Sebastian Vettel Lays His Marker for 2010
In the end the margin came down to just eleven points. That was the gap that separated Sebastian Vettel from Jenson Button in the Formula 1 Driver’s Championship after the Red Bull driver won the final race of the season.
Vettel did get some help in Abu Dhabi when Lewis Hamilton had to retire his McClaren with brake problems but the German driver did seem to have the pace to beat the 2008 champion anyway.
The strong finish to the campaign by Red Bull only served to emphasise how close the team came to preventing Button’s march to the title.
Some bad luck with engines, a coming together in the first race in Australia, plus a couple of mistakes through inexperience, made the difference. There’s little doubt that Red Bull were superior to Brawn in the second half of the season- as were McClaren. The common wisdom in the paddock is that Vettel is definitely a future world champion.
Both Red Bull drivers put down a marker for next season; Mark Webber held off a ferocious last lap charge from Button to make it a one-two for his team. The Australian became a race winner for the first time in 2009 and won’t automatically defer to his team mate in 2010.
The grid should be even more competitive. Hamilton has his McClaren working superbly and if Kimi Raikkonen joins him they will have a strong hand. Fernando Alonso leaves Renault to Ferrari and while the Italian squad might not win the title, they will be stronger.
Three new teams are joining the fray although the net gain will be just four cars, because BMW Sauber are pulling out of the sport. Jarno Trulli of Toyota is expected to take on the task of spearheading the revived Lotus marque.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place in a stunning setting and no doubt will be considered a huge success. It remains to be seen if there is a British Grand Prix on the calendar in 2010; Donington Park have failed to find the necessary investment and Silverstone may be the only option left.
Bernie Ecclestone is known to be skeptical about the level of investment that the Northamptonshire circuit can pull together to improve transport links- and Silverstone are unhappy with the amount of profit the rights holder demands.
It seems likely that a deal can be cobbled together to retain the race for 2010 but the long –term future of a race in the country where more teams are based than any other is decidedly unpromising. In Asia and the Middle East, countries- and significantly, governments- are only too happy to offer Ecclestone the package he wants.
If you enjoyed this post then try these:
- Contador Wins But Armstrong Lays Down A Marker
- Jenson Button Uses Another Of His Nine Lives
- Brawn Bounce Back at Monza
- Trouble for F1 could mean a reprieve for Silverstone
- Jenson Button Clinches The Formula One World Title
