The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship

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Some news items:

Kubica to stay at Renault through 2012

Robert Kubica has extended his deal with Renault through to the end of 2012, the team has announced.

The Pole joined Renault from BMW Sauber this season, and has spearheaded a resurgence that has seen Renault get ever closer to the title contenders, taking podium finishes in Australia and Monaco.

Safety car procedures revamped

The FIA will introduce new safety car procedures from the British Grand Prix on Sunday in a bid to prevent a repeat of the controversy in Valencia a fortnight ago, AUTOSPORT has learned.

...

Instead of operating to a 'delta' time of 120% of a regular F1 lap before the cars form up behind the safety car, as under the old regulations, drivers will instead be forced to slow down to the actual estimated speed of the safety car itself.

Yamamoto to race as Senna out of HRT seat

Sakon Yamamoto has replaced Bruno Senna at HRT, not just for Friday morning practice, but the whole of the British GP weekend.

The news was confirmed by team boss Colin Kolles tonight, although he declined to be quoted officially ahead of any press statement from the team. He indicated that full story would come out shortly.

Senna will continue to race for HRT

Bruno Senna remains one of HRT's drivers and will race in the remainder of the season, his team said on Friday, despite being dropped for the British Grand Prix.

HRT revealed late on Thursday night that Sakon Yamamoto was taking Senna's place at Silverstone, although no reason for the driver change has been explained.

This one sounds like a "Thanks for the money, here have a ride!" thing to me. Remember, HRT was formerly known as Campos Meta 1 before Adrian Campos failed to find the funding to 1) run the team and 2) pay for the chassis. Campos sold his team to Collin Kolles who apparently brought enough money to run the team for at least this season, thanks in part to Yamamoto. Senna will return at the next race, which is the German GP, I think. Don't be surprised if Senna (or Chandhok) get bumped again for Yamamoto's pleasure drives .

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British GP results

1) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

2) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

3) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

4) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

5) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

6) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

7) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

8) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

9) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

10) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

11) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

12) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

14) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

15) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

16) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

17) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

18) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin Cosworth

19) #20 Karun Chandhok, HRT-Cosworth

20) #21 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth

Ret) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Brakes)

Ret) #22 Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari (Disintegrating car)

Ret) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault (Driveshaft)

Ret) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

The safety car was deployed once in this race because of de la Rosa's car disintegrating on him while driving, which left debris on Hangar Straight and the main straight.

Fernando Alonso was given a drive though penalty for short-cutting the track at Club (I think that's the turn) to pass Kubica, who later dropped out of the race because of a driveshaft failure.

WDC Points

1) Lewis Hamilton: 145

2) Jenson Button: 133 (-12)

3) Mark Webber: 128 (-17)

4) Sebastian Vettel: 121 (-24)

5) Fernando Alonso: 98 (-47)

6) Nico Rosberg: 90 (-55)

7) Robert Kubica: 83 (-62)

8) Felipe Massa: 67 (-78)

9) Michael Schumacher: 36 (-109)

10) Adrian Sutil: 35 (-110)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 29 (-116)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 15 (-130)

13) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 12 (-133)

14) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-138)

15) Vitaly Petrov: 6 (-139)

16) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-142)

17) Nico Hulkenberg: 2 (-143)

18) Pedro de la Rosa: 0

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

WCC Points

1) McLaren-Mercedes: 278

2) Red Bull-Renault: 249 (-29)

3) Ferrari: 165 (-113)

4) Mercedes GP: 126 (-152)

5) Renault: 89 (-189)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 47 (-231)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 31 (-247)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 15 (-263)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-268)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

New Constructors Points

1) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

2) HRT-Cosworth: 0

3) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The German Grand Prix will be on July 25th. Enjoy.

[VanDer 58]

Karma's a ***** isn't it Vettel

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Haha Webber you gun!

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I do feel bad for Christian Horner and the management at Red Bull Racing. They have to control 2 drivers who have no love for each other and that could cost them the championship down the line if they don't get it together. I'm certainly pulling for Webber to take it, but man RBR is going to make it a bit difficult for him with them apparently favoring Vettel. I can say for sure that this rivalry will certainly be entertaining for us fans .

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It's musical chairs at HRT! Anyone with $$$$$$ can participate! Fun for the whole team!

Well, except for the contracted drivers:

Yamamoto replaces Chandhok at HRT

Karun Chandhok will not be racing at the German Grand Prix next weekend, his HRT team announced on Friday, and his place will be taken by Sakon Yamamoto.

The Japanese driver had replaced Bruno Senna for unknown reasons in the previous race at Silverstone, and the Brazilian will be back in action next week at Hockenheim.

I love this little gem they put out:

"After Sakon Yamamoto gave a very positive performance in Silverstone, the team has decided to give the Japanese driver another opportunity to drive the car alongside Bruno Senna," said the team in a statement.

LOL! Well, if they mean "We liked how fast the money went into our bank account!", then I guess it was a positive performance.

Remember, before it became HRT, it was known as Campos Meta 1, which had to be bought out because they barely had the funds to buy the cars from Dallara, let alone complete a season. I wouldn't be surprised if HRT either was bought out (again) or just ceased to exist.

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German GP results

1) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari*

2) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari*

3) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

4) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

5) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

6) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

7) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

8) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

9) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

10) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

11) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

12) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

13) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

14) #22 Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

15) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

16) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

17) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

18) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

19) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth

Ret) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth (Accident damage)

Ret) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth (Suspension)

Ret) #20 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth (Mechanical)

Ret) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth (Gearbox)

Ret) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Accident damage)

*Ferrari has been fined $100,000 USD after the race Stewards deemed they have breached Article 39.1 of the Sporting Regulations regarding the ban on team orders, as well as the infamous Article 151c of the International Sporting Code. This came after Massa's race strategist, Rob Smedley, radioed to Massa that "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?", apparently a code to allow the faster Alonso by, which did happen several laps later at the hairpin. Ferrari has also be called before the World Motor Sports Council for their actions. No word yet on when the WMSC will convene.

The points will be unofficial until the WMSC rules on the matter.

WDC Points

1) Lewis Hamilton: 157

2) Jenson Button: 143 (-14)

3) Mark Webber: 136 (-21)

4) Sebastian Vettel: 136 (-21)

5) Fernando Alonso: 123 (-34)

6) Nico Rosberg: 94 (-63)

7) Robert Kubica: 89 (-78)

8) Felipe Massa: 85 (-72)

9) Michael Schumacher: 38 (-119

10) Adrian Sutil: 35 (-122)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 29 (-128)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 15 (-142)

13) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 12 (-145)

14) Vitaly Petrov: 7 (-150)

15) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-150)

16) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-154)

17) Nico Hulkenberg: 2 (-155)

18) Pedro de la Rosa: 0

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

WCC Points

1) McLaren-Mercedes: 300

2) Red Bull-Renault: 272 (-28)

3) Ferrari: 208 (-92)

4) Mercedes GP: 132 (-168

5) Renault: 96 (-204)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 47 (-253)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 31 (-269)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 15 (-285)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-290)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

New Constructors Points

1) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

2) HRT-Cosworth: 0

3) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The next race is the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 1st. Hopefully the WMSC will convene soon to sort out the team orders issue.

To be honest, I think the team orders ban is ridiculous as it goes against the history of Formula One (and Grand Prix) racing. Besides, the teams are STILL going around the ban by using codes, like when McLaren asked their drivers to "conserve fuel" several races ago. Ferrari gave themselves an out by telling Massa that "Alonso is faster. Do you copy?" sort of thing. Granted, anyone with more than 3 operational neurons would know that Ferrari want's Massa to give way to the faster (and highest placed) driver on the team. I just think it's ridiculous that Ferrari gets hauled in before the WMSC while McLaren gets away with it. Either nail everyone when they use coded messages or just drop the ban as it clearly isn't a) working and b) being enforced.

Edited July 26, 2010 by commadore183

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Hungarian GP results

1) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

2) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

3) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

4) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

5) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

6) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

7) #22 Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

8) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

9) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

10) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

11) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

12) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

14) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

15) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

16) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

17) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth

18) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

19) #20 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth

Ret) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes (Gearbox)

Ret) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault (Accident damage)

Ret) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP (Loose wheel)

Ret) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes (Accident)

Ret) Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Mechanical)

The Safety Car was deployed because of a piece of someone's front wing was out in the middle of the track. Everyone took advantage of it and pitted, except for Webber. The lollipop man for Robert Kubica cocked up majorly and sent Kubica out into the path of a pitting Sutil, ending Sutil's race right there. Kubica was hit with a 10 second stop-go penalty by the Stewards, who also fined Renault $50,000 for violating Article 23.1(j) of the Sporting Regulations.

Mercedes GP then decided to join in on the pit lane Amateur Hour by releasing Rosberg with a loose right-rear wheel, which then flew off and bounced around until someone from the Williams garage actually tried to CATCH the 40+ pound wheel and tyre assembly; fortunately, the guy was okay, but Mercedes GP was $50,000 lighter in the wallet for violating Article 23.1(j).

Before the restart, second-place Vettel fell back more than 10 car lengths from leader Webber (it looked like you can fit one and a half tractor trailers between the two Red Bull cars). Vettel was rewarded with a drive-through penalty for breaking Article 40.9. Vettel then proceed to pout for the rest of the race, even going so far as to wave a hand wildly during his drive through and proceeded to carry on his shenanigans going to parc ferme.

Finally, Schumacher decided that he hadn't had a controversy in a while, so he pulled off a Mark Webber of blocking attempts, nearly running former team mate Rubens Barrichello into the pit wall on the main straight and almost into the grass. Fortunately, they all stayed in one piece, with Barrichello getting the better of the 7 time World Drivers Champion. Schumi was then slapped with a 10 grid spot penalty for the Belgian GP in a month.

WDC Points

1)Mark Webber: 161

2) Lewis Hamilton: 157 (-4)

3) Sebastian Vettel: 151 (-10)

4) Jenson Button: 147 (-14)

5) Fernando Alonso: 141 (-20)

6) Felipe Massa: 97 (-64)

7) Nico Rosberg: 94 (-67)

8) Robert Kubica: 89 (-72)

9) Michael Schumacher: 38 (-123)

10) Adrian Sutil: 35 (-126)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 30 (-131)

12) Vitaly Petrov: 17 (-144)

13) Kamui Kobayashi: 17 (-144)

14) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 12 (-149)

15) Nico Hulkenberg: 10 (-151)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-154)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-155)

18) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-158)

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 312

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 304 (-8)

3) Ferrari: 238 (-74)

4) Mercedes GP: 132 (-180)

5) Renault: 106 (-206)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 47 (-265)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 40 (-272)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 23 (-289)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-302)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

New Constructors Points

1) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

2) HRT-Cosworth: 0

3) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The next race is the Belgian GP on August 29. Take care.

Official FIA Press Release regarding the Ferrari team orders issue that occured at the German GP on July 25th. The WMSC will meet on September 8th to discuss the issue and, possibly, dole out any punishment they seem fit.

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Belgian GP results

1) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

2) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

3) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

4) #7 Felipe Massa

5) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

6) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

7) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

8) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

9) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

10) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

11) #22 Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

12) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari*

14) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

15) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

16) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

17) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

18) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

19) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

20) #20 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth

Ret) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari (Accident)

Ret) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes (Accident)

Ret) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth (Suspension)

Ret) #9 Rubens Barrichello (Accident)

*Alguersuari was hit with a 20 second time penalty after the race after the stewards deemed he gained an unfair advantage by cutting through the final chicane. He dropped from 10th to 13th.

Bit of a wild race, as rain came and went, which caused havoc for some teams. At the start, Barrichello plowed into the right-rear of Alonso's Ferrari at the final chicane, severing Barrichello's left-front wheel, but somehow Alonso got away from that incident without any real damage (he did crash out near the end of the race due to rain). Hell, practically everyone was going off at the final chicane because of rain there. Vettel was caught out in the changing conditions and lost control of his car heading into the final chicane trying to pass Button. Vettel's car speared into the left sidepod of Button's McLaren, terminally damaging it, while Vettel contined, but, for some reason, was hit with a drive-through penalty. Vettel would also come to some grief with one of the Force India cars.

WDC Points

1) Lewis Hamilton: 182

2) Mark Webber: 179 (-3)

3) Sebastian Vettel: 151 (-31)

4) Jenson Button: 147 (-35)

5) Fernando Alonso: 141 (-41)

6) Felipe Massa: 109 (-73)

7) Robert Kubica: 104 (78)

8) Nico Rosberg: 102 (-80)

9) Adrian Sutil: 45 (-137)

10) Michael Schumacher: 44 (-138)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 30 (-152)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 21 (-161)

13) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (163)

14) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 13 (-169)

15) Nico Hulkenberg: 10 (-172)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-175)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-176)

18) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-179)

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

The bolded names are the drivers that are still mathematically in contention to win the WDC, as far as I know. Now we'll start eliminating drivers as the season winds down.

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 330

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 329 (-1)

3) Ferrari: 250 (-80)

4) Mercedes GP: 146 (-184)

5) Renault: 123 (-207)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 58 (-272)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 40 (-290)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 27 (-303)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-320)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The next grand prix will the Italian GP on September 12th.

Also, the circuit layout for the 2012 USGP has been revealed. It will have 20 turns and run at 3.4 miles in length.

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FIA press release regarding the extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sports Council

On 25 July 2010, at the Grand Prix of Germany, the Stewards of the meeting found an infringement by the Scuderia Ferrari to the prohibition of team orders interfering with a race result and then decided to impose a fine of $100,000 and to forward the dossier to the World Motor Sport Council for further consideration.

The Judging Body of the World Motor Sport Council held an extraordinary hearing in Paris on 8 September 2010 to examine this matter.

After an in depth analysis of all reports, statements and documents submitted, the Judging Body has decided to confirm the Stewards’ decision of a $100,000 fine for infringing article 39.1 of the Sporting Regulations and to impose the payment of the costs incurred by the FIA.

The Judging Body has also acknowledged that article 39.1 of the Sporting Regulations should be reviewed and has decided to refer this question to the Formula One Sporting Working Group.

The full decision of the World Motor Sport Council may be consulted on the following link ed- it's a .pdf link

The basics of the summary is that Ferrari escapes any further punishment from the WMSC and the WMSC recommends that the Sporting Working Group, consisting of representatives of the FIA and the FOTA, to review and, possibly, re-write the article. Hopefully, they'll just drop the ban on team orders.

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Italian GP results

1) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

2) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

3) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

4) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

5) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

6) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

7) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

8) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

9) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

10) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

11) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

13) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

14) #22 Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

15) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

16) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

17) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

18) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

19) #20 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth

20) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

Ret) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth (Gearbox)

Ret) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

Ret) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes (Accident)

Ret) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari (Gearbox)

Hamilton exited the race after making contact with Massa's LR tyre with his RF, damaging the suspension and going off at the first Lesmo turn. Pit road was closed for several laps because of an incident in the HRT pits where Yamamoto knocked down one of his crew members and an ambulance was called to cart him away; HRT was fined $25,000 for an unsafe pit release.

WDC Points

1) Mark Webber: 187

2) Lewis Hamilton: 182 (-5)

3) Fernando Alonso: 166 (-21)

4) Jenson Button: 165 (-22)

5) Sebastian Vettel: 163 (-24)

6) Felipe Massa: 124 (-63)

7) Nico Rosberg: 112 (-75)

8) Robert Kubica: 108 (-79)

9) Michael Schumacher: 46 (-141)

10) Adrian Sutil: 45 (-142)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 31 (-156)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 21 (-166)

13) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (-168)

14) Nico Hulkenberg: 16 (-171)

15) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 13 (-174)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-180)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-181)

18) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-184)

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

Names in bold means that the drivers are still in contention for the championship, mathematically. The maximum number of points available for the remaining season is 125.

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 350

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 347 (-3)

3) Ferrari: 290 (-60)

4) Mercedes GP: 158 (-192)

5) Renault: 127 (-223)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 58 (-292)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 47 (-303)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 27 (-323)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-340)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

Constructors in bold means that they are still mathematically in contention for the championship. The maximum number of points on offer for the remain season is 215.

The next race is the Singapore GP on September 26th.

EDIT: Sauber confirms Heidfeld in, de la Rosa out

Sauber has confirmed that Nick Heidfeld will replace Pedro de la Rosa for the rest of the season.

The Spaniard has not had much luck this year and has recently been overshadowed by Kamui Kobayashi. It’s worth noting too that of the remaining five tracks he does not know either Singapore or Abu Dhabi, whereas Heidfeld does. In addition his recent tests in the Pirelli-equipped Toyota have given Heidfeld a chance to get up to speed.

It remains to be seen what happens now to his Pirelli deal, because he was released by Mercedes specifically to test for the Italian tyre company on the basis that he would not be tied in any way to a current team. Logic suggests that de la Rosa – coming straight from using 2010 Bridgestones – will be a sensible choice for Pirelli to make.

Edited September 14, 2010 by commadore183

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Singapore GP results

1) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

2) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

3) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

4) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

5) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

6) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

7) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

8) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

9) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes*

10) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth*

11) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

12) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

14) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

15) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

16) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

Ret) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

Ret) #22 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber-Ferrari (Accident)

Ret) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes (Accident)

Ret) #20 Christian Klein, HRT-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

Ret) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari (Accident)

Ret) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth (Accident)

Ret) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

Ret) Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes (Accident damage)

* Sutil and Hulkenburg both were nailed with a 20 second post-race penalty for "leaving the circuit and gained an unfair advantage" on the first lap of the race. Not sure why it took them so long to issue the penalty.

Lewis Hamilton had his second straight DNF in the season after driving into Mark Webber in one of the turns, causing no damage to Webber's car. For some reason, the Stewards felt the need to investigate the incident when it was a racing incident, but nothing further happened. Later in the race, Michael Schumacher and Nick Heidfeld got together in one of the turns, ending Heidfeld's race but Schumacher continued. Again, the Stewards investigated the racing incident, but nothing further. About two laps from the end, Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus caught fire, with Heikki parking it right on the main straight next to the pit wall. He managed to get a fire extinguisher from some team officials and put it out himself. No other drama came from that.

WDC Points

1) Mark Webber: 202

2) Fernando Alonso: 191 (-11)

3) Lewis Hamilton: 182 (-20)

4) Sebastian Vettel: 181 (-21)

5) Jenson Button: 177 (-25)

6) Felipe Massa: 128 (-74)

7) Nico Rosberg: 122 (-80)

8) Robert Kubica: 114 (-88)

9) Adrian Sutil: 47 (-155)

10) Michael Schumacher: 46 (-156)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 39 (-163)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 21 (-181)

13) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (-183)

14) Nico Hulkenberg: 17 (-185)

15) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 13 (-189)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 7 (-195)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-196)

18) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-199)

19) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

20) Karun Chandhok: 0

21) Lucas di Grassi: 0

22) Jarno Trulli: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

26) Nick Heidfeld: 0

Maximum points gain for the rest of the season is 100. First through ninth still have a change, but it seems like its between Webber and Alonso, as Hamilton has pretty much ruled out a championship after his second consecutive DNF.

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 383

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 359 (-24)

3) Ferrari: 319 (-64)

4) Mercedes GP: 168 (-215)

5) Renault: 133 (-250)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 60 (-323)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 56 (-327)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 27 (-356)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 10 (-373)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

Maximum points on offer for the rest of the season is 172, so that leaves just Red Bull, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari left to battle for the Constructors' Championship.

However, that can all change if the Korean Grand Prix gets cancelled:

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has conceded there are now major doubts over whether next month's inaugural Korean Grand Prix can take place.

There have been concerns all year that the brand new circuit will not be completed in time for the 22-24 October event, which is scheduled to be the 17th round on this year's calendar.

Despite constant assurances from the Korean organisers that all would be well, Ecclestone said the situation was getting worrying.

"It's not good," he told the BBC.

"It should've been inspected maybe six weeks ago - which it was, but it wasn't passed."

He admitted that by changing its procedures to give Korea more time, F1 was in danger of setting a bad precedent.

"We normally have a 90-day check before a race, and now we're sort of putting this off," Ecclestone explained.

"It's quite dangerous, what we've done, actually."

Next race is the Japanese Grand Prix on October 10.

[commadore183 103]

Japanese GP Results

1) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

2) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

3) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

4) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

5) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

6) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

7) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

8) #22 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

9) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

10) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

11) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

13) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

14) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

15) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth

16) #20 Sakon Yamamoto, HRT-Cosworth

17) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP (Accident)

RET) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes (Oil Leak)

RET) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault (Mechanical)

RET) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth (Accident)

RET) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari (Accident)

RET) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault (Accident)

RET) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes (Accident)

DNS) Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth (Accident)

Drama started early before the race started when Lucas di Grassi crashed his car on the reconnaissance lap to the grid at the 130R turn! Fortunately, he was okay but didn't take part in the race. Hamilton qualified 3rd early in the day (qualifying was postponed to the morning of the race due to heavy rains), but dropped to 8th on the grid because of a gearbox change. 4 cars crashed on the first lap (Petrov and Hulkenberg on the main straight, Massa and Liuzzi into T1), resulting in the only safety car session of the race. Kubica lost a rear wheel because a mechanic failed to properly tighten the locking nut, knocking him out of the race; near the end of the race, the same situation knocked out Rosberg, this time damaging the car in a crash, where as Kubica managed to pull it off the circuit under the safety car. Sutil then lubed up 130R about a dozen laps from the end of the race, spun in his own fluids, and managed, somehow, to make it to pit road without any further damage. Hamilton struggled to finish the race after losing 3rd gear past the mid-point of the race.

The Stewards investigated both Petrov/Hulkenberg and Massa/Liuzzi incidents, and the only one penalized was Petrov, who was given a 5 grid place penalty at the Korean GP.

WDC Points

1) Mark Webber: 220

2) Fernando Alonso: 206 (-14)

3) Sebastian Vettel: 206 (-14)

4) Lewis Hamilton: 192 (-28)

5) Jenson Button: 189 (-31)

6) Felipe Massa: 128 (-92)

7) Nico Rosberg: 122 (-98)

8) Robert Kubica: 114 (-106)

9) Michael Schumacher: 54 (-166)

10) Adrian Sutil: 47 (-173)

11) Rubens Barrichello: 41 (-179)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 27 (-193)

13) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (-201)

14) Nico Hulkenberg: 17 (-203)

15) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 13 (-207)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 8 (-212)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-214)

18) Nick Heidfeld: 4 (-216)

19) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-217)

20) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

21) Jarno Trulli: 0

22) Karun Chandhok: 0

23) Lucas di Grassi: 0

24) Timo Glock: 0

25) Bruno Senna: 0

26) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

The maximum points on offer for the rest of the season is 75 points. Webber, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and Button are the only ones left to compete for the championship.

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 426

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 381 (-45)

3) Ferrari: 334 (-92)

4) Mercedes GP: 176 (-250)

5) Renault: 133 (-293)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 60 (-366)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 58 (-368)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 37 (-389)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 11 (-415)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

Maximum points on offer for the rest of the season is 129, meaning that Red Bull-Renault, McLaren-Mercedes, and Ferrari are the remaining constructors competing for the WCC.

Next race is the Korean Grand Prix on October 24th, if the circuit successfully passes the FIA inspection.

Edited October 11, 2010 by commadore183

[commadore183 103]

Korean Grand Prix gets FIA go-ahead

The Korean Grand Prix will take place later this month after the FIA gave the circuit a green light on Tuesday following two days of safety inspections.

Although the event has been surrounded by speculation for weeks that the venue would not be finished in time for the October 24 race, FIA race director Charlie Whiting was happy with the progress that had been made.

Whiting told race officials that he had seen enough at the track to convince him that he will issue it with the mandatory circuit licence that it needs to host a Formula 1 race.

In a statement issued by race organisers, Whiting said: "It is satisfactory, and I will issue the license through (ASN) KARA."

[commadore183 103]

Korean GP results

1) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

2) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

3) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

4) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

5) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

6) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

7) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

8) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

9) #22 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

10) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

11) #17 Jamie Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

13) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth (-1L)

14) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth (-2L)

15) #20 Sakon Yamamotor, HRT-Cosworth (-2L)

Ret) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes (Accident)

Ret) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault (Engine)

Ret) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault (Accident)

Ret) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth (Accident)

Ret) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Accident)

Ret) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth (Accident)

Ret) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth (Hydraulics)

Ret) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault (Accident)

Ret) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP (Accident)

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix was delayed for 10 minutes because of heavy rains that had left a lot of water on the track, mainly because of the inadequate drainage there. They did start the race under the safety car and ran for three laps before the red flag was shown because visibility was atrocious, with Button telling his crew that he couldn't see his front wheels because of the spray.

After a 40-minute or so red flag period, the race restarted under the safety car. The green flag didn't fly until lap 17. On lap 18, Webber ran wide, got onto the slick fake-grass and spun out into the inside wall at the turn, then slid across the track into the path of Rosberg, taking him out unintentionally; that crash dealt a big blow to Webber's chances at the WDC and would need to be dominate in the final two races.

On lap 30, Buemi collided with Glock at T3, taking both out. Seventeen laps later, Sutil lost it under braking at T4, striking Kobayashi and ended Sutil's race. Both Buemi and Sutil have been penalized 5 grid places for Brazil for causing avoidable accidents, and Sutil was nailed with a $10,000 fine after admitting that he was aware of brake problems throughout the race and still continued.

Biggest moment of the race was Vettel retiring from the race with 10 laps remaining in the race after the engine let go on him. Alonso, who lost second on a pit stop under the third SC incident between Buemi and Glock, managed to retake P2, and the lead when Vettel dropped out, when Hamilton understeered wide at the first turn on the restart.

WDC Points

1) Fernando Alonso: 231

2) Mark Webber: 220 (-11)

3) Lewis Hamilton: 210 (-21)

4) Sebastian Vettel: 206 (-25)

5) Jenson Button: 189 (-42)

6) Felipe Massa: 143 (-88)

7) Robert Kubica: 124 (-107)

8) Nico Rosberg: 122 (-109)

9) Michael Schumacher: 66 (-165)

10) Rubens Barrichello: 47 (-184)

11) Adrian Sutil: 47 (-184)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 31 (-200)

13) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 21 (-210)

14) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (-212)

15) Nico Hulkenberg: 18 (-213)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 8 (-223)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-225)

18) Nick Heidfeld: 6 (-225)

19) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-228)

20) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

21) Jarno Trulli: 0

22) Karun Chandhok: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Lucas di Grassi: 0

25) Timo Glock: 0

26) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

Maximum number of points available for the rest of the season is 50, so from 1st to 5th can still win it, but Button would need to go on a tear for the final 2 races and his competitors to fall out.

WCC Points

1) Red Bull-Renault: 426

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 399 (-27)

3) Ferrari: 374 (-52)

4) Mercedes GP: 188 (-238)

5) Renault: 143 (-283)

6) Force India-Mercedes: 68 (-358)

7) Williams-Cosworth: 65 (-361)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 43 (-383)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 11 (-415)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

Maximum number of points left in the season is 86 points, so only Red Bull-Renault, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari can win it

Next race is the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 7th.

[commadore183 103]

Brazilian GP results

1) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

2) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

3) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

4) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

5) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

6) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

7) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP

8) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

9) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

10) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

11) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

13) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

14) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

15) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

16) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

17) #22 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

18) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

19) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

20) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth

21) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth

22) #20 Christian Klien, HRT-Cosworth

NC) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

RET) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel lead from the lights all the way to his 4th win of the season, and with team mate Mark Webber finishing P2, Red Bull-Renault have clinched the 2010 FIA Formula One World Constructor Championship, the first time the outfit formerly known as Stewart Grand Prix/Jaguar Racing has won the top constructors prize! The only incident of note was Liuzzi's crash in the Senna S complex (turns 1, 2 and 3) that force the deployment of the Safety Car with about 22 laps remaining; otherwise it was a Red Bull dominance. The only real excitement during the weekend were several team members getting robbed at gunpoint, with Jenson Button's being the scariest as the armored car he was riding in was approached by armed thugs; fortunately, no one in any of the muggings were hurt.

WDC Points (25 points remaining)

1) Fernando Alonso: 246

2) Mark Webber: 238 (-8)

3) Sebastian Vettel: 231 (-15)

4) Lewis Hamilton: 222 (-24)

5) Jenson Button: 199 (-47)

6) Felipe Massa: 143 (-103)

7) Nico Rosberg: 130 (-116)

8) Robert Kubica: 126 (-120)

9) Michael Schumacher: 72 (-174)

10) Rubens Barrichello: 47 (-199)

11) Adrian Sutil: 47 (-199)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 32 (-214)

13) Nico Hulkenberg: 22 (-224)

14) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 21 (-225)

15) Vitaly Petrov: 19 (-227)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 8 (-238)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-240)

18) Nick Heidfeld: 6 (-240)

19) Jaime Alguersuari: 3 (-243)

20) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

21) Jarno Trulli: 0

22) Karun Chandhok: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Lucas di Grassi: 0

25) Timo Glock: 0

26) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

27) Christian Klien: 0

WCC Points (43 points remaining)

1) Red Bull-Renault: 469 World Constructors Champions!

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 421 (-48)

3) Ferrari: 389 (-80)

4) Mercedes GP: 202 (-267)

5) Renault: 145 (-324)

6) Williams-Cosworth: 69 (-400)

7) Force India-Mercedes: 68 (-401)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 44 (-425)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 11 (-458)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The final race of the 2010 season will be the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 14th at the luxurious Yas Marina Circuit. There we will crown the 2010 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion!

The FIA announced on the 3rd the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship calender. There will be twenty events, up from the 19 this season, making it the longest Formula One season in its 60+ year history (outside of non-championship events). New to the global stage is the Indian Grand Prix, slated to be held at the Jaypee Group Circuit near New Delhi. China's homologation license has expired, thus the little * next to it, but there shouldn't be any problems for it to renew its license.

1) March 3: Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain

2) March 27: Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia

3) April 10: Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

4) April 17: UBS Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China*

5) May 8: Turkish, Istanbul Park, Istanbul (not Constantinople), Turkey

6) May 22: Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

7) May 29: Monaco Grand Prix, Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco

8) June 12: Canadian Grand Prix, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada

9) June 26: European Grand Prix, Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain

10) July 10: Santander British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United Kingdom

11) July 24: Santander German Grand Prix, Nurburgring, Nurburg, Germany

12) July 31: ENI Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary

13) August 28: Belgian, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium

14) September 11: Santander Italian Grand Prix, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy

15) September 25: Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore

16) October 9: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka International Race Course, Suzuka, Japan

17) October 16: Korean Grand Prix, Korean International Circuit, Yeongam, South Korea

18) October 30: Indian Grand Prix, Jaypee Group Circuit, Greater Noida, India*

19) November 13: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

20) November 27: Brazilian Grand Prix, Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Sao Paulo, Brazil

* Subject to circuit homologation

Edited November 8, 2010 by commadore183

[commadore183 103]

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2010 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion:

Sebastian Vettel became the youngest F1 champion in the sports 61 year history at 23 years and 134 days!

Abu Dhabi GP results

1) #5 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

2) #2 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes

3) #1 Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes

4) #4 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP

5) #11 Robert Kubica, Renault

6) #12 Vitaly Petrov, Renault

7) #8 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

8) #6 Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

9) #17 Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

10) #7 Felipe Massa, Ferrari

11) #22 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

12) #9 Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth

13) #14 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes

14) #23 Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari

15) #16 Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari

16) #10 Nico Hulkenberg, Williams-Cosworth

17) #19 Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus-Cosworth

18) #25 Lucas di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth

19) #21 Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth

20) #20 Christian Klien, HRT-Cosworth

21) #18 Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth

Ret) #24 Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth (Gearbox)

Ret) #3 Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP (Accident)

Ret) #15 Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes (Accident)

Schumacher gave it a little too much gas coming off of T6, looped then, then was struck and rode up on by Liuzzi, just missing Schumacher's head. Fortunately, both drivers were okay.

There was no doubt as to Vettel's dominance in the race, and thanks to a bad strategy call by Ferrari and Webber somehow slower than what was expected, the young German clinched the title with no pressure.

WDC Points (final)

1) Sebastian Vettel: 256

2) Fernando Alonso: 252 (-4)

3) Mark Webber: 242 (-14)

4) Lewis Hamilton: 240 (-16)

5) Jenson Button: 214 (-42)

6) Felipe Massa: 144 (-112)

7) Nico Rosberg: 142 (-114)

8) Robert Kubica: 136 (-120)

9) Michael Schumacher: 72 (-184)

10) Rubens Barrichello: 47 (-209)

11) Adrian Sutil: 47 (-209)

12) Kamui Kobayashi: 32 (-224)

13) Vitaly Petrov: 27 (-229)

14) Nico Hulkenberg: 22 (-234)

15) Vitantonio Liuzzi: 21 (-235)

16) Sebastien Buemi: 8 (-248)

17) Pedro de la Rosa: 6 (-250)

18) Nick Heidfeld: 6 (-250)

19) Jaime Alguersuari: 5 (-251)

20) Heikki Kovalainen: 0

21) Jarno Trulli: 0

22) Karun Chandhok: 0

23) Bruno Senna: 0

24) Lucas di Grassi: 0

25) Timo Glock: 0

26) Sakon Yamamoto: 0

27) Christian Klien: 0

WCC Points (final)

1) Red Bull-Renault: 498

2) McLaren-Mercedes: 454 (-44)

3) Ferrari: 396 (-102)

4) Mercedes GP: 214 (-284)

5) Renault: 163 (-335)

6) Williams-Cosworth: 69 (-429)

7) Force India-Mercedes: 68 (-430)

8) BMW Sauber-Ferrari: 44 (-454)

9) Toro Rosso-Ferrari: 13 (-485)

10) Lotus-Cosworth: 0

11) HRT-Cosworth: 0

12) Virgin-Cosworth: 0

The next race will be the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on March 13, 2011.