2010 F1 Season
19 races · Red Bull RB6
The 2010 season was one of the most open and hard-fought of the modern era. Four drivers (Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton) arrived at the Abu Dhabi finale with mathematical title chances, something extraordinary.
Alonso, in his first year at Ferrari, had led the championship and was the big favourite, but a disastrous strategy call left him stuck behind Petrov's Renault, unable to pass, while Vettel won the race from pole.
The German thus took his first world title at 23, becoming the youngest champion in history and firing the starting gun on the Red Bull and Adrian Newey dynasty that would dominate the years to come.
Drivers' Champion
Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull RB6
Constructors' Champion
Red Bull Racing
19 races
Ver en españolKey moment
"Abu Dhabi: four drivers with options, Vettel and the RB6 fastest when it mattered most."
The 2010 grid, car by car
The 12 teams that raced in 2010, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.
| # | Team | Our rating | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull | 98 | Sebastian Vettel · Mark Webber |
| 2 | McLaren | 95 | Lewis Hamilton · Jenson Button |
| 3 | Ferrari | 94 | Fernando Alonso · Felipe Massa |
| 4 | Mercedes | 87 | Michael Schumacher · Nico Rosberg |
| 5 | Renault | 83 | Robert Kubica · Vitaly Petrov |
| 6 | Williams | 79 | Rubens Barrichello · Nico Hulkenberg |
| 7 | Force India | 76 | Adrian Sutil · Vitantonio Liuzzi |
| 8 | Sauber | 75 | Kamui Kobayashi · Pedro de la Rosa |
| 9 | Toro Rosso | 73 | Sebastien Buemi · Jaime Alguersuari |
| 10 | Lotus | 66 | Jarno Trulli · Heikki Kovalainen |
| 11 | Virgin | 63 | Timo Glock · Lucas di Grassi |
| 12 | HRT | 62 | Bruno Senna · Karun Chandhok |
How 2010 actually ended
The official final standings, from Bahrain Grand Prix to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the real result, not the simulation above.
| Driver | Points | Wins | Podiums | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sebastian VettelRed Bull | 256 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 2Fernando AlonsoFerrari | 252 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 3Mark WebberRed Bull | 242 | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| 4Lewis HamiltonMcLaren | 240 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 5Jenson ButtonMcLaren | 214 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| 6Felipe MassaFerrari | 144 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 7Nico RosbergMercedes | 142 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8Robert KubicaRenault | 136 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
It came down to 4 points: Vettel and Alonso finished closer than a fourth place is worth. 5 different drivers won that year, and the final Grand Prix went to Sebastian Vettel.
Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).
What if 2010 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2010 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 19-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Vettelreal championRed Bull | P1.8 | 43% |
| Fernando AlonsoFerrari | P2 | 33% |
| Lewis HamiltonMcLaren | P2.2 | 24% |
| Mark WebberRed Bull | P4.1 | 0% |
| Jenson ButtonMcLaren | P5 | 0% |
| Felipe MassaFerrari | P6 | 0% |
Sebastian Vettel takes the title 43% of the time: one in every 2 simulated championships goes to somebody else, almost always Fernando Alonso. It was not a dominated year, it was a won one.
Tags
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2010 championship-winning car?
Hypotheses from 2010
Keep reading
What we have measured about 2010 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.
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