldn’t pull off an overtaking move.
very understandable, and so classy indeed
matt88 (@matt88)
14th November 2010, 16:29
surely you’d be very quiet if you lost a F1 WDC. :D
When he calms down, Alonso will confess he was wrong in doing this, but in the heat of the moment the Latin passion comes out.
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:20
Nope I wouldn’t be calm at all. I would probably yell at myself for being slow, my engineer for the wrong call, and the boss, well because he’s the boss and sometimes it feels good to blame them for everything.
The one person I wouldn’t get angry at is the guy driving the RACE car in front of me. The guy who fairly defended his position for a large percentage of the race.
Alonso is a tool.
glue
14th November 2010, 15:40
Massa didn’t wave angrily at Glock back in 2008, he took t like a man
John H
14th November 2010, 20:59
glue has is it bang on. Felipe showed the Ferrari spirit, Alonso is bad news for SF.
Steph
14th November 2010, 15:19
I have to say congratulations to Seb and I really do mean it. As sad as I felt for Ferrari when I heard Seb on the radio I couldn’t help but almost smile which was the best it was going to get out of me.
Seb deserved it and there isn’t a qustion of that for me. I like him a lot more than some of the other contenders but I didn’t really want him to win this year because of his mistakes that sometimes resulted in him taking out contenders. The fact is though that the title only went on for so long as everyone made mistakes and Seb had a massive amount of failures.
The pitstop wrecked Ferrari’s race today. They focussed on Webber as they thought he was the main threat and then Seb snuck in and attacked. For all their talk of staying cool they blinked first. It didn’t lose them the title though. Alonso made mistakes at China, Monaco and Silverstone, he had bad luck with SC but then good luck at Bahrain and Korea. I’ve never been prouder though by the way he handled the second half of the season. The RB6 was unreliable and RBR kept making mistakes but he had to maximise every opportunity to push RBR so far and mostly he did.
I wasn’t exactly proud of the little rumble with Petrov after the race but Seb made the crazy gesture after he crashed into Mark and these are just highly strung, winning monsters. It wasn’t Petrov’s fault. As much as I may be annoyed at Petrov for having such a good race he was superb all weekend so congraulations to him.
I have to say a massive thanks to Keith for all the coverage this year. It’s made this incredible season that much better especially to share it with all of you.
I remember at the start of the year after Bahrain the BBC news channel ran a piece questioning whether F1 had lost its sparkle. What do you guys reckon?
Sandman
14th November 2010, 15:51
There definitely was no “sparkle”. This season has been a full blown campfire instead, despite RBR’s dominating so much with raw pace.
Now, think about next year, if Mercedes and Renault delivers!
BasCB
14th November 2010, 16:02
You summed up the season pretty nicely here Steph.
I must say I largely agree with you. Vettel was not my favourite driver to win it, but he drove as fast as ever and the team succeeded in having Ferrari make that crucial strategy mistake they needed to make the kill.
And he deserves it for his speed in that car, even though I sincerely hope we will see Vettel actually learn to make clean passes in the top 5 next seasons and not just bag it from superb pole positions.
Button made hardly any mistakes this year, but his car was not up to the job. Vettel made some crucial mistakes but was just to fast in the RB6 for the others who all made several crucial mistakes without the advantage of Sebs enormous speed and the full support of his team.
SkinBintin
14th November 2010, 15:19
Really want much of a Vettel fan, until I heard that emotional radio transmission! Congrats to the RedBull wonder kid!
Kbdavies
14th November 2010, 15:27
The best man won, the best team won. Vettel absolutely deserved the title. He has always been faster than Mark, has more poles, and more wins, and with even more DNF’s, still managed to win the WDC from under him. Mark only got more support from fans through the sympathy vote.
Today absolutely vindicates RBR’s decision to build the team around Vettel eventually. He is definitely the future for Red Bull. This is the end for Vettel at Red Bull, as he WILL be a No.2 driver if he stays. I predict a move to Renault or Ferrari.
No one ever imagined Renault would be the kingmakers today. Again, Alonso showed his arrogance by shaking his fist at Petrov. What did he expect? Petrov to move over? I understand his frustration, but not the attitude at the end.
I suspect RBR may have to renege on that engine deal with Mercedes, and go for Renault engines again as a form of thank you!
McLaren need to be ashamed of themselves this year; as they were last year. Both drivers,Lewis more than Jenson, have outperformed the car for most of the season. Going backwards in the development stakes mid season is never a good thing. The hurry up from McLaren to Lewis in the closing stages of the GP was laughable. The RBR’s would still be faster than McLarens’s even if it only has 3 wheels on.
I am still predicting shake up at McLaren next year,or in 2012 at the latest. I cannot see McLaren delivering a WDC winning car anytime soon, and Lewis will NOT be patient – He is far too ambitious for that
Heads should roll at Ferrari as they choked today. Why would they cover Webber, when Vettel was leading and still staying out? At worst, they would have been 5th, and still won the WDC!
David-A (@david-a)
14th November 2010, 15:58
If Alonso ended up 5th, he would have lost the WDC.
Mike
14th November 2010, 15:28
Vettel drove masterfully.
The only person I have more respect for right now is Petrov, when someone says the word Petrov, I think mistake. But he proved me wrong, and to do it with Alonso down his neck… I think he just move up a few ranks in my mind.
But again, Vettel was incredible. I’m so glad the winner of the championship won the race, rather than just securing 2nd or 4th.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 16:05
He made up for having to succumb to Alonso after leading him for about 40 laps at the start of the year. Very good driving from him.
Kbdavies
14th November 2010, 15:28
*This is the end for Vettel at Red Bull*
Sorry, meant Webber. How about a “edit post” button, Keith?
matt88 (@matt88)
14th November 2010, 16:33
Webber wasn’t even invited to Red Bull WCC party!
If he leaves RBR this winter, no one will be surprised.
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:24
Really? What is your source for that?
matt88 (@matt88)
14th November 2010, 17:51
i heard it on the Italian TV, citing paddock rumours. They can be unreliable, but surely Webber isn’t comfortable at all in that team.
sunseeker
14th November 2010, 15:30
first of all congrats to vettel, he deserves it!
second, i really think renault ruin the show today, kubica neutralized ham-vet fight and petrov destroyed possible alo-ros last corner championship fight
so, all in all a bit disappointed
also, vettel crying at the end and red bull team jumping all over the place showed what really really matters – drivers wc, not constructors
d-d
14th November 2010, 16:42
So you think ALO was right shaking his fist to PET after the race becasue he didn’t politely move away? Why should PET or KUB should do it?
Contrary to you I think it only added to the show and put drivers like ALO and HAM into perspective. Great job Renault, they make farewell with F1 with a class.
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:30
Despite an interesting,dramatic and good race i have to say this race shows these Modern F1 cars as of today doesnt provide enough overtaking with a mass effect of the dirty turbulent air on cars.Teams have agreed a 55% reduction on Downforce and havent done anything about it, just made it worse by banning the F-duct,not doing anything about the Blown Diffuser and Pull-rod suspension system.If Alonso and Webber have something to blame for the lost of their chances to win the title then its these designs of the cars(and Ferrari’s strategy for Alonso) not the midfield runners who pitted early or started on the Harder tyres.
d-d
14th November 2010, 16:44
Cars are quite sophisticated now, I think it is equally a lot to do about tracks. It’s true that in Brazil Petrow or Kubica wouldn’t stand for so long. Tilke tracks suck.
F1iLike
14th November 2010, 15:31
Yeeeeeeeeeeees!!! Vettel!! And after all the problems this year! Beautiful!!!!! Yes yes yes!
Robert
14th November 2010, 19:11
Pretty much my thoughts too. I hardly dared to hope he might pull it outta the bag today.
SEBASTIEN VETTEL WDC 2010!!!
harish
14th November 2010, 15:32
I always said Alonso is the most undeserving champion ever…
all the more disgusted with his conduct today, he wants everyone to step out of the way for him to get the title.
both his championship were not deserved., he s always happy to pick the leftover points doesn have the killer instinct to hit first everytime.
As for vettel congrats to him , thoroughly deserved the title.. looked like webber was not trying to overtake alonso, despite some 4 odd off track excursions.
Robbie
14th November 2010, 15:49
The way he shook his fist at Petrov at the chequered flag… that guy is not a sportsman.
Vikas
14th November 2010, 15:54
Quoting Alonso “I tried to pass him once and he protected like it was the last lap, in the last race in the championship, fighting both for the championship, so he was very aggressive.” – that’s called grit and racing to the fullest, well I guess Alonso has become accustomed to people letting him by… shame on him.
Jack Holt
14th November 2010, 16:00
He’s no class, then again neither has his team so he’s probably the perfect Ferrari driver! Thank God team orders didn’t decide the championship this year.
BasCB
14th November 2010, 16:07
Alonso will have to realize, that for Petrov this might have been his last chance of his life to show he should keep his drive for next year.
rayan
14th November 2010, 15:52
agree with you harish totally
David-A (@david-a)
14th November 2010, 16:03
Rubbish, i’m afraid. He dominated the first half of 2005 and 2006, leaving his rivals playing catch-up. That’s why he could afford to minimize the damage done to his championship lead. And once he wrapped it up in 2005, he drove brilliantly in China and Japan.
Stefanauss
14th November 2010, 15:34
Sebastien deserved the title, more than any other of the contenders.
Everyone made a lot of mistakes this year, and those who made less mistakes (Button and Webber) were also the slowest of them. No doubt about it. After his last errors, that little error in Singapore QLF that costed him the race, he drove outstanding. 4 race out of 4 won, if not for his engine in Korea. In a season that thight, it’s as remarkable as Alonso consistency.
He should have won way before today, and the fact that he didn’t it’s less of his fault than it is.
Lucky, i feel emotional about him winning. it must be awful not to feel any thrill about this finale, sorry guys =)
CarsVsChildren
14th November 2010, 17:27
The result was thrilling. The race not so much.
Abu Dhabi needs a serious re-design.
Or a sprinkler system.
Pi
14th November 2010, 15:35
Alonso didn’t show his fist to petrov but it was this “italian gesture” to say “come man, that was not cool for me”. and he actually said in the interview that petrov did what he had to do anyway.
for sure compared the hypocritely politically correct attitude of some other people (like horner) in F1, it looks out of place.
and even vettel had a similar attitude toward webber after they collided
anyway, ferrari did the wrong thing, focusing on webber instead of chasing the leaders.
vettel was always the fastest, it was surprinsing that he wasn’t world champion yet
Icthyes
14th November 2010, 15:39
Like I said on the blog, well done also to Sir Jackie Stewart, his son Paul and everyone who worked at Stewart GP. They built the original team and a part of this victory is theirs.
Kev
14th November 2010, 15:40
Well done Vettel, the youngest world champion and also a deserving one. Alonso’s race was quite baffling. I think he was too cautious and let Button through very easily at the start.
Keith, can you do an analysis on why Ferrari decided to pit Alonso that early? I wanted to check on the relative pace of the other cars behind him; Sutil, Rosberg, Kubica, Petrov, Hulk during that period.
I just want to know if he would have stuck to Button and Hamilton had he stayed out and pitted late considering that he was harrying Petrov all through, I thought he had the pace to stay in the top4 without any fuss.
Manu
14th November 2010, 15:41
Amazing how most people here are more happy about Alonso losing the championship than Vettel winning it.
Hard to get mad at Fernando. His own team screwed him over, there is nothing he could do. I hope heads will roll in the Ferrari garage, because it’s unbelievable to lose the championship in these conditions. All they had to do is follow the McLaren strategy. It was as simple as that. But apparently throwing away the 2008 WDC wasn’t enough, they had to do it again.
Anyway, congrats to Vettel, he deserves it. Not bad for a “crash kid”.
rayan
14th November 2010, 16:06
at manu
iam one of those…….ya i never bother who wins the wdc but iam glad that alonso didnt…..
vettel deserves it really…..bcoz he had bad lucks than those 4,,,,but he made it
rbc
14th November 2010, 16:08
absolutely right manu. is only one solution they have to get rid of domenicali and massa
what they did today was the most amateurish move i have seen from them in a long line of such a moves during domenicali era
d-d
14th November 2010, 16:52
Massa paid Ferrari back today, I think. He neither didn’t win the start nor passed Web after the pitstop. Next season they treat him more politely.
DannyJ
14th November 2010, 16:24
@ Manu…
“Amazing how most people here are more happy about Alonso losing the championship than Vettel winning it.”
This just shows how many people think Alonso is a cheating petulant cry-baby. If no other proof was offered, this is it.
Manu
14th November 2010, 17:04
And what about Vettel’s gesture after his crash at the Turkish GP then? Please, don’t make me laugh.
Ab576
14th November 2010, 15:43
Anybody who says Alonso was in the heat of the moment and upset, hence the fist shaking is crazy. In no individual sport (running, skiing, swimming, cycling etc) have I seen such bad attitude. Alonso is a sore loser. There is no more to it than that.
Congrat vettel. I supported u from ur first race with bwm. U deserved every bit of this. Sorry Lewis, next year. I feel bad for webber. He is a real gentleman sportsman (more than most of the drivers really). He just isn’t quick enough.
sumedh
14th November 2010, 16:11
Well, if you are not a ‘sore loser’ you are labeled as a ‘nice guy’. And everyone knows where nice guys finish, eg: Massa.
If you want to aim for ultimate greatness, you have to be a bit of a sore loser, look at Vettel – hand gestures after Turkey, Hamilton – just yesterday, “Massa tried to take me off”, Schumacher – so many incidents.
If you are not doing anything controversial, you are not going to win any championships either.
DaveW
14th November 2010, 19:07
I agree. You have to have a ruthless streak to be a champion, and all on your list have it. But only some have a penchant for complaining when a competitor, whether or not he is a teammate, does not prostrate himself before greatness. Whatever Alonso ultimately meant or said, if people draw the conclusion that he wanted Petrov to jump off the road for him, it’s his own fault.
rotbimmer
14th November 2010, 15:45
I knew I put that Red Bull F1 sticker on my rear window last year for a reason! Way to go Seb and Red Bull!
STRFerrari4Ever
14th November 2010, 15:46
I KNEW IT :D AH yes :D After all the stick he took he overcame it and won. Thank you Sebastian.
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:47
Forgot about Alonso,i was supporting him this weekend alongside Lewis but after what he did at the end of the race to Petrov was truly unnecessary and anger from him before he thought about whining he should of asked his team about the strategy and why did he pit him too early.Truly the blame of this is these Modern F1 cars as of today there has to be significant changes for next season on these cars and should bring back Turbo Charged engines and Ground effect much earlier because the way Massa couldnt pass Alguersuari and Alonso and Webber couldnt pass Petrov as well as Lewis on Kubica is just a disgrace and shame to F1
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 15:56
To do add to my comment Alonso now didnt deserve the title at all, the So called’calm or cool’ Spainard is not cool,plus what he did in Germany whining and complaining about the fact he was fastest than Massa so what you’re both racing for Position no team orders shouldnt have been allowed there.In fact Alonso should of had much less wins than he did throughout this season at least 2 wins Singapore and Italy only
d-d
14th November 2010, 17:00
Sorry that your idol couldn’t pass Kub unlike he could with Koba, but simply Kub was good enough (I believe he’s better in worse car). Fail to understand why it’s disgrace to F1? Absolutely contrary. HAM makes too many mistakes when under pressure.
Younger Hamilton
14th November 2010, 18:09
I disagree its a disgrace because for the fans its not enough action and excitement plus Lewis like Fernando and Mark were getting affected by the dirty turbulent air boiling from the back of those Renaults plus they had much better traction out of the corners so Lewis did no mistakes whats so ever
statix
14th November 2010, 21:47
He did some mistakes mostly in breaking zones and once if i am not wrong when tried to pass kub.
Chaz (@chaz)
14th November 2010, 15:47
“Veni, vidi, vici” Sebastian Vettel
rotbimmer
14th November 2010, 15:48
You got that right!
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 15:47
Karma can be a real B****. I’m glad the WDC isn’t tainted. I’m not too much of a VET fan, but full respect for him. He might not be able to overtake much but he sure does have the ability to drive the wheel off that RB6 when in clear air. Respect dude!
Robbie
14th November 2010, 15:48
“Vitaly, Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understand this message?”
“No.”
sunseeker
14th November 2010, 15:52
i speak russian. hehe
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 15:57
Very funny. Maybe if they had said Vitaly Baby it would have worked.
poochi
14th November 2010, 15:48
congrats vettel! totally deserved it!
btw what was the music used in the final montage?
Einar AI
14th November 2010, 15:52
I could sum it up easily for Ferrari – DISASTER.
As a Ferrari fan, I’m deeply disappointed. I’d have actually offered Petrov a race seat in Ferrari mid-race if he’d let Alonso past. He wouldn’t have been much worse than Massa.
dj
14th November 2010, 16:11
When Massa didn’t get past Webber, they should have let Alonso stay out until lap 36, then he would have been 4th behind Botton,just a bad call by the pit wall crew.
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 16:14
How long did you take to figure that out with hindsight?
dj
15th November 2010, 15:01
Well i said it to my bud’s as it happen,but they should have timed gap better based on Fridays P2 were the tires came back late in the session . Button did a fine job of managing tires this year.
Paul H
14th November 2010, 16:03
Were you referring to the More Than A Feeling by Boston portion?
Kbdavies
14th November 2010, 16:06
Hulk to replace Webber at Red Bull?
Shimks
14th November 2010, 16:08
Best season I’ve ever watched. Fantastic stuff.
Thanks Keith for everything. Ace site.
Snoopy
14th November 2010, 16:09
I said it here yesterday that by keeping both drivers in the hunt, it gave Fernando too many permutations to think about. He didn’t only have to finish ahead of Mark but no lower than 4th (provided VET wins). Full marks to RB for the Brazil call. They handled various things badly this year as they are a maturing team and some of this should be expected. Great job RB & VET in the last 2 races!
Spud (@)
14th November 2010, 16:18
While all his rivals were making bad decisions, getting stuck behind rookie drivers, etc. etc., Vettel was flawless today.
He deserves it.
I wanted Mark to do it but he just wasn’t good enought this weekend.
Well done to Vettel! The emotion from him at the end was fantastic to hear.
Mads
14th November 2010, 16:19
Fantastic race.
Good overtaking and a lot of very crucial strategic moves. I like how Red Bull totally tricked Ferrari, and Ferrari ate it raw. That was just brilliant.
And Petrov really impressed me. Totally faultless. Amazingly enough it was the battle hardened 2 times WDC who made the mistakes. Not the rookie in the massively slower Renault. Funnily enough Red Bull have had all sorts of problems with their Renault engine and then in the last race, where it really matters it is Renault who comes and saves the day. Yes Alonso should have been around Rosberg anyway, but those Renaults made sure that Alonso did not get a chance. Oh and last, Alonso fist weaving at Petrov was funny. That is just Alonso in a nutshell.
rayan
14th November 2010, 16:22
great season,,,,great work from media,,,,,websites…thank u guys…..thank u kieth….your works should continue
iam glad for vettel bcoz he deserves it,,,,,hamilton matured a lot better luck next time….button and webber did their rolls for their teams,,,,,alonso lost the championship but he deserves to lose only….massa has to prove something to make a impression in f1…overall red bull and mclaren have the spirit of winning….as far as ferrari although iam a fan has to accept they didnt use their brain in making strategies,,,no aggresive strategies,,,,nothing interesting….totally they are no where near redbulls and mclaren….we are terribly missing jean and ross,,,,,,2008.2009.2010….the team is like a rookie
GaryL
14th November 2010, 16:27
Yeahh Vettelll..congratulation the youngest F1 Champion #1
GaryL
14th November 2010, 16:32
Oh yeah Thanks very much Keith for this F1 blog, farewell 2010
Alex
14th November 2010, 16:28
Congrats to Seb, true champ! expect a very ruthless Alonso & Hamilton next season.. Bring It On!!!
taurus
14th November 2010, 16:30
not really a fan of Vettel but i think he deserved the title.
Alonso showed today exactly what kind of sportsman he is… hope he never wins a race again.
Monad
14th November 2010, 16:57
Why, what did he do?
roberttty
14th November 2010, 16:53
Congrats to the crash kid!
marco
14th November 2010, 17:03
Interesting fact:
it’s the first time since the 1976/1982 stripe that five different driver win in five years.
2010 VET
2009 BUT
2008 HAM
2007 RAI
2006 ALO
F1silverarrows
14th November 2010, 17:08
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! YES YES YES YES YES YES……….
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…
d-d
14th November 2010, 17:08
Now Ferrari will have to eat their humble pie smiling in front of cameras – like they smiled in Germany, lol.
Domenicali – you smile first, please.
sato113
14th November 2010, 17:09
remember- ‘don’t worry guys, we will get them…’
so true.
VXR
14th November 2010, 17:40
Well done Vettel. I’d also like to thank Michael Schumacher for making it more entertaining than it might otherwise have been.
Poor show from Alonso in all respects. Hamilton looked like he’d lost a pound and found a penny when he was being interviewed.
VXR
14th November 2010, 17:43
Also nice to see the teams that Alonso previously drove for doing him no favours. LOL
Dianna
14th November 2010, 19:01
Not funny,MSC could have been killed,it was that close.
I think your contribution needs to be deleted from the forum.Stupid comment.
VXR
14th November 2010, 20:25
?
He could have been killed. He could have killed Ruben’s. F1 is dangerous!
Regardless, his contribution (unforced error) was pivotal in the race.
Maciek
14th November 2010, 20:35
F1 is dangerous – don’t mean you need to be happy about seeing close calls. Besides which, your logic doesn’t even work – the safety car actually deprived us of closer racing in the opening stints because F1 drivers don’t know how to get a good overtake attempt going on restarts.
VXR
14th November 2010, 20:45
The safety car ‘may’ have deprived us of closer racing, I think you mean.
Fortunately, Schumacher is Ok and I can thank him for his contribution knowing that he is OK.
Gusto
14th November 2010, 18:02
Who can say with hand on heart they didn`t see that coming.
Robert
14th November 2010, 18:59
Bravissimo Bravissimo! i love it, what a Champion, what a great season with an great bunch of drivers and what an improbable finalle. I love it i love it i love it!!!
SEBASTIEN VETTEL F1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPION :0
Keamo
14th November 2010, 19:19
Thank you Keith and team . It has been a fantastic year!!
rbc
14th November 2010, 20:08
question for you english folks. where did hamilton and button ended up this season?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
14th November 2010, 20:19
Fourth and fifth – here’s the full championship standings:
https://www.racefans.net/2010/11/14/vettel-grabs-championship-in-final-round/
VXR
14th November 2010, 20:27
I think that maybe there was an hint of sarcasm in his statement. ;)
rbc
14th November 2010, 20:31
really??????????
VXR
14th November 2010, 20:50
You genuinely didn’t know (several hours after the race had finished) what positions in the championship Button and Hamilton had finished. Do you ‘google’ much at all?
rbc
14th November 2010, 21:04
hahaha you are so naive ?
you genuinely didn’t get the sarcasm?
John H
14th November 2010, 20:53
Funny that Schumacher influenced the outcome of the championship so much indirectly.. it just had to be. His good friend Felipe Massa will certainly be pleased he spun it!
VXR
14th November 2010, 20:55
There were many ironic occurences played out in that race today.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
14th November 2010, 21:04
Did anybody else see the picture of Vettel at the top of this page and think of Macauly Caulkin?
Robert
14th November 2010, 23:33
Not really.. no..
Regis
14th November 2010, 22:04
So, 3 new champions in 3 years? who’s next Rosberg? :)
Robert
14th November 2010, 23:34
Or Kubica….. :D
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
15th November 2010, 9:05
Nope, I think it will be Chandok taking the 2011 drivers title :D
jess
15th November 2010, 1:01
Guess I am in the minority, I loved the race and I loved the track. For all who complain about passing. Watch NASCAR, you will see it a lot there. I do and love them all NASCAR, F1 and MotoGP. The best all all series.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
15th November 2010, 1:30
Whose record did Alonso broke? Schumacher?
PJA
15th November 2010, 17:51
I am glad that in the end team orders didn’t decide the championship.
Although you can easily argue that using team orders are more likely to win you the Drivers championship I am glad that a driver from a team that didn’t use them ended up winning the title.
fafa
16th November 2010, 0:43
P45 ceremony 1) Stefano 2) The rest of the reds 3) The renault team 4) the rest of the world………….. Because the world revolves around baby Alonso
Muriel Smith
19th November 2010, 19:51
Well Keith I did tell you a few weeks ago that virtually ALL THE RACES IN FORMULA 1 ARE FIXED AND MANIPULATED and the championship decider in Abu Dhabi on Sunday was no different … in fact it became glaringly obvious to me on Saturday that the lap times in the last two qualifying sessions were undoubtedly massaged and adjusted to produce a start grid that would play-out perfectly for the master manipulators (who virtually control every aspect of F1) and their co-conspirators with what they had pre-planned for the race … yep the MMs’ certainly excelled themselves this time … all orchestrated and executed with ruthless precision to not only prevent Alonso from winning the drivers’ championship this year but to ensure that Vettel did win it and that Hamilton and Button were either side of him on the podiums so that McLaren would clinch second in the constructors’ championship!
Almost gone are the days of the loose wheel nut and/or tampering with the actual cars before the race or during the pit-stops … no the MMs’ have had to become much more subtle and (Shu)machiavellian in recent years and in Alonso’s case they’ve relentlessly stymied all his efforts and continually tried to break his competitive spirit because he’s just too good … they tarnished his reputation in Budapest 2007 and he has been branded ever since as a dirty rotten cheat … it’s significant too that only Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were found guilty of fixing the outcome of a race while Alonso was their driver (and as a result were both unceremoniously dismissed from Renault) … and we know how they were supposed to have allegedly ‘fixed’ said race don’t we … the only reason that particular episode hasn’t been referred to more often (to try and further cast aspersions and sully Alonso’s reputation) is because the MMs’ don’t want to draw too much attention to it lest people realise what really goes on in F1??
Ohh talk about ‘the pots calling the kettles black’ … the constant hypocrisy and double-dealing that abounds … the scheming and plotting … the sheer arrogance of their underestimating our intelligence and making the sore mistake of taking us all for idiots … and by all I don’t just mean the fans … I wonder what the sponsors would think if they found out the truth … the King of Spain … all the Sheiks and Princes in Abu Dhabi … all the people who have invested huge amounts of their cash and energy into the sport … like I said before Keith the truth will out in the near future and a lot of people are going to flush with embarrassment and reproach themselves … it’s a can of very nasty worms indeed because we’re talking virtually every race for decades … they’ve just gone one step too far this time and the day of retribution looms!
A few weeks ago I sent you (and many other influential F1 people) the irrefutable proof of Alonso’s innocence and Ron Dennis’ guilt with regard to the Hungarian pit-stop incident back in 2007 … clearly you all chose to ignore it because before the race in Interlagos we were once again shown on our TVs Alonso stationary (like the proverbial sitting duck) at that pitstop with Hamilton behind him (and Dennis and Whitmarsh looking round from the pit wall) while Martin Brundle reminded us that Alonso deliberately held-up Hamilton’s last flying lap and that there was no love lost between these two team-mates, etc … a totally indefensible and outrageous lie that keeps getting churned out whenever Alonso has any success or is possibly in with a chance of winning the title (grrr!).
And next season of course they will have the nerve to keep showing us (over and over) the footage of Alonso shaking his fist at Petrov at the end of the race … any other driver vying for the championship and it would have been ‘understandably venting their frustration on Petrov after being trapped behind him for the last 37 laps’ … but because it’s Alonso they will ‘milk it for all it’s worth’ and use it against him at every opportunity … I myself (as I’m sure many other pro-Alonso fans would agree) can completely understand and empathise with why he temporarily lost his cool at that moment!
What follows is my own personal take on the qualifying sessions and the race in Abu Dhabi and I can confidently state that you will find no other race analysis like it anywhere … I’m not sure about where your loyalties lie Keith (you could be one of many who are in Ron Dennis’ pocket and/or helping to do the MMs’ dirty work … whether knowingly or unwittingly??) … even so I think you will find my analysis very informative and eye-opening … I’m hereby accusing the MMs’ of Formula 1 Motorsport (whoever they might be?) of blatantly fixing the outcome of the final race in Abu Dhabi … let’s start with the final two qualifying sessions and dissect how the MMs’ managed to adjust the lap times of the top dozen or so drivers so that they could slot-in their carefully chosen ‘pawns’ exactly where they wanted them … the following list applies mainly to the pawns and key players in this race:
1st: Vettel (so that he could sail to victory and the drivers’ crown unimpeded)
2nd: Hamilton (no problems with grip or his car this weekend because McLaren need him to gain a podium to
clinch 2nd in the constructors’)
3rd: Alonso (there was no way that he could have got 3rd position because he was stuck in traffic and had to slow to find space on his last flying lap but 3rd is where he had been allocated by the MMs’)
4th: Button (certainly didn’t have an undriveable car or problems with grip this weekend for the same reasons as his team-mate Hamilton)
5th: Webber (second time only that Webber was not on first or second row this season … he claimed that he ‘couldn’t find the pace’??? … last time he was 5th was to keep Alonso behind him while Vettel charged ahead)
6th: Massa (too little too late from Felipe and still he wasn’t able to assist his team-mate in any way, shape or form?)
8th: Schumacher (in the German Mercedes car and strategically placed for his pivotal contribution to the MMs’ plan which would come before the end of the first lap)
9th: Rosberg (another fast driver in the second Mercedes car and also a fellow Countryman of Vettel’s and indeed Schumacher his team-mate’s?)
10th: Petrov (in the Renault which is a cousin car to the Red Bulls as both are powered by Renault engines … the Renault cars are known to have really good traction and have recently gained speed from significantly (and to my mind suspiciously in this race?) successful ‘upgrades’?? … this young Russian is hoping to retain his seat for next season … enough said?)
11th: Kubica (first time all season out of the top ten??? … this so that he could choose the harder tyre which would effectively take him far enough in the race to gain a 23-second lead over Petrov and/or Alonso and thereby come out from his pit-stop ahead of them … Kubica was additional insurance in case Alonso somehow managed to get past Petrov and Rosberg … his main role was to steal that crucial 4th place from the championship leader Alonso by the end of the race)
15th: Hulkenberg (not a key player in this race but another German used last time out to slow Alonso … what a long way off from his pole at Interlagos only 7 days previously … notable too that he drives for the British team Williams???)
16th: Liuzzi (the crash king and arch deployer of the safety car for the MMs’ … I’ve lost count of how many incidents he’s been involved in or caused this season which have invariably brought out the SC … his contrived crash in Interlagos when Alonso was directly behind him didn’t quite go to plan and stop Alonso from nabbing the 3rd podium so in this race he will be working closely (a bit too closely some might say after) with that maestro of machinations himself Michael Schumacher who will cunningly park his car on the track and await Liuzzi’s ‘unavoidable collision’ with it?!?)
And there you have it Keith … the scene was all set for Vettel’s victory and Alonso’s downfall the day before the race but just before I get to the actual race here are some interesting (and perhaps very telling) pre-race comments:
Martin Whitmarsh: “Fernando wasn’t expected to be in the mix at this stage of the season” … said in discussion with Christian Horner??
Eddie Jordan: “Vettel would make a great world champion and ambassador for the sport” … for about the tenth time this season?
Martin Brundle: “I hope there’s not an incident at the first corner which will eliminate half of the different permutations and calling the race winner” (he says this even though it was he and David Coulthard who demonstrated to us that in Abu Dhabi it’s the widest and easiest first corner on the calendar?)
Brundle again: “Kubica is starting on the harder tyre and could become quite a problem for the strategies working for Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari … he may well run a lot longer and could interfere with the run of play because the top ten are all on the softer tyre”
The following is the race from my perspective to show just how well the MMs’ ‘arrangement’ panned out … how would I describe it best … like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle … or a dominoe effect … no I think it has to be compared to ‘moving the pieces (especially the ‘pawns’) on a chess board one by one to ultimately checkmate the King … Alonso’:
Lap 1: Button passes Alonso before the first corner (as intended) so Alonso is 4th … Schumacher deliberately spins his car just after coming around turn 5 (please note: it was subsequently confirmed that there was no contact with Rosberg as was first assumed) and comes to a stop on the left-hand-side of the track facing the oncoming 15 or so cars that are all hurtling round the bend and jockeying for position … every single car manages to avoid Schumacher’s car either on the right side of the track (sometimes two abreast) or a few of them straightening out just after the turn to veer across the very ample run-off area on the left.
I repeat … that’s 15 cars all steering clear of the stationary Mercedes with the help of a very wide track and run-offs but who drives straight into MS (when you can actually see in slow motion that he too could have swerved left to avoid it) … our old friend the crash king himself Antonio Liuzzi … the MMs’ had to ensure that there was enough debris scattered on the track so that the safety car would be called out … this allowed Rosberg and Petrov (among others) to pit under the safety car for their harder tyres … Martin Brundle immediately tells us that: “Rosberg could become a nuisance along with Kubica later on for the leaders” … also that “the safety car has really added some spice to the race now”?? Please note that turn 5 was the only corner where they could make the crash look realistic and convincing.
Lap 3: Behind the safety car Kubica now up to 10th … Rosberg 17th and Petrov 18th after their pit-stops … the camera goes to Liuzzi and Schumacher who are smiling and chatting as they return along the pitlane to their respective garages … they wave at the spectators above and Schumacher gives Liuzzi a friendly pat on the shoulder as they part (job done!) … Ted Kravitz explains to us why Webber didn’t pit early under the safety car as he did in Spa and it was “because he needed to be aggressive and attack Alonso on the restart and try to get some distance on him”, etc. Safety car in at end of lap 5.
Lap 6: Kubica up to 9th, Rosberg 16th and Petrov 17th.
Lap 9: Webber in 5th sandwiched between Alonso 4th and Massa 6th.
Lap 10: Rosberg up to 13th … we are told “Webber has no pace and is not making an impact on Alonso … the Ferraris’ are quicker”.
Lap 11: Hamilton is 2nd close behind leader Vettel.
Lap 12: Webber pits for harder tyres and Brundle declares “he’s going to slot back in behind Sutil, Kubica and maybe even Rosberg and they are going to hold up his progress … ohh he’s behind Petrov as well … Mark Webber’s in trouble … the traffic is going to absolutely wreck Webber’s race”.
Lap 13: Massa comes in so as to (presumably) get out and hold up Mark Webber but he actually emerges behind Webber?
Lap 14: Alonso does a flying lap to pit and get out ahead of Webber … which he succeeds in doing.
Lap 17: Alonso now 12th and Webber 13th while Vettel and Hamilton are both going longer on their tyres so as not to get caught up in traffic … they need a 22-second gap … Rosberg has already stopped and is now 24-seconds down the road.
Lap 22: Alonso (who has been trapped behind Petrov for the last 8 laps) gets a message to say that it’s critical to pass him (but we all know from last year how difficult it is to overtake on this circuit??).
Lap 30: Ted Kravitz says: “the faces in the Ferrari garage look like a black Monday as they can see their championship slipping away from them … it was all so silly because Ferrari didn’t need to do what they did … if they had just stayed out and mirrored what Hamilton and Vettel did they would be in a much better position now”.
Lap 37: Alonso up to 9th due to Hulkenberg’s stop but trailing behind Kubica by 20-seconds … Brundle says: “remember that Renault would probably like to see a world champion today who is powered by one of their engines and at the moment Kubica and Petrov are doing a fine job of holding Alonso back … or rather Kubica could do so in a while.
Lap 39: Button pits and comes out behind Hamilton (and Kubica who has still got to stop) … Button needs a podium for McLaren to come second in the constructors championship.
Lap 41: Ted Kravitz now in the Red Bull garage says: “Dr Helmut Margot has done the math and will be sending a crate of champagne to Petrov for helping them out with Alonso … everything’s going Vettel’s way and the title is slipping away from Alonso”.
Lap 43: Alonso’s engineer Andrea radios him to urge: “use the best of your talent … we know how big it is … use it!”
Lap 47: Kubica finally pits 23-seconds ahead of Petrov … he comes out ahead of Petrov and Alonso.
Lap 48: Brundle says: “what an impact Schumacher and Liuzzi’s contact down there in turn 5 has had on the world championship … bringing out the safety car which allowed some of the mid-fielders to pit early and put them into play”
Lap 51: After 50 laps of Webber trailing behind Alonso he suddenly gets a radio message urging him to try and get past Alonso??
Lap 55: Vettel wins (as was always intended from day one), Hamilton and Button conveniently get their podiums for McLaren’s second in the constructors and Kubica, Petrov and Rosberg coming home 4th. 5th and 6th proved to be three well-chosen and stalwart safety buffers who succeeded in denying Alonso his drivers’ championship crown … job done!
All this thanks to the cunning and covert strategies devised by the MMs’ and their co-conspirators who were counting on Ferrari to react to Webber’s pit-stop … Mark of course played the part of the pied piper to get Alonso to follow him into the pits … he never intended to win this race or even try to get past Alonso and he certainly never had a rat’s hope in hell of winning the drivers’ championship himself … neither did Alonso who got well and truly stuck behind Vitale Petrov for the last 35 laps of the race … the whys/wiles and wherefores are many and I haven’t got time to discuss them here but will end by telling you that:
Mark Webber post-race told Lee McKenze: “we came in early for the harder tyre which obviously hurt Fernando because he had to cover me off … so in a way I suppose it was a bit of a team effort but I didn’t get the result I wanted”. Notably Webber didn’t put in an appearance at the Red Bull celebrations later in the day as far as I am aware … make of that what you will??
It was also conspicuous that Felipe Massa was nowhere to be seen after the race and wasn’t asked for his opinion … nor any of the Ferrari team members (if I remember rightly?).
And so Keith … the ‘pied piper ploy’ won the day for Vettel (and Red Bull) and ‘I rest my case’ … I’m now in the process of circulating this information to as many people as possible but at a later date it will be edited and amended to become a chapter in my book … until my tome is published I will continue to collect even more compelling evidence and unputdownable fodder for the fans next season … like I warned before Keith inevitably the MMs’ will come to regret their cheating and corruption and many F1 personnel will be losing their jobs and livelihoods as a result of it … what a boring and tedious final race when it could have been spectacular … a tragic waste of talent out there on the track that we weren’t allowed to see … very sad??
Regards … Murial
Chaz
19th November 2010, 21:10
Ah yes and don’t forget –
1) we never landed on the moon
2) the CIA killed Kenedy
3) the earth is flat or else we would all fall off if it were round
4) George W authorised the blowing up of the twin towers
5) Obama is a muslim socialist/communist (take your pic) born in Africa
6) Elvis is still in the building
7) ohh and area 51… let’s not go there…
Chaz
20th November 2010, 10:35
Dear conspiracy theorist Oracle. Please tell us NOW how we should expect the 2011 season to unfold, thus giving us all the upper-hand at the bookies…
sato113 (@sato113)
21st November 2010, 14:33
i wouldn’t be so dismissive of 2 and 4…
Hare
19th November 2010, 22:54
You should write a book. You’ve practically written one here.
Thing is, if you write a book, did you really write it? Or is it manipulated by the devil, or MM? Or did F1F subtly change a few key details to affect the out come? Perhaps the conclusion is not as clear as it would have been, because the TV was on at the time and subtly altered your mental river of reasoning, directing the flow and hiding the truth ever more.
Either way, you’re a lone voice, and the reaction of most of the people who begin, but wont finish your diatribe, is that it’s complete rubbish, and their eyes will roll, before either not bothered to reply, or doing what I’m doing… making a futile condescending attempt to poke your conspirator’ed mind out of the organised chaos in to the world of reality, where anything can happen.
Life is never that structured, even in a dictatorship, it will eventually fall. F1 is not a dictatorship, it’s a sport of many many parties.
I’m now bored of replying to you as I’ve wasted 5 minutes of my life that I could have spent thinking of flowers.
Good bye.
CarsVsChildren
19th November 2010, 23:15
comment of the day.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 4:01
You are clearly an Alonso fan and infuriated that he could not win the championship. Rather than accet that Alonso simply wasn’t good enough, you have managed to conjure up a conspiracy involving the entire grid to deprive him of a third World Championship.
Ockham’s Razor states that when you have two competing theories, the one that requires less stretch of the imagination is probbly true. So either Fernando Alonso wasn’t good enough to win the World Championship … or MM (I assume this is Max Mosley) has been manipulating the entire course of the season by somehow having drivers qualify and crash into one another in the exact order that they needed to in order to deprive Alonso of a championship.
Regis
20th November 2010, 4:07
Great read :)
What’s a MM?
Cunning Stunt 8
20th November 2010, 4:27
I think the MM’s are “master manipulators”.
I enjoyed that Muriel, you made me laugh many times.
Regis
20th November 2010, 4:54
yeah i was thinking Master Minds :)
TommyC
21st November 2010, 11:31
i was just thinking chocolate. M&M’s are the best…
Scalextric
20th November 2010, 6:34
Muriel or Murial. If you didn’t lose all your cash betting on Alonso this season, please spend something on some serious medical help. Seriously.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
20th November 2010, 7:42
I’m just wondering what he’s going to do next. I bet he’ll claim that we’ve all been blinded to the “bigger picture” or some such simply because we don’t agree with him.
Andy W
20th November 2010, 9:53
More than likely….
Either that or the M&Ms are of the peanut variety and failed to take advantage of the gift Ferrari gave them when they could have kicked him out of the championship over the team orders rule breaking.
al_amana
20th November 2010, 10:15
Ok without getting too worked up Murial, I have a view points of my own for you to consider. I won’t tell you that you’re crazy or need help because I believe everyone has a right to their opinion, especially when you take into consideration the amount of in depth analysis you have presented us with…..
My first comment would be, hindsight, usually is 20/20 or at least easy to call upon when calling foul play. Had you come to us prior to the event explaining that we were going to witness the biggest set up in sporting history then some of us might have thought your argument had some merit.
The next and probably the most dispelling point is in regards to Michael Schumacher. There is no way in the world the richest and if not the greatest driver in F1 is going to put his life on the line so that a young, albeit countryman, could claim the WDC. I don’t know how many replays you saw of the incident but at first and even after the fifth replay, I was certain that the great Michael Schumacher was dead if not surely very gravely injured. I don’t care what you say but no way does MSC risk his life for anyone. His arrogance alone would assure me of that!!! As for the remark that he tapped Liuzzi on the back as if to say “Good job, we really fooled them” I would argue that it was more of a case of him saying “Don’t worry mate I’m alright” after all Liuzzi was no doubt shaken up at how close that was.
So Murial buddy, like someone else has said, your clearly feel strongly about Alonso not winning the title but there are way too many variables that could have gone the other way for your cry of foul play to be a valid one.
Next you’ll be telling us that 2008 was a scam as well!!!
Scribe (@scribe)
20th November 2010, 11:53
I think I’m calling Poe’s Law on this whole debacle. Though probably not huh?
Mach1
20th November 2010, 12:26
I’m a bit scared after that….
I am beginning to suspect everything
I dont trust my Citroen C3 anymore….its petrol keeps on running out…I think it’s in league with all the oil companies…
Fixy (@)
20th November 2010, 17:25
D8
(shocked face)
TommyC
21st November 2010, 12:26
“I’m now in the process of circulating this information to as many people as possible”
haha, so am i…
F1 Mike
21st November 2010, 15:20
I knew the winner of the championship right from the beginning of the season, it was always going to be Vettel. This is why I put £50 on him at 6/1
It was a safe bet
ha