F1 2010 driver reviews (Part 2)

THIS is part two of my driver-by-driver review of the 2010 F1 season.


13. Nico Hulkenberg                                  (Williams Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Stunning and shock pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    Crashing in the tunnel on the first lap in Monaco

POLE position in Brazil was one of the best pieces of driving I saw all season and Nico Hulkenberg has established himself as an excellent racing driver, even though he is looking for alternate employment after Williams dropped him at the end of the season.  Hulkenberg came with an excellent record in feeder series such as GP2 and A1GP, but he was too cautious and disappointed massively in the first half of the season.  From Valencia onwards, he turned his fortunes around, with the Brazil pole being the peak of his season.  Sixth in Hungary was his best result, though his best race came at Monza, finishing seventh and frustrating Mark Webber for much of the afternoon.  Crashes in Monaco and frustration petulance in Valencia and Singapore shows he still has lots to learn, but this was a competitive rookie season.

14. Jaime Alguesuari                                 (Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing ninth in Malaysia, pulling off two of the best overtaking passes of the season

LOW POINT:                    Attempting to drive Kamur Kobayashi off the road like a petulant schoolchild at the Japanese Grand Prix

HIS first full season in Formula One and Jaime Alguesuari certainly didn’t disgrace himself.  In fact, he made Sebastian Buemi look like a monkey at times and he has established himself firmly as a feisty racer.  This has led to some rash moves, such as running into Buemi on lap one at Hockenheim, and attempting unsuccessfully to drive Kamur Kobayashi off the road at the Japanese Grand Prix.  However, he made the most of a difficult car, collecting ninth place in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi and tenth in his home event at Barcelona.  Alguesuari’s highlight of the season was an outstanding ninth in Malaysia, pulling off two sensational passes on Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg in the race.  Next season will be interesting to see Jaime’s development as a racing driver.

15. Vitaly Petrov                                          (Renault)

HIGH POINT:                    Outstanding drive under pressure from Alonso to finish sixth in the season finale in Abu Dhabi

LOW POINT:                    Crashing into Nico Hulkenberg less than four seconds into the start of the Japanese Grand Prix

VITALY Petrov has shown strong pace, especially in wet conditions.  However, he lacked consistency and made some daft errors that cost his Renault team a shot at fourth place in the constructors’ championship.  Petrov scored five points finishes, all notable efforts.  His best weekend came in Hungary, qualifying seventh and winding up in fifth.  Seventh in the wet in China was a strong showing, as was a ninth place finish at Spa from the back of the grid.  Plus, he held off intense pressure from Alonso to come home sixth in the final race in Abu Dhabi.  However, he has a tendency to become a magnetic attraction with the tyre barriers.  Expensive wrecks in Spa (qualifying), Barcelona (practice), Japan and Korea (whilst in the points) might have cost him his drive.  Petrov could be in for a nervous winter.

16. Heikki Kovalainen                               (Lotus Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Beating Vitaly Petrov fair and square in the Canadian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    Being part of the most spectacular shunt of the season with Mark Webber in Valencia

IT WAS always going to be a tough season to judge the drivers in the new teams, but Heikki Kovalainen can hold his head up high, after an excellent season for Lotus.  99% of the time, he was the class of the new boys, and on occasion, troubled the established teams.  Canada was his highlight, ending just 0.2secs behind Kamur Kobayashi in qualifying and beating Vitaly Petrov’s Renault in the race.  Twelfth in the Japanese Grand Prix was his best finish, though this mainly was achieved through attrition.  Heikki will be best remembered in 2010 for being part of the spectacular smash with Mark Webber in Valencia, and having to put out a fire on his own in Singapore, when the marshals stood and watched his burning car.  Heikki’s reputation has been well and truly restored this season, he can’t wait for 2011.

17. Sebastian Buemi                                  (Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Leading the Canadian Grand Prix for a lap and finishing a strong eighth

LOW POINT:                    Chinese Grand Prix practice, when both his front wheels flew off under braking for the penultimate corner

THERE is no doubt that Sebastian Buemi underachieved in 2010, after a strong rookie season in 2009.  He was constantly outperformed by Jaime Alguesuari, in a car that was never the best, but it led to some uncharacteristic errors from the Swiss.  Like Alguesuari, he achieved three points finishes this season with his best being an eighth place finish in Canada, which included leading the race for a lap and passing Michael Schumacher around the outside of turn one.  He came ninth in Valencia, though being mugged by Kamur Kobayashi on the last corner of the race won’t have pleased the bosses.  He crashed on lap one in Australia, China (after a nightmare experience in practice) and Germany.  Sebastian has a lot to do in 2011 if he wants to carve out a longer stay in F1.

18. Nick Heidfeld                 (BMW Sauber Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing on Kobayashi’s tail to end up eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    His return to the sport in Singapore, which bought little reward

NICK HEIDFELD cut a forlorn figure for most of 2010, sitting in the Mercedes garage as a reserve driver, twiddling his fingers around, doing nothing.  After a brief stint testing for Pirelli in the summer, Heidfeld was called into the Sauber squad to replace Pedro de la Rosa for the last five races of 2010.  Consequently, it is difficult to judge his season, but he finished four times and gave Kamur Kobayashi a run for his money.  Nick scored points in Japan (8^th) and Korea (9^th) and only narrowly missed out in Abu Dhabi, tracking Felipe Massa for most of the race.  Unfortunately, due to his lack of sponsorship, Heidfeld could end up in the freeze and miss out on a full-time seat again next season, though he certainly proved everyone against of his undoubted consistency and racecraft in his five race stint this campaign.

19. Vitantonio Liuzzi                                  (Force India Mercedes)

HIGH POINT:                    A potential career saving drive in Korea, finishing an excellent sixth

LOW POINT:                    Missing out on Q2 in Shanghai, then wiping out Sebastian Buemi and Kamur Kobayashi on lap one in the race

VITANTONIO Liuzzi was the biggest disappointment of the season, outclassed by Adrian Sutil in the Force India team and likely to be without a race drive next season, even though he has a contract to drive for Force India in 2011.  At times, Liuzzi showed flashes of speed and potential, with fifth on the grid in Canada highlighting this.  He scored most of his points in tricky race conditions, (7^th) in Australia and (6^th) in South Korea.  However, the Italian was knocked out of Q1 on six separate occasions this year, and became a frequent visitor to a crash barrier as the season went on.  Riding over the top of Michael Schumacher at the final event in Abu Dhabi pretty much summed up Liuzzi’s season in 2010: Absolutely forgettable!

20. Timo Glock                                               (Virgin Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Reaching Q2 in both Malaysia and Belgium

LOW POINT:                    His frustration allowed Lucas di Grassi to match him in some race weekends

TIMO Glock might be kicking himself for walking away from a Renault race seat, to endure a torrid season in Virgin’s debut season.  His stock has certainly dropped in recent seasons, and he will always be remembered as the man who gave up and handed Lewis Hamilton the 2008 championship, not that the Brits care about that.  Glock did make the most of the wet conditions to make Q2 in both Malaysia and Belgium and he looked set to pick up a point in Korea, until Sebastian Buemi used him as a brake.  On other weekends, he allowed Lucas di Grassi to match him, particularly in Valencia and Germany.  Progress was being made towards the end of the season, but Glock will lookback on a missed opportunity for better results in a better car over the winter months.

21. Pedro de la Rosa                                   (BMW Sauber Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing seventh in Hungary

LOW POINT:                    Getting sacked by Sauber five races before the end of the campaign

FINISHING the season testing for Pirelli alongside Roman Grosjean, Pedro de la Rosa has probably driven his final F1 race, after a horrific comeback season with Sauber.  He only finished in the points once, a strong seventh place in Hungary and was overshadowed by the rising talent of Kamur Kobayashi in the team.  It was surprising to see de la Rosa’s lack of effort to develop such an appalling car in the early stages of the season, particularly after all his hard work in the past as a McLaren test driver.  This was highlighted by the team’s comments about Pedro after he was replaced by Nick Heidfeld for the final five races of the season.  He is a nice guy, but sadly – his time has come and gone in F1.

22. Jarno Trulli                                               (Lotus Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    None

LOW POINT:                    Everything

THERE were times this season when people will have wondered why Jarno Trulli was wasting his time in a backmarker car, especially when he has a perfectly good vineyard in Italy that produces fabulous wines.  Trulli’s early season form was very erratic and moves such as the one in Monaco on Karun Chandok, which nearly took the Indian driver’s head off were attempts you would expect to see from a go-karter, not with someone who has fourteen years Grand Prix experience.  Qualifying was as strong as ever for Jarno, normally ending up as the class of the ‘Class B’ teams, but Heikki Kovalainen battered him on a Sunday afternoon too frequently.  Expect Trulli to be back in 2011, though he is well past his best in the sport.

23. Karun Chandok                                      (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Recording Hispania’s first ever finish in Australia

LOW POINT:                    Losing his drive through no fault of his own in mid-season

KARUN Chandok may count himself very unlucky to lose his drive mid-season, when Hispania needed cash and axed him from Hockenheim onwards for the money-spinning Japanese driver, Sakon Yamamoto.  Chandok more than equally matched Bruno Senna in a poor motorcar, and recorded the teams first ever race finish in Australia.  He stayed out of trouble in races, although he did hinder Fernando Alonso in Canada by accident that allowed Jenson Button to steal second spot from the Spaniard.  With the Indian GP on the calendar for 2011, fingers crossed that Karun will get another chance in F1, because he deserves it for sure.

24. Christian Klien                                       (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying Senna by over a second on his F1 return in Singapore

LOW POINT:                    Only get three races to prove his quality as a top-line driver

AUSTRIAN Christian Klien has had a very tough time in the last few seasons, sitting on the sidelines as a back-up driver at BMW Sauber and Honda since Red Bull dumped him in 2006.  Klien returned to the cockpit for the first time in four years at the Singapore GP and outqualified his team-mate Bruno Senna by a full second.  Hydraulics failure ended his race prematurely, but he’d laid down his marker and raced again for the limping Hispania team in the final two events, again spanking Senna at his home event in Brazil, although the rookie did dominate him in Abu Dhabi.  Like Nick Heidfeld, Klien is unlikely to drive again sadly, due to his lack of sponsorship levels, which is such a shame for someone who never gives up, whatever the situation.

25. Lucas di Grassi                                        (Virgin Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Recording Virgin’s first-ever race finish in Malaysia, despite not having a big enough fuel tank to finish the race

LOW POINT:                    Crashing on the way to the grid at Suzuka, meaning he never even started

AFTER four years in GP2, Lucas di Grassi finally made the step-up to Formula One this season with the new Virgin team, but struggled to get to grips with the new toy.  On occasion, he would be an equal-match for Timo Glock, but he often more looked like he was drowning out at sea like a drunk sea captain.  His embarrassing crash on cold tyres at Suzuka – on his way to the grid was a mistake that not even a first-time road user should be making.  With Jerome D’Ambrosio waiting in the wings, di Grassi may well have blown his chance.

        26. Bruno Senna                                           (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying and outracing Lucas di Grassi in Istanbul

LOW POINT:                    Shamed in Singapore, finishing a full second behind Christian Klien in qualifying, on Klien’s maiden outing

THE name Senna made a welcome return to the sport, but sadly, Bruno couldn’t live up to the high standards of the his legendary uncle.  True, he had a dog of a car, but Senna couldn’t get the most out of it and allowed Karun Chandok to match him and Christian Klien to beat him in the other Hispania.  Even allowing rent driver Sakon Yamamoto to get close to him on occasion just doesn’t even describe how bad he was at times this season.  He completed the least amount of racing laps and apart from Istanbul and Spa, never looked at home in the team.  Although he probably has more chance than di Grassi in coming back next season for another bite of the cherry, don’t count on it.

27. Sakon Yamamoto                                 (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying Senna in Korea

LOW POINT:                    Getting the drive in the first place!

SAKON Yamamoto is one of those drivers who simply isn’t good enough for F1, yet will never bugger off out of sight.  His big sponsorship backers in Japan have seen to that, which meant we saw him more often than not in yet another backmarker team after experiences with Super Aguri and Spyker in the past.  He gave Bruno Senna some areas to think about and was the more reliable driver in bringing the car to the chequered flag.  However, Sakon has the charisma of Ann Widdecome on the Strictly Come Dancing floor; boring, dull and very uneventful to watch.  The best you can say about Yamamoto is, he will do his maximum, whatever that may be.

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix - The conclusions

IN THIS piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  The Brazilian Grand Prix was hardly a classic; in fact it was one of the most boring races of the season.  However, it bought joy for Red Bull Racing and sets up a grand finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.  So, this is the round-up of the penultimate race in 2010.

Sebastian Vettel – Championship momentum

THUMBS UP: Vettel is delighted with his 4th win of 2010

SINCE his costly errors at Spa, Sebastian Vettel has driven out of his skin and proven to all of his doubters that he will be a world champion in future, although still being the 2010 winner looks a long shot.  Vettel was in a class of one in Sao Paulo at the weekend and once he out dragged the surprised pole sitter Nico Hulkenberg off the startline, there was only ever going to be one winner.  Vettel’s best form comes when he leads from the front.  In this situation, he is almost untouchable.  The momentum is with him in the championship, but he will still need a degree of good fortune to see the decisive swing head his way in Abu Dhabi.  Whether he will play second fiddle, should it be required to team-mate Mark Webber remains to be seen.

Red Bull Racing – Deserved constructors champions

REALISATION: Christian Horner throws his hands in the air

WHEN Vettel and Mark Webber crossed the line on Sunday to seal the team’s fourth 1-2 finish of the season, you could sense the relief on the pitwall.  It is an incredible story, and in just six years.  Red Bull was born in 2005, out of the ashes of the failed Jaguar squad.  David Coulthard built the team up, but there were some very tough and testing times for the team, at times they were seen as the laughing stock in the pitlane.  However, in Adrian Newey, they have the best designer in the business.  Newey has always built world class motorcars, if a little fragile and his 2010 car is a masterpiece.  The drivers and the management have done the best they could to throw all the potential away, but it all came together in the end.  Although he has his critics, including myself – Christian Horner has done a great job to keep the warring Webber and Vettel together, without everything being blown out of proportion.  Lastly big congratulations to everyone in the team.  Long hours have been worked at the factory in Milton Keynes and some members have been with the team from the start, when it was Stewart GP in 1997, so the constructors’ championship is a fully deserved success for Red Bull Racing.

Fernando Alonso – Still in the driving seat

ALTHOUGH Red Bull had the race in their back pocket, Fernando Alonso is still the man in the pound seats heading to Abu Dhabi.  Eight points clear of Mark Webber and 15 ahead of Sebastian Vettel, the consistent Spaniard only needs to finish in the top two in the desert, to become world champion.  Since Silverstone, Alonso has been thinking championship points and it seems like his meticulous mathematical calculations look set to pay off.  Another solid drive at the weekend led to another rostrum, his seventh in eight races.  Fernando Alonso is still the safe bet for this championship.

Nico Hulkenberg – How did he do that?

DEFENCE: Hulkenberg did well to resist Hamilton early on

WHEN you start on pole position and wind up finishing in eighth place, some will think – what went wrong?  Not in the case of Nico Hulkenberg, who did a fantastic job all weekend, considering the limited capabilities he has against the front-running teams.  His Saturday performance, in mixed conditions to shake the F1 order up and clinch his maiden pole position was awe-inspiring.  It reminded me of his dominant days in A1GP in similar track conditions.  His stout defence of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton may have ruined the race as a front-running battle, but it was brilliant to watch Hulkenberg go up against some of the best, and not be scared by former world champions.  It maybe for commercial reasons, but Williams would be fools to let this exceptional talent slip through their fingers.

Jenson Button – A very difficult weekend

SERVICE: Button gained positions in the pits

JENSON Button gracefully gave up his drivers crown at the same venue where he won it in such fine fashion in 2009.  His drive from eleventh on the grid to fifth in the race was fantastic, and for once, he looked quicker than Lewis Hamilton on raceday.  Button can lookback at a positive first season with McLaren and had it not been for some tricky qualifying sessions and for Vettel driving into the side of him at Spa, it could well have been a different story.  In truth, it was a difficult weekend for Jenson, after his near brush with death on Saturday night (see security problems for more information).  Jenson is the people and true gentleman champion, whatever you may think of his driving abilities.

Barrichello and Massa – Out of luck

LIMPING: Barrichello struggles on after his puncture

BRAZIL’s main men in the field were out of luck and the pressure is building on both of their future F1 careers.  Due to sponsorship being urgently required, Rubens Barrichello is fighting to hang onto his seat at Williams, despite delivering some of his best driving ever in the 18 year F1 career.  His dreadful and annual jinx at Interlagos struck again, when he tagged Jaime Alguesuari very lightly in the race, yet still picked up a puncture.  It just had to happen to Rubens, didn’t it?  I do hope he will still be in Formula One next year, but it is starting to look very doubtful.  On a short-term basis, Felipe Massa is safe, but his long-term future with Ferrari must be called into question.  Massa is an expert in Brazil, having won this event twice before.  Yet he seemed to have as many contacts as Piers Morgan would with celebrities.  Sebastian Buemi, Barrichello and Vitaly Petrov can all testify to that.  Massa was very lacklustre again, even though a loose wheel at his first pitstop did leave him on the backfoot.  He has been little help to Ferrari, except the controversial Hockenheim switch, which would make Alonso winning the championship even more special, because he hasn’t needed a great deal of assistance, especially in the last third of the season.

Senna and di Grassi – Both running out of time?

WHILST Barrichello and Massa suffered misfortune, the two Brazilian rookies continue to disappoint and are starting to run out of time to prove themselves, although they are in backmarker teams.  Lucas di Grassi has had a testing rookie season, but he is nowhere near Timo Glock in the Virgin team and recorded another DNF on Sunday.  In fact, di Grassi seemed undecided whether to park the car, or to trundle along at the back of the field.  It was maybe the highlight of the entire event!  Bruno Senna may never have raced in Sao Paulo before, but he still trailed Christian Klien by nearly an entire second in qualifying, which is ridiculous, considering Senna has driven that car all season and this was only Klien’s second event of the season.  When Japanese pay-driver Sakon Yamamoto starts matching you, then you realise how bad Senna has been this season.  I predict that Sunday’s Abu Dhabi finale will be their last event in Formula One.  Sadly, neither has been able to cut the mustard at this level.

Force India – Team mates at war!

AGAIN: Another Force India wreck from Tonio Liuzzi

NICO Hulkenberg’s eighth place finish was very bad news for Force India, as it meant they slipped behind Williams in their private battle for sixth in the constructor’s championship.  It doesn’t help either when you’re team-mates start bickering amongst each other.  Vitantonio Liuzzi spun in Q1 and inadvertently blocked Adrian Sutil, who was on a flying lap.  Sutil dropped out in Q1 and wasn’t shy in holding back.  He blasted Liuzzi for his inconsistent driving standards and dropped a dig at the team’s lack of development in the second half of the season.  Sutil has a tough decision to make about his future but there aren’t many options for him around.  I still think that a Renault drive alongside Robert Kubica would be his best bet if he wants to move up the grid.  Liuzzi qualified 17^th, bottom in Q2 – then crashed another Force India in the race.  He also hit out at Sutil for his driving standards, which seemed a bit harsh, considering Adrian’s improvement apart from the car crash that was Korea last time out.  Like di Grassi and Senna, I think Liuzzi will be bidding farewell to the sport after Sunday’s showpiece.

Brazil’s security problems

ARRIVAL: Button had a traumatic Saturday experience

The attack on Jenson Button’s car after he left the paddock on Saturday evening will raise serious doubts over the future of the Brazilian Grand Prix.  Not only does the Interlagos circuit need a massive update in his facilities, which look so 1996 in this 21^st century world, it needs to tighten up its security levels.  Button, his father and manager Richard Goddard were lucky that the driver of their car floored the throttle when he saw the gang that had guns on them.  Three Sauber mechanics weren’t so lucky, and were forced to hand over all of their equipment in their rucksacks.  It is important for F1 to visit South America every year, but not if this is going to be a repetitive incident.  With the Olympics and Football World Cup heading into Brazil in the next six years, they must improve security and reduce gang warfare that dominates the country.

2011 calendar – Good or bad?

SCRAPPING: Will the cars be in Brazil for a long-term future

LAST Wednesday, the FIA ratified the 20-race calendar for the 2011 season.  As expected, the new event in India will take place on the final weekend of October.  The season won’t finish until November 27, in Brazil – which is far too late to finish any championship.  More back-to-back events are required to prevent this scenario happening again.  Most of the rest of this year’s calendar remains in place, with Bahrain hanging onto the season opener and Silverstone keeping its traditional mid-July slot.  However, with more countries wanting races, changes will need to be made for 2011 and the circuit promoters at Valencia, Istanbul, Shanghai and Interlagos must be aware that they could very soon be ready for the chop, if Bernie gets his way.

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix - The Bull charges to maiden Constructors title

RED Bull Racing secured their maiden constructors title in Brazil today with a 1-2 finish, with Sebastian Vettel winning in Sao Paulo.

The German led home Mark Webber to the team’s fourth maximum of the season, giving them a sufficient enough advantage over its nearest rivals McLaren and Ferrari to wrap up its maiden title.  Both Red Bull drivers could still win the ultimate prize, though Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who finished 3^rd in Interlagos, carries an eight point advantage into the final event in Abu Dhabi next weekend.  Lewis Hamilton still holds a mathematical chance, though he needs a miracle now to feature heavily in the final reckoning, but Jenson Button’s hopes completely disappeared, on an afternoon where the weaknesses of the McLaren were heavily shown up.

From the moment Vettel edged up the inside of the surprise pole sitter Nico Hulkenberg into the first corner, the rest of the field had no chance.  Webber quickly followed his team-mate past the Williams on the opening circuit, and by the time Alonso had forced his way past Hamilton and Hulkenberg, he was already the best part of 12 seconds behind, and with little hope of wrapping up the championship today.  Red Bull’s significant advantage was narrowed when Vitantonio Liuzzi crashed his Force India heavily at turn two on Lap 51, but the amount of traffic that Alonso had infront of him when the Safety Car came out quickly dashed those hopes.  Vettel’s pace was so strong in the closing stages, that it was clear that he had more in the tank.  His fourth win of the season keeps him in the hunt, even if he is 15 points behind Alonso in the points.  Webber would have liked team orders to help him out, but on the day, the Australian was simply not fast enough to match his red-hot young charger.  How the team will manage the situation next weekend will be interesting to see. . .

Hamilton finished a distant fourth, as even a tactical second pitstop failed to get him anywhere near the podium positions.  Despite setting the fastest lap of the race, Lewis complained all day on the team radio of a lack of grip from his tyres.  His frustration after the race in the post-race interviews seemed to highlight how disappointed he has been with McLaren’s slow development in the second half of the season.  Team-mate Button, who won the crown here in Brazil twelve months earlier made an early stop that  cleared the midfield gaggle and meant he finished right on the tail of his team-mate, after starting a disappointing 11^th on the grid.  Jenson could count himself lucky to even be racing, after being nearly caught in an armed attack after his bulletproof car was ambushed after qualifying on Saturday night. 

Hulkenberg fell back after his stunning Saturday show, and finished a lapped 8^th.  However, his stock has risen in the F1 paddock this weekend, and put increased pressure on Rubens Barrichello’s future with the Williams team.  The Brazilian’s rotten luck at Interlagos continued, with a poor pitstop and contact with Jaime Alguesuari led to a mid-distance puncture.  He could only finish in 14^th at the finish.  Fellow countryman Felipe Massa also had another difficult race, with three pitstops and various run-ins during the race, leaving him trailing in 15^th at the chequered flag.  The two Mercedes cars of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished 6^th and 7^th, whilst the final points went to Robert Kubica and Kamur Kobayashi.  There was a staggering reliability rate at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with 22 cars making the finish.  Only Liuzzi and the Virgin Racing of Lucas di Grassi failed to see out the full distance.

Four men can still win the title, and only seven days to wait.  The grand finale under the twilight skies in Abu Dhabi is something that everyone will be looking forward to.  Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, who are you backing?

2010 Italian Grand Prix - The Conclusions

In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix turned the world championship battle on its head once again, as the two outsiders Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button charged back into the title race.  Here is a round-up of round fourteen, as the curtain comes down on the European season.

Mark Webber – Does He Have the Title Advantage?

Mark Webber knew that the Italian Grand Prix was going to be a weak one for Red Bull Racing and himself.  It was always going to be damage limitation for the Aussie, but his frustration after the race couldn’t be hidden.  Webber has a nightmare couple of days of practice, stopping twice with electrical and fuel pressure problems, so to qualify 4^th on Saturday was an admirable effort.  All that hard work went to waste with another disastrous start, which had him back in 9^th on the first lap.  Aggressive passes on Michael Schumacher, Robert Kubica and Nico Hulkenberg showed Webber’s strong instinct to overtake.  However, 6^th place, on a day when Lewis Hamilton damaged his prospects severely, wasn’t what Mark was hoping for.  Nevertheless, with the Red Bull expected to be the strongest chassis in the last five races, he now has the title advantage.

Lewis Hamilton – Are His Championship Chances Shattered Like His Steering?

Lewis Hamilton had to score big at Monza, knowing that this was the last circuit that his McLaren was going to have a clear advantage over Red Bull this season.  Consequently, a radically improved Ferrari was not in the gameplan, and nor was Saturday’s qualifying session, leaving him in a frustrated 5^th.  Hamilton had taken the traditional Monza low-spec downforce setting, without the f-duct.  However, Jenson Button had gambled on a different route and got it right.  Annoyed going to the grid, Hamilton pulled off a 2007-spec move on Felipe Massa into the second chicane.  He stuck his nosecone in an area where the Brazilian was always going to make unintentional contact with him, and the clash of wheels bent Hamilton’s right-front steering arm, sending the Brit into the gravel and out on the first lap.  For Hamilton, the Italian Grand Prix was an utter shambles, and his championship chances have taken a significant and potentially knockout blow.

Fernando Alonso – A Crucial Weekend Pays Off

For Fernando Alonso, Italy expected him to deliver and he duly delivered, as a crucial weekend in his fading title bid paid off, with a handsome and popular win.  Alonso’s pole position lap in qualifying was immense and the total commitment presented him with a great opportunity to dominate from the front, squandered by a poor start and allowing Jenson Button into the lead.  Button’s unusual Monza high-downforce spec meant that it was impossible for Alonso to pass until the pitstops.  Fortunately, McLaren pitted Jenson first, allowing Ferrari and Fernando to steal a tactical initiative.  One lap later, Alonso pitted and to the tifosi’s delight, came out ahead and went onto win.  With Ferrari being a one-man team, don’t discount Alonso from the final reckoning just yet, though he can’t afford to make any more silly errors.

Ferrari Escape Team Orders Disciplinary – Was The FIA Right?

Before the weekend begun, Ferrari was already breathing a sigh of relief, after they escaped any further punishment for the team orders debacle in Germany.  It was a difficult call for the FIA, and despite deserving further sanctions, at least we should know come Bahrain next year that team orders are prohibited, whether the fans like it or not.  Personally, I’m not a fan of team orders, but it is better if they are open for teams to use, rather than teams sneak around using it.

Nico Hulkenberg – Beginning To Show His Future Potential

He struggled to get to grips with Formula One at the start of his rookie season, but Nico Hulkenberg is now beginning to really show his future potential, and now has the measure of his Williams team-mate Rubens Barrichello.  Eighth on the grid was a fantastic effort, as Hulkenberg made the Q3 shootout session for the fourth successive race.  An excellent start saw last year’s GP2 champion zoom upto 6^th and then, he did well to jump Robert Kubica at the stops.  His defensive tactics against Mark Webber had to be questioned, especially by his consistent use of using the escape route down the first two chicanes.  Nevertheless, 7^th place was a good result, and I think he is now only going to get better, now that the ‘Hulk’ has settled into the sport.

Timo Glock – An Unlucky Figure throughout the Weekend

Virgin Racing had the right to be very happy with their weekend, especially as they won the battle of the new teams.  Jarno Trulli’s late demise, with a gearbox problem allowed Timo Glock to take the honours, holding off Heikki Kovalainen in a race-long duel for position.  However, Glock was out of luck at the start of the weekend, so his result to win the new teams scrap should be highly credited.  He was victim to a blatant block by Vitaly Petrov at the beginning of Q1, meaning he would be beaten by the off-form Vitantonio Liuzzi from Force India.  Then, a five-place grid penalty followed for a gearbox change, meaning Glock started plum last.  Therefore, his race effort was a very valid performance.

Michael Schumacher – Will He Stay or Go?

BBC pundit Eddie Jordan started the rumours flying that the managers of Timo Glock and Adrian Sutil had been in and out of the Mercedes motorhome during the weekend.  It means that the pressure is intensifying on Michael Schumacher’s future.  Ross Brawn has already said that there will be a manager’s role for Schumacher in the future, but is that short-term or a longer vision?  At Monza, Schumacher qualified a disappointing 12^th, at least half a second behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.  Despite another strong start, he finished a lonely 9^th, on a track where he has excelled so much down the years.  Schumacher didn’t look his usual bouncy self either all weekend, maybe the speculation is starting to get to the seven-time world champion a bit.

13 Races, 8 DNF’s – The Sobering Statistic of Bruno Senna

Bruno Senna is the most unreliable driver in 2010, certainly in the statistics of finishing races.  He failed to finish once again at Monza, making it eight retirements in thirteen races.  Even Sakon Yamamoto has finished almost as many races this season!  Some of these DNF’s have not been Senna’s fault, largely because the Hispania lacks both speed and reliability.  However, statistics don’t lie and at the end of the day, Senna has largely disappointed in his rookie campaign.  Had it not been for money, I wonder if Karun Chandok should be back in the sport and not commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live.

The End of the European Leg – Time To Reflect

Monza brought the curtain down on a dramatic European season, consisting of nine races.  Mark Webber has nearly won 50% of the European races this season (Spain, Monaco, Britain and Hungary) and heads for the five remaining flyaway races in the lead of the championship.  Jenson Button is the only one of the five title contenders to have not sprayed the bubbly on the top step of the podium in Europe.  Despite all the new races being added, with India joining the party in 2011, Formula One must never forget its traditional routes of races in Europe.  Although the likes of Imola and Magny-Cours have disappeared in recent seasons, it’s nice to see races like Monte Carlo, Monza, Spa and Silverstone still with long-term contracts, and very much at the heartbeat of the Grand Prix circus.

Two Weeks Until F1 Returns To the Gaming World – Codemasters Big Gamble

There is less a fortnight away now from the return of Formula 1 to the gaming world.  Codemasters, the makers of GRID and Colin McRae DIRT are launching F1 2010, due for release on September 24^th.  It’s a big gamble, but I have every confidence it will pay off.  There will be an in-depth review of the game after the Singapore Grand Prix in two weeks time.