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Sebastian Vettel: 2010 Formula One World Champion

Sport

With more twists and turns than a stage at Rally GB, the F1 season ended with another sting in its tails as Sebastian Vettel triumphed in Abu Dhabi to become the youngest F1 champion in history.

It was a master class performance from Vettel as he took the lead in the 2010 championship for the first time at just the right moment to help Red Bull Racing to an impressive double with both constructors’ and drivers’ titles.

Some argue that RBR should have had it wrapped up races ago, such has been the superiority of their car performance this season, but the drivers’ battle has been an intriguing cat and mouse chase all season.

From Fernando Alonso’s win in the season opener at Bahrain, it has been an ever changing picture atop the leaderboard, the Spaniard, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber and Vettel trading places over the course of 19 races, leading to a rare four-way bid for glory in the season-closing Abu Dhabi race.

On the day, the best man won as Vettel’s main title rivals Alonso and Webber took an uncomfortable backseat after early pit stops left them languishing down the field behind Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes and the Renault duo of Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov – and out of the hunt.

Lewis Hamilton was always an unrealistic outsider for the title but his own competitive performance in Abu Dhabi left him just two points adrift of Webber in the final championship table. Vettel’s winning margin was equally tight, just four points ahead of Alonso in the standings, but it was enough to result in one final surprise in this fascinating season.

In true F1 style, controversy has never been far away with Ferrari favouring Alonso over team-mate Massa at the German Grand Prix, the clash of the Bulls in Turkey, Mark Webber’s ‘not bad for a number 2 driver’ statement after his brilliant Silverstone victory, and Alonso’s maiden win for Ferrari in the much maligned ‘Bore-rain Grand Prix’ – in the 18 races that followed, the word ‘boring’ has scarcely been used. The new teams – Lotus, Virgin and HRT – have added a new dimension to the sport, and have been embroiled in their own mini championship at the back of the grid with Lotus emerging victorious.

All in all, Formula 1 has enjoyed an important renaissance in 2010 and is in rude health looking towards 2011.

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