Formula 1 2010 Season Summary One

In the style of 11 points, here are the eleven things that I feel really defined the 2010 season:


1. Someone other than a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren getting a pole. Nico Hulkenberg gets the number one spot for his incredible pole position in Interlagos.
2. The tyres working too well. Kamui Kobayashi's late pit stop in Valencia was exciting, and it's a shame it wasn't really tried by other teams. However, it is a risky strategy as you can end up losing a position you don't really want to at the end of the race. Quite a few managed it in Abu Dhabi, including Button on the super-softs for more than 40 laps!
3. The tyres doing what they ought to. The Canadian Grand Prix was a brilliant demonstration of what unpredictable tyres can do in a race, and was what persuaded the FIA to go with Pirelli tyres next season.
4. Cars under suspicion. Red Bull's front wing looked like it wasn't doing what it ought to, bending closer than permitted to the road. But they maintained their innocence, and were proved right in FIA tests. Then they were proved awesome by winning everything in sight.
5. Innovative speed. McLaren pioneered the F-duct, which they managed to protect for several races. It helped them to victories in Australia and |China, and was soon adopted by most of the other teams.
6. Team orders. Ferrari in Germany had Massa and Alonso swap places. They were massively fined, but people were still talking about it to the end of the season. Their strategy backfired again in Abu Dhabi when it cost Alonso the championship as he got stuck behind Petrov.
7. The return of an old name. Lotus Racing brought the historical name of Lotus back to F1. Then they managed to get the rights to the 'Team Lotus' name, but were challenged by Group Lotus. Next year they probably won't have the name, but they will get the black and gold. They were the best of the three new teams in 2010.
8. The championship challengers. Alonso, Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Button all with the ability, mathematically, to win the championship with only two races to go, and all but Button still able to do so in the final race – a Formula One first. And then the winner was not only the youngest, but also the only one who hadn't led the championship during the year.
9. A successful new track. The Korean Grand Prix was slightly spoiled by the rain, but practice and qualifying hinted that in dry conditions it could be a fantastic race.
10. Rain, rain, rain. It affected a lot of races, including Canada where it kept washing clean the track, and Japan where qualifying had to be postponed. It even rained in Abu Dhabi!
11. Can't decide on a driver. Hispania chopped and changed their drivers throughout the year. Senna did all-but-one race, with Chandhok starting the season and Sakon Yamamoto doing most of the end. Christian Klien was their fourth driver, who raced as a replacement for Yamamoto in Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.