IN THIS piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With three races remaining, it was a new venture for Formula One into Korea, which put on a spectacular show. The title race took several more twists, but are more going to come in the last three weeks of a gripping season. Here is a round-up then of the race of the season so far. . .
Fernando Alonso – Champion-Elect
AFTER a dismal day at Silverstone, Fernando Alonso fell nearly fifty points behind the championship leaders and vowed he would win the championship. At Spa, a costly accident looked to have buried his chances for good, but what a fightback in the last four races. He now is the red-hot favourite for his third title, after a stunning drive on Sunday afternoon. Alonso knew Ferrari were going to be strong in Korea, so he did well to contain his frustration at being beaten to the front row by those pesky Red Bulls. On Sunday, he pressured Mark Webber into a rare mistake, and kept Sebastian Vettel honest all day. Even though Vettel looked to have the race under control, one mistake and the Ferrari was through. Like in Bahrain though, a failure with the Red Bull allowed Alonso to cruise through to his fifth win of the season, his fourth in the last seven races. You would be a brave man not to back Fernando now for title glory in Abu Dhabi in three weeks time. . .
Red Bull Racing – From Saturday Heaven to Sunday Hell
The first sector of the Korea circuit was never going to suit the Red Bull cars, so for them to button up the front row in qualifying spelt ominous signs for the closest opposition. Twenty-four hours later, they were reflecting on their first double DNF of the season, and it can’t have come at a worse time. Mark Webber has had a near-perfect season, but he had one of those slow, frustrating spins early in the race under green flag conditions. The Aussie was powerless to control his spinning missile and Nico Rosberg unluckily collected the remains. It was only Webber’s second non-score of the season and after his previous retirement, which was THAT scary flip over Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia; he won next time out at Silverstone. He also won imperiously in Brazil last year, so who’s to say that Webber’s out of the battle yet. It was a damaging crash, but not a terminal blow. The same can’t be said for Sebastian Vettel though, who had to endure the cruel misfortune of a spectacular engine failure with just eight laps to go. Vettel put a very philosophical face on this setback in the pits, but by being a full race win behind Alonso now with two races to go, it looks like he will have to wait until 2011 to get his hands on the cherished prize.
Jenson Button – Time to Back Lewis Hamilton
He has battled on very gamely all season, but Jenson Button even admitted after his horror race on Sunday that his chances of retaining his championship are now all but impossible. Sunday’s conditions were meant to put Button in the driving seat. After all, he won his two races this season in similar conditions. However, he had no grip, no confidence and the aggressive set-up on his car just chewed up its tyres. By the end of the race, only the Hispania’s were lapping slower than Jenson, which says it all really. With Lewis Hamilton bringing his A game to Korea and winding up with an excellent second place, Button now must play the team role and help McLaren and Hamilton out in Brazil and Abu Dhabi if they are to walkaway with any of the top prizes this season.
Wet Weather – Lack of Racing Sets a Dangerous Precedent
Safety is absolutely paramount in Formula One, but I shared the frustration of Lewis Hamilton and BBC commentator Martin Brundle at the length of time that the Safety Car stayed out on the track. The first attempted start had to be suspended and rightfully so, as the Korean track looked like a lake, not a race circuit. However, on the restart – another thirteen laps were run under yellow flag conditions, when the track looked almost ready for intermediate tyres, which Hamilton confirmed to millions on his team radio. These drivers are paid millions of pounds to go racing, and without wanting to sound too naïve, they could have gone racing at least four/five laps earlier than they did. This sets a dangerous precedent for the future; maybe it is time to limit the driver’s voice on these decisions.
Nico Rosberg – An Innocent Victim
Nico Rosberg was the most unluckiest driver on Sunday in Korea, even more so than Sebastian Vettel. Rosberg has quietly gone about his job all season, in quite frankly, a poor car. He has trounced Michael Schumacher and starred again on this new track, qualifying an outstanding 5th on the grid. On the race start, he ducked underneath Lewis Hamilton and was threatening Alonso, when Mark Webber’s spinning Red Bull came into his path. Despite Rosberg’s best efforts, including driving on the grass, he couldn’t avoid Webber and the contact ripped his suspension off and sent him off the track, and into a painful retirement. Schumacher’s strong 4th place suggested how good the Mercedes was in these mixed conditions. Had Rosberg managed to avoid the out of control Webber, who knows where he could have finished in the final reckoning.
Adrian Sutil – A Chaotic Afternoon
In 2009, Adrian Sutil should have had a big WARNING sign pointed onto the back of his Force India, as he had a scenic ambition of crashing into other drivers. He has got rid of that tag this year, with some very solid drives – most notably in Malaysia, Spain, Valencia and Spa. However, it was a return to the bad old days in Korea, with a series of crazy, chaotic and unnecessary incidents. Sutil was reckless for the most of the day, but you couldn’t fault his commitment to the cause. His move on Jenson Button was fair, if brutal, when the Brit was shoved off the track and he had a feisty dice with Jaime Alguesuari too. His downfall was the Sauber drivers, who he seemed to be passing twenty times in the race. Eventually, he hit a damp patch, rammed into the side of Kamur Kobayashi and broke his steering column, finishing his race. At least we found out that Kobayashi’s Sauber can take a strong hit and survive. Later, it was revealed Sutil knew of a brake problem, yet kept crashing and failed to report his issue to the race stewards. A $10,000 fine and a five-place grid penalty for Brazil seem like a suitable punishment, but despite the craziness, you can’t fault a guy for trying!
Vitantonio Liuzzi – Career-Saving Drive?
Whereas Sutil had one of those days, when he seemed like he was going to crash into anything, team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi picked up some massive points that might have saved his Formula 1 career. For the sixth time this season, Liuzzi was bundled out in Q1, then bitched like a typical, frustrated Italian driver does, blaming everything but himself. Whether it was the conditions or something in his breakfast porridge, but you couldn’t fault him in the race. He took advantage of Williams’ late tyre issues and kept Robert Kubica in his sights throughout the race. Liuzzi’s sixth place result equals his best result ever (set in China 2007). Will it be enough to keep him at Force India? It is a tough decision for Vijay Mallya, but this result will have done him the power of good.
Sebastian Buemi – Another Man under Grave Pressure
Another man in the paddock who is under grave pressure is Sebastian Buemi. After a promising rookie season, the Swiss driver’s momentum has stalled this season and he made another rookie mistake in the race, locking his brakes in a panic and smashing into Timo Glock’s Virgin. Virgin couldn’t believe it, as they reckoned Glock might have scored a precious championship point and Buemi picked up a similar penalty to Sutil for Brazil. It has been a tough season for Toro Rosso, but Jaime Alguesuari has done a better job, so Buemi needs to up his game over the winter for next season.
Vitaly Petrov – Has He Just Slammed Into The F1 Exit Door!
If Liuzzi thought he was under pressure and Buemi is struggling, Vitaly Petrov may well have kissed his chances goodbye to racing in F1 next season. Despite his undoubted pace, he looks set to join Piquet and Grosjean in the Renault reject bin. After his customary qualifying spin and the grid penalty for his Japanese startline antics, Petrov drove calmly in the early stages, and made a smart move onto intermediates in the early stages. The move left him up in 7th, and two places ahead of Robert Kubica, who was having a quiet day. Then, on Lap 41 came the expected . . . Petrov crashes again! Another Renault that ends up looking like Bambi after he had been born and a stern face from Eric Bouillier on the pitwall said it all. Petrov’s inconsistency has cost Renault a shot at fourth place in the constructor’s championship, whereas at Mercedes, Schumacher has at least been consistently scoring minor points to back up Rosberg. The way the Russian looked after the crash, shaking his head with his helmet firmly on, I think he may have just realised that this was his most expensive mistake of the season.
Korea’s First Taste of F1 – the Final Verdict
Considering we had absolutely no idea of what to expect, Korea certainly didn’t disappoint. We were told that the circuit looked like a building site, but it is an impressive little venue. Finally, after years of constant frustration, Hermann Tilke has created another good circuit. Why can’t he make more decent tracks like this one and Istanbul, yet ruin the old Hockenheim, and produce mediocre attempts at Bahrain and Malaysia remains a mystery! Changes have to be made to the pitlane entry and exit, as that looked precariously dangerous, but at such short notice, they did a good job. When it is all complete for next year, Korea should look like a stunning spectacle. It’s a big thumbs-up from me.
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