Four drivers entered Abu Dhabi with a shot. None of them were named Sebastian Vettel. And yet, that’s exactly who walked away with the crown.
The 2010 season — the 61st in Formula One history — was a long, brutal chess match played at 320 km/h. It had everything: multi-team warfare, internal implosions, impossible comebacks, and a title fight so tight that four men — Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, and Vettel — entered the final race with a chance to win.
But Vettel? He hadn’t led the championship at any point that year. Not until the exact moment it ended.
This wasn’t domination. It was daylight robbery. A cold, last-minute heist pulled off by a kid in a Red Bull with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
Key Highlights of the 2010 Season
– Four drivers alive in the final round: Alonso, Webber, Vettel, and Hamilton all mathematically in the title fight heading into Abu Dhabi.
– Vettel becomes youngest world champion ever: Clinches the title at 23 years and 134 days.
– Red Bull takes its first Constructors’ title: Newey’s RB6 is the class of the field — when it doesn’t break.
– Ferrari’s strategy disaster in Abu Dhabi: Alonso stuck behind Petrov, dreams dissolving lap after lap.
– Webber fades late: Despite leading after multiple races, his title hopes collapse in the final stretch.
– Team orders scandal at Hockenheim: “Fernando is faster than you” becomes F1 folklore.
– Button’s title defense fizzles: The reigning champ never truly in the hunt.
– New points system: 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1 — the modern era begins.
The Story of the Season — Chaos Theory, Engine Maps, and Destiny Denied
The 2010 title fight was like juggling chainsaws on a moving train — beautiful, dangerous, and barely controlled. Every race reset the narrative. Every driver looked like a champion until they didn’t.
Red Bull had the fastest car — that much was clear. Adrian Newey’s RB6 was a downforce demon, stuck to the asphalt like it had claws. But reliability? Fragile. Politics? Radioactive. And between Vettel and Webber, the tension could’ve melted carbon fibre.
Vettel won early in Malaysia. Webber struck back in Spain and Monaco. Then came Turkey — Red Bull’s civil war moment. Leading 1–2, they collided. Vettel’s finger pointed. Webber fumed. The relationship cracked.
Ferrari, meanwhile, were slow to wake — but Alonso never stopped believing. By Hockenheim, he was in range. The team helped, of course, with the now-infamous radio message to Massa. “Fernando is faster than you.” Code for: move over. The world noticed. The stewards didn’t care.
Hamilton hovered in the background — consistent, punchy, relentless. Not always fastest, but always there. Wins in Turkey, Canada, Belgium. McLaren didn’t have the best car. But they had Lewis, and that counted for something.
The drama crescendoed in Korea — a new race, a new rainstorm, and a double DNF for Webber and Vettel. Alonso inherited the win and the points lead. The momentum was his.
But 2010 wasn’t about momentum. It was about survival.
Abu Dhabi. The finale.
Alonso leads the championship. Webber is second. Vettel is third. Hamilton needs a miracle.
Early pit stops shuffle the deck. Ferrari — inexplicably — pits Alonso to cover Webber, not Vettel. It drops him behind Vitaly Petrov, who drives the defensive race of his life. Alonso throws everything at him. Nothing sticks. He’s trapped. Time ticks away.
Vettel? Gone. Smooth, clean, perfect. Wins the race.
And wins the championship.
Off-Track Friction — Politics, Petulance, and That Bloody Finger
Behind the scenes, Red Bull were walking a tightrope. Horner played diplomat. Helmut Marko made it clear who his favorite was. Webber? “Not bad for a number two driver,” he snapped after winning Silverstone, a direct shot across the garage.
Ferrari had unity — but made a fatal error at the last moment. McLaren were solid but second-best. Button played support. Hamilton raged alone.
No scandals like 2007. No heartbreak like 2008. But everywhere you looked, there were cracks, rivalries, vendettas. And in the middle of it all: a 23-year-old grinning kid with a trophy and a point to prove.
Season Summary & Results
Nineteen races. Five wins for Vettel. Five for Alonso. Four for Webber. Three for Hamilton.
Final standings:
- Sebastian Vettel – 256 points
- Fernando Alonso – 252 points
- Mark Webber – 242 points
- Lewis Hamilton – 240 points
Red Bull also clinched the Constructors’ — their first ever — with 498 points to McLaren’s 454 and Ferrari’s 396.
Vettel had never led the championship all year. Until the moment it ended.
Legacy — A New Emperor, Crowned in Smoke
2010 didn’t just crown a champion. It anointed one.
It was the year Sebastian Vettel stopped being a precocious upstart and became the future. The youngest world champion ever. The beginning of a dynasty. The start of four years of red-and-blue domination.
It was also the year Alonso came closest to a third title — and lost it to a backmarker in a Renault. The year Webber could’ve made history — and got squeezed out by his own team.
It was destiny, delayed. Hope, crushed.
And a title won not with dominance, but with patience, precision — and one final, perfect Sunday.
