Vettel is New F1 World Champion
The atmosphere at Yas Marina was thick with anticipation and excitement as the cars for the 2010 Formula 1 Championships’ final round got ready to race. With all attention focused on Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) to win the drivers’ championship, there was one factor not many fans took into account, and that was the fact that in pole position was Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber started in fifth position, with Alonso in third, and the stage was set for a race and a showdown that people are unlikely to forget.
The atmosphere at Yas Marina was thick with anticipation and excitement as the cars for the 2010 Formula 1 Championships’ final round got ready to race. With all attention focused on Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) to win the drivers’ championship, there was one factor not many fans took into account, and that was the fact that in pole position was Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber started in fifth position, with Alonso in third, and the stage was set for a race and a showdown that people are unlikely to forget.
As the cars pulled away from the start and spectators prepared for racing action, the first lap turned out to be a hair-raising lap, as Michael Schumacher ended up in a spin, which resulted in Vitantonio Liuzzi not being able to avoid the crash. Safety cars were brought out onto the track and both Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso used this time for pit stops. Unfortunately, this put them back in the middle of the contender field, and with Alonso stuck behind Vitaly Petrov for most of the race, his top four placing in the drivers’ championship began to slip away.
Sebastian Vettel on the other hand delivered a perfect performance, leading the race and managing to collect twenty-five points after completing his fifty-five laps, making him the 2010 World Champion. It was a second reason for the Red Bull Team to celebrate, as they managed to win the constructors title as well during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
At the end of the season, the Champion Standings and points were as follows: Sebastian Vettel (256), Fernando Alonso (252), Mark Webber (242), Lewis Hamilton (240) and Jenson Button (214). The constructor title and points saw RBR-Renault in first position with 498 points, followed by McLaren-Mercedes (454), Ferrari (386), Mercedes GP (214) and Renault (163).
Vettel expressed his joy at his magnificent achievement saying, “I can’t believe it. The car is a masterpiece. Senna and Schumacher have been champions and now it’s me. It doesn’t seem real. It was light when I started and will be light again by the time I’ve finished celebrating.”