Safety car, Yeongam, 2011 - Photo © Red Bull/Getty Images

The Korean Grand Prix wasn’t the most strategically interesting race, but there are still some interesting points in the race which all fell into the hands of eventual winner Sebastian Vettel.

One of these is the inter-team battle at Ferrari, with no team orders at all, much to the frustration of Fernando Alonso, who spent many of the early laps stuck behind teammate Felipe Massa, hindering his race greatly.

Alonso was stuck behind Felipe Massa until the second pit stop phase, when he managed to stay out for a long time on the soft tyre and make up enough time in clear air out front to stay ahead of the Brazilian when he eventually stopped on lap 37 – three laps after Massa came in.

As you can see on the chart below, after getting in front of his teammate, Alonso was consistently quicker than Massa when he had passed him, but by which time it was too late for him to challenge for 2nd place – much to his annoyance, when he came on the radio saying “I give up, I give up.”

What Alonso should have done is what Jenson Button did to get in front of the Ferrari duo – pit earlier than them both. Button pitted on lap 13 compared to Massa on lap 14 and Alonso on lap 15, and used the undercut to get in front after the first pit stop phase. This meant he came home in a pretty comfortable 4th place, aided by Massa holding up the quicker Alonso.

Another driver left wondering what could have been was Mark Webber, who at one stage appeared the favourite to win the race, despite running in 3rd place at the time.

At the first pit stop phase, Webber went from the super-soft tyre to the soft tyre, something not done by Sebastian Vettel or the McLarens. It seemed to be the ideal strategy, as it left him on the more durable tyre and within a couple of seconds of leaders Vettel and Hamilton.

However, rather bafflingly, when Lewis Hamilton announced he was coming in for his stop, Red Bull made Webber come in to cover him, despite being able to run further on the soft tyres. As you can see on the chart below, despite being on the supposedly slower tyre following his first stop (lap 14), he was able  to more or less match the pace of Hamilton throughout, and therefore he should have been kept out – something he himself was disappointed about.

Pit stop summary

The first column denotes the tyres the driver started the race on.

S = Soft compound
SS = Supersoft compound
N = New compound
U = Used compound
DT = Drive Through
NC = Not classified

The last column gives the total amount of pit stops

2010 was a tough season for Felipe, being on the wrong end of Ferrari team orders - Photo © Pirelli

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa is undoubtedly one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers in the paddock. The Brazilian’s F1 debut came with Sauber in 2002, and he moved to Ferrari alongside Michael Schumacher in 2006. In his time in Formula 1, Massa has won eleven Grands Prix, and he came within a lap of winning the 2008 title, eventually won by Lewis Hamilton.

However despite driving for one of the fastest teams on the grid, he hasn’t won a race for two years, and when compared to the number of victories from the teammates he has driven alongside in those two years, the figures don’t stack up well.

“I don’t think 2011 signifies a crucial year for me,” the 29-year-old has recently said. However I hope that this is just a statement to relieve the pressure from his shoulders and he doesn’t genuinely believe this, or he could be in for a nasty surprise, with Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo eyeing up world champion Sebastian Vettel for the Maranello drive.

It is important to remember that Massa has had his fair dollop of misfortune in the past few years, having come so close to winning the ’08 title, suffering from a terrible accident at Hungary in 2009
and having a victory cruelly stripped away from him at the Hockenheimring this year due to Ferrari’s Fernando favouritism.

However despite this he hasn’t really found the form that we know he has, and with Ferrari’s team order history, it’s vitally important that he gets off to a great start in 2011 in order to give the ‘Scuderia’ no reason to favour his two-time world champion team-mate Fernando Alonso. Otherwise, Massa could be in for a long hard season, with no drive at the end of it.

Forza Felipe!

There were many memorable moments in the 2010 season which made it one of the most exciting seasons yet. There were many controversial moments but also happy and jubilant ones. These top 10 moments are those which I feel shaped what was an incredible season:

10. Lotus back in Formula One

Lotus' 2010 challenger, the T127 - Photo © Lotus Racing

Having Lotus back in Formula One was a breath of fresh air and with the new name and new look,  they seem a promising team for the future.

Their return to F1 hasn’t been the easiest and after a pretty dismal start to 2010 the team did develop upgrades and Lotus were able to make up ground on the other new teams. They managed to make it into Q2 in their home race in Malaysia and again in Belgium thanks to variable weather conditions.

Lotus have recently announced that they will be sticking with Kovalainen and Trulli for 2011 and they have also secured the rights to be called Team Lotus after a long legal battle with Lotus’ owners Proton.

Read more: Lotus reveal Lotus Cosworth T127 (Gallery & Video)

9. Button’s speedy start

Jenson Button celebrates winning the Australian Grand Prix - Photo © McLaren

Jenson Button silenced his critics with some fantastic early race results including wins in Australia and China.

Button had been harshly criticized over the off season and had been undermined as McLaren’s number two driver. Button took no notice of what the media said and out qualified team-mate Hamilton in three of the first four races. The pair seemed like perfect team-mates on and off the track and many predicted wrongly that the pair would not get along.

Button’s season slowly fell apart and he was left with just the two race wins and was out of the championship hunt before the final race in Abu Dhabi, despite his speedy start.

Read more: Australian Grand Prix: Button wins as Vettel suffers reliability issues once more

8. Different Points system

There was a mixed reaction to the idea of a new points scoring system in F1 but it was given the go-ahead and changed the look of F1. Points would be given to the top 10 drivers in each race with the winner collecting a handy 25 points.

In previous seasons if the points system was like today’s, other drivers would have been champion, for example in 1994, under the new points system Damon Hill would have won the championship instead of Schumacher.

The points system worked very well in 2010 and made both Championships a lot more exciting and making them harder to predict. It added a new dimension to the racing and looks like a good change.

Read more: Has the new points system proved successful? (Poll)

7. Barrichello/Schumacher incident – Hungarian GP

An old rivalry is re-ignited as Schumacher squeezes Barrichello - Photo © Williams/LAT

Rubens Barrichello had been stuck behind Michael Schumacher for about 3 laps and finally made his move on the pit straight, but Schumacher appeared to push his ex-team mate within inches of the pit wall. Barrichello wasn’t happy and had no doubt who’s fault it was. Schumacher claimed he had moved over to let Barrichello on the other side of him.

Schumacher later apologised and was given a grid penalty for the following race. The incident showed that Schumacher is still prepared to go to extreme lengths to defend his position like he did in 1994 with Damon Hill and again in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve.

Read more: Webber wins Hungarian GP in stunning drive

6. Webber flips – European Grand Prix

Mark Webber‘s miraculous escape from his terrifying crash in the European Grand Prix really showed the safety of modern day Formula One cars.

No one will forget the moment Webber slammed into the back of Kovalainen’s Lotus and flipped a full 360 degrees at 196mph before smashing into the tyre wall. Webber some how escaped uninjured but was a little shaken by the ordeal. The crash showed the dangers of Formula One but also how the strength and safety of the cars has improved.

The crash had shades of  Christian Fittipaldi’s crash as he crossed the line at Monza in 1993.

Read more: Playing the Blame Game: Mark or Heikki? (Poll)

5. Vettel-Webber crash, Turkish Grand Prix

Inter-team rivalry reached a head at the Turkish Grand Prix - Photo © Red Bull/Getty Images

Red Bull were the top team in 2010 but Vettel and Webber got too close for comfort in Turkey.

It was one of the most controversial incidents of 2010 when Vettel appeared to hit Webber when the pair were 1st and 2nd . Vettel was forced to retire and Webber managed to finish 3rd. The crash handed McLaren a 1-2 finish with Hamilton taking the win. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner wasn’t happy with either of his drivers and both were blaming each other. Webber lost crucial points in the championship and Vettel had more ground to make up.

The pair eventually put the incident behind them but it wasn’t fully forgotten.

Read more: Who was at fault in the Webber/Vettel crash?

4. Kovalainen turns fireman

Heikki Kovalainen extinguishes the blaze - Photo © Lotus Racing

Kovalainen went from McLaren to Lotus for this season, and although the two teams may be equal in history, Lotus were far slower than McLaren this year. Not to worry though because Heikki Kovalainen provided one of the most memorable moments of the season, one which won the LG Moment of the Year at last night’s AUTOSPORT awards.

Health and safety are the priorities in F1 but Kovalainen took it upon himself to put out the flames of his Lotus after it caught fire in the dying laps of the Singapore Grand Prix. Kovalainen extinguished the flames as cars sped past him at nearly 300mph on the Marina Bay circuit’s straight.

Read more: Alonso wins Singapore snore-fest as Hamilton’s title challenge takes a huge blow

3. Hulkenberg on pole

Hulkenberg celebrates after his amazing pole - Photo © Williams/LAT

No-one predicted that Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg would qualify on pole for the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix. Williams hadn’t won a race since Montoya’s win at the same track in 2004 and hadn’t qualified on pole since 2005 but exactly 100 races later Hulkenberg became Williams’ latest hero.

Hulkenberg set two stunning lap times and was almost 1.5 seconds clear of Vettel in 2nd. Many say it was the upset of the season. Sadly his race wasn’t quite as good as qualifying; as he was knocked down to 3rd after the first corner but managed to keep Alonso behind him for four laps before he was eventually overtaken. Hulkenberg eventually finished 8th but it was the highlight of his rookie season in F1.

Read more: The Incredible Hulk storms to pole at Interlagos

2. Vettel wins championship

Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever Formula One World Champion in 2010 at the age of 23.

Vettel won five races but his season was far from easy. A tough start with a spark plug failure in the first race meant he was heading for victory, but was passed by the two Ferraris and the McLaren of Hamilton to finish 4th.

However his season soon picked up and he registered his first win of the season in Malaysia. Vettel had a very bad record of wins from pole and never led the championship during the season, until after the final race! He had some controversial moments in 2010 after his collision with team mate Webber and was also criticised  for his race starts after he seemed to block drivers in a number of races.

Vettel finally wrapped up the championship in the final race in Abu Dhabi to win the title by 6 points.

Read more: Vettel wins to become Formula 1′s youngest champion!

1. “Fernando is faster than you”

"Fernando is faster than you" - Photo © Bridgestone Motorsport Media

This was one of the most controversial moments in the last decade of F1, and undoubtedly the most controversial of the 2010 season. Felipe Massa was leading team-mate Alonso at the German Grand Prix before he was ordered to let Alonso through by his race engineer.

Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali told Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley to tell Massa to let Alonso through. The incident caused outrage but Ferrari insisted it wasn’t team orders. An investigation was launched but the team escaped with a $100000 fine. The decision to only give Ferrari a fine was a shame to the sport and many fans called for them to be disqualified from the season. Massa and Alonso both insisted there was no team orders but the radio transmission couldn’t have been any more obvious.

The incident wasn’t forgotten about after the investigation and Brazilian police said that if Massa let Alonso pass him in the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Brazilian would be arrested and “led away from the track in handcuffs”.

Alonso didn’t win the championship in the end but if he had done, there would have been some trouble!

Read more: Ferrari get away with murder

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog but most importantly, I hope you enjoyed 2010. What was your favourite moment of the season? Leave a comment!

There is no doubting the excitement of the 2010 F1 season, with some branding it the best season ever. One of the major changes prior to the start of the season was the overhaul of the points system, with the points being awarded as follows for the first time:

1st – 25 pts
2nd – 18 pts
3rd – 15 pts
4th – 12 pts
5th – 10 pts
6th – 8 pts
7th – 6 pts
8th – 4 pts
9th – 2 pts
10th – 1 pt

The result of the new system was the drivers’ championship which looked like this at the end of the season:

1. Sebastian Vettel – 256
2. Fernando Alonso – 252
3. Mark Webber – 242
4. Lewis Hamilton – 240
5. Jenson Button – 214
6. Felipe Massa – 144
7. Nico Rosberg – 142
8. Robert Kubica – 136
9. Michael Schumacher – 72
10. Rubens Barrichello – 47
11. Adrian Sutil – 47
12. Kamui Kobayashi – 32
13. Vitaly Petrov – 27
14. Nico Hülkenberg – 22
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi – 21
16. Sébastien Buemi – 8
17. Pedro de la Rosa – 6
18. Nick Heidfeld – 6
19. Jaime Alguersuari – 5

However what about if we had’t changed the system? The former points scoring method used for the previous seven seasons looked like this:

1st – 10 pts
2nd – 8 pts
3rd – 6 pts
4th – 5 pts
5th – 4 pts
6th – 3 pts
7th – 2 pts
8th – 1 pt

If the above scoring system was used, the 2010 championship would look like this:

1. Sebastian Vettel – 104
2. Fernando Alonso – 101
3. Lewis Hamilton – 100
4. Mark Webber – 97
5. Jenson Button – 87
6. Felipe Massa – 57
7. Nico Rosberg – 55
8. Robert Kubica – 52
9. Michael Schumacher – 25
10. Rubens Barrichello – 15
11. Adrian Sutil – 15
12. Kamui Kobayashi – 9
13. Vitaly Petrov – 9
14. Nico Hülkenberg – 6
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi – 5
16. Pedro de la Rosa 2
17. Sébastien Buemi – 1
18. Nick Heidfeld – 1

As you can see from the two championships the only major change is that Lewis Hamilton pips Mark Webber for 3rd under the old system, with Rubens Barrichello and Adrian Sutil still level on points. De la Rosa moves ahead of Buemi for 16th in the old scoring method, and scores more points than his replacement Nick Heidfeld. Also, Jaime Alguersuari would not have scored any points in his first full season going by the old points system.

I can see both advantages and disadvantages of the new system, personally. On the face of things it doesn’t change much, and all it serves to do is confuse fellow journalists and bloggers alike – I for one still struggle to remember the new points system! Also, I don’t buy the argument that the bigger gap in points awarded between first and second encourages braver racing – I’m fairly sure that from Vettel to Yamamoto, every one of the drivers on the grid races to win.

However, the new points system does it does have its advantages. One of the reasons that it was brought in was because of the increase in number of teams competing, and I feel that handing out points right down to 10th helps us distinguish between who’s really got the upper hand in terms of the midfield runners, so in that respect the new points system has proved successful.

On balance, I would say that because of the reason outlined above the new points system is marginally better than the previous one, although if I’m brutally honest, I haven’t really noticed much of a change.

The Renault RS27 V8 engine

Formula 1 will use new engines from the 2013 season, switchching from the current 2.4-litre V8s to 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engines with energy recovery systems (such as KERS) and fuel restrictions, according to a number of news sources including the BBC. The new rule is set to be confirmed by the FIA on 10 December.

The changes could improve the efficiency of the engines by 50%, with the 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8s used in F1 since 2006 set to be replaced. While FOM boss Bernie Ecclestone and teams Ferrari and Mercedes GP have expressed their disdain at the change, in recent meetings between F1′s current engine manufacturers such as Renault and Cosworth it appears that an agreement to use the ‘green’ engines has been reached.

The whole idea of trying to make F1 as environmentally friendly as possible is one which greatly divides opinion, with some interpreting it as a contradictory statement and others backing the concept. I must admit I think that it is very important that we can make F1 as ‘green’ as possible, as long as that doesn’t have a negative impact of the racing.

We’ve all heard the supposed fact that a single transatlantic flight uses more fuel than all the F1 cars do over the course of the season, but that is not the point. It’s not really about trying to increase the efficiency of the Formula 1 cars themselves, but to have an impact on regular road cars.

Take KERS for example, which under the proposed regulations for 2013 will have its energy recovery per lap increased to 60kw to 120kw. My thoughts on the Kinetic Energy Recovery System have been well documented on this site, and I am very much in favour of the system. I believe that it can enhance the racing as well as making the cars more environmentally friendly, but crucially the system has been implemented on a few modern road cars.

A NASA study has identified cars as the largest net contributor of pollution related to climate change, but if Formula 1 is as green as possible then it will without doubt increase the popularity and probability of these systems in the cars that are driven around on our local roads every day, and could drastically reduce the amount of pollution in the future.

Photo (C) RenaultF1 Team

Sadly we are now into the off-season, although don’t despair: there is now only 110 days to go until we begin all again in Bahrain. Plus, until then we are going to be reflecting on the greatest season of Formula 1 of all time, and covering all of the testing and car launches, as well as launching a great new section of the website!

Let’s kick off the retrospectives with a big question: who were my top 10 drivers of the season?

10. Adrian Sutil

It has become quickly apparent how quickly Adrian Sutil can drive a Formula 1 car, even leading to rumours of him replacing Michael Schumacher at Mercedes GP or even Felipe Massa at Ferrari next year. Rumours which are entirely untrue, of course; it is understood that Sutil is closing in on a deal which will mean another season with Force India for 2011.

Sutil proved his speed early on, with a fifth place at Malaysia followed by a run of six races in the points, from the Spanish Grand Prix to the British Grand Prix. The German greatly outscored his teammate Tonio Liuzzi, and got into Q3 in the large majority of the races in the first half of the season, including qualifying in an impressive fourth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix

However after a good start the Force India struggled to keep up, and Sutil only managed two points finishes after the British Grand Prix, although one of those was the highlight of his season when he drove to fifth at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix in what was a very impressive drive in what was quite a poor car.

9. Kamui Kobayashi

Kamui Kobayashi had big boots to fill going into 2010 after greatly impressing with his gung-ho, aggressive style after replacing Timo Glock in the last two races of the season.

It’s fair to say that he had a shaky start in only finishing two of the first eight races, but nevertheless in his first season driving in a poor Sauber which was unable to recreate the pace it showed in testing, he quite frequently managed impressive performances. Arguably the best of which came at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, when he overtook Sebastien Buemi and Fernando Alonso on the last lap to take seventh place.

He managed to get into the final part of qualifying four times, more than what his two teammates Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld managed, put together.

8. Rubens Barrichello

It can’t have been an easy year for Rubens Barrichello, moving from a World Championship-winning team in 2009 to Williams, who haven’t won a Grand Prix since Interlagos 2004, courtesy of Juan Pablo Montoya. It didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon either, so it’s great that the veteran of 303 Grand Prix starts had the energy to go to the Grove-based team.

He proved that while he’s old – older than the Toro Rosso drivers put together, he’s not slow and evidence of that came with a best finish of fourth at the European Grand Prix.

‘Rubinho’ got into Q3 thirteen times in the FW32, in comparison to his teammate Nico Hulkenberg who only managed the feat nine times. What’s more, Barrichello will be back for another bite of the cherry in 2011 as Williams look to cement their place back at the front of races. Will he ever stop?

7. Nico Rosberg

Being teammate to Michael Schumacher is no easy task, but Nico Rosberg wasn’t intimidated in the prospect and appeared to excel under the pressure of residing in the other side of the garage to the seven-time world champion, in a car which clearly felt the effects of last season when Brawn GP had to continue to develop their 2010 vehicle to keep up with the Red Bulls in order to stay in the race for the title.

Rosberg was a consistent points scorer throughout the season and scored almost double of the points of his veteran compatriot. Highlights came at Malaysia, China and Silverstone where he managed to to get onto the bottom step of the podium.

Rosberg’s potential and commitment comes under fire from some, but in my mind the 26-year-old is one of the fastest men in Formula 1, and given the right car he could mount a serious title charge in the future. Who knows, maybe he’ll emulate his father Keke in becoming the World Champion.

6. Robert Kubica

Over the last few years Robert Kubica has established himself as one of the most reliable drivers in Formula 1, and proved his capability with his one and only win coming in 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix. For 2010 he moved to Renault and was a solid and consistent as ever, something which has seen him linked with replacing Felipe Massa at Ferrari.

Things got off to a fantastic start for the Pole this year, with a second place at the Australian Grand Prix being his best performance, although he got onto the podium twice more; at Monaco and at Spa. In all of the races he completed he finished inside the points except the season opener in Bahrain.

5. Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso’s first year at Ferrari got off to a bumpy ride, and after a fortunate Grand Prix win in the season opener in Bahrain he was favourite to win the title. However by the German Grand Prix the Spaniard was all but out of the title, and was laughed at when he claimed he could still win it.

It still seemed too little, too late, even after a win in Hockenheim, but after taking three more Grands Prix at Italy, Singapore and Korea, he was favourite to win the title hunt going into the final race at Abu Dhabi – an incredible fightback from Ferrari and Alonso.

However his day was thwarted by an incredibly stubborn Vitaly Petrov in the Renault, meaning he had to settle for second place overall and missed out on his third world title.

4. Mark Webber

It has been a tough year for 34-year-old Formula 1 veteran Mark Webber as his relationship with teammate Sebastian Vettel and team Red Bull reached an all time low as the title race hotted up, with blatant favouritism within the Milton Keynes-based team towards the young German.

However he thrived under this pressure, and was much more consistent than his teammate, winning four Grands Prix including Monaco, leaving him with a golden opportunity to win the championship heading into the final race of the season. Sadly a bad strategy in the final race left him empty handed.

Despite the strained relationships and an admission from Vettel that the pair are not ‘fond of each other,’ Webber has said he will be back in 2011 to fight for the title again.

3. Lewis Hamilton

Given Lewis Hamilton’s position as the least likely candidate to win the title going into the final race in Abu Dhabi, it’s easy to look at his season as being a poor one. But when you look at his results it is much different.

He won three Grands Prix and scored five second places, and in what was a pretty poor car by McLaren’s standards. Had it not been for bad luck at the worst possible time when he retired from the Hungarian, Italian and Singaporean Grands Prix, he would have been in pole position for the title race going into Abu Dhabi.

Sadly for the 2008 world champion, it appears that bad luck stifled his chances of winning his second championship.

2. Nico Hulkenberg

You didn’t see that one coming, did you?! Or maybe you did… Anyway, rookie Nico Hulkenberg is second in my top ten drivers of the season list, and mainly due to his incredible pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and helping to create what was the best qualifying session that I can remember.

It can be argued that it was just down to the tyres that he managed that pole position, but you can’t beat a Red Bull RB6 to the front row purely on which rubber you are on. He certainly has driving talent, and I really hope that he finds a race seat for next season, and isn’t consigned to a test driver role.

1. Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel: the youngest ever world champion. How could he not deserve to be number one in the top ten drivers of the season? He certainly deserves the title after he had terrible luck in Bahrain and Korea, and it seems fitting that the fastest driver in the fastest car wins the world title.

Vettel kept his head and won the last two Grands Prix of the season, helping him win the title. He scored an impressive ten pole positions, only four off Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record of fourteen poles in one season.

It’s ominous for his rivals as Vettel looks set to dominate the world of Formula 1 for years to come. It’s certainly safe to say that this won’t be his only world title.

Poll

Top tens

• Top 10: Moments of the season
• Top 10: Drivers of the season
• Top 10: Best team radio moments this season (Video)

Photos (C) Pirelli, Force India F1 Team, Sauber, Williams/LAT, Mercedes GP, Red Bull/Getty Images, McLaren, Bridgestone

Born from the ashes of the failed Honda GP team, which withdrew from the sport after the end of the 2008 season, the story of the Brawn GP team is often described as a “fairytale”. I don’t often toss around superlatives like that, motorsport is a living breathing animal in my mind, but it does seem appropriate.

In the December of 2008, Honda suddenly, but unsurprisingly, pulled out of the sport, leaving the fate of the team and drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, up in the air. After pulling off a coup and signing the genius of Ross Brawn, things were looking good for Honda, but it wasn’t enough. However, it was Brawn who was the savior again, and in March 2009 he purchased the team from Honda, and Brawn GP were born.

Having been built for Honda engines, the BGP 001 started off with issues. Having had several offers from engine manufacturers, it was deemed that the Mercedes-Benz block was the best, but that didn’t help much as the team had to bodge the engine into the car along with the gearbox, meaning some design changes close to the season opener.

But that was nothing.

At the season opener in Australia the team started well in Friday practice, with both cars finishing in the top 5. That was just the start, with Button snatching pole in front of Barrichello in 2nd. Both cars then dominated the race with Button leading from start to finish. Brawn GP became the first team to claim a 1-2 finish on their debut since Mercedes in 1954. And the record breaking continued at the next race in Malaysia. Even though the race was rained off and half points were given, Button claimed the win and fastest lap. Brawn being the first team to win their first 2 races since Alfa Romeo won the first 2 races of the original season in 1950.

In China, Barrichello beat Button to pole, but both cars lost out in the rain to the Red Bulls, with Jenson claiming 3rd and Rubens in 4th, yet the team were back to winning ways at Bahrain with Button winning from 4th on the grid but the lack of development was seen to be hurting the car, with the win coming after Jenson Button capitalised on the Toyotas pit stop.

Spain saw the team secure another 1-2 finish, headed by Button again. This one though must have given a certain bunch of suits back in Japan a bad taste in the mouth, as this secured more wins than Honda secured in their F1 lifetime. What might have been? The same result happened in Monaco, with the win being so special for Button, he missed Parc Ferme and the Brit then decided to run the length of the straight.

Turkey signified a weakening in the BGP001. Button claimed the win, but only due to an error from Sebastian Vettel, and the teams first retirement came in the form of a dodgy gearbox at the rear of Barrichellos machine. And things started to go wrong even more after that. The lack of development really was starting to hit home. At the British and German Grand Prix the car could not get any heat into its tyres and also suffered from a lack of balance which left the team with a highest finish of 3rd for Rubens at Silverstone.

A first win in 5 years welcomed Barrichello at the European Grand Prix and Italy saw the teams final 1-2 of the season this time headed by Rubens. As the season drew to a close, the performace of the BGP001 was getting worse, with Button failing to get into the 3rd session of qualifying for the first time in the season.

As the grid headed to the penultimate race in Brazil, Button secured his first World Drivers Championship with a 5th place finish and with Barrichello in 8th, the team secured the Constructors Championship too. The 2009 season was rounded of with a 3-4 finish in Abu Dhabi with Rubens securing 3rd in the championship.

The BGP001 will stay in the record books forever, and indeed the folklore of F1. The BGP001 is the only car with a 100% success rate of championship wins. It was almost de-railed when complaints were lodged against its revolutionary “double diffuser”, something of which I am not going to go into – I’d be here forever. The team won the fight and everyone started scrabbling to build their own.

Surprisingly, Jenson’s chassis is one of the most successful too. The BGP001-02 was used by the champion throughout the season. Barrichello only used two; after damaging the BGP001-01 in Singapore, the BGP001-03 was used for the rest of the season by the Brazilian

Regardless of your allegiances, it cannot be denied that the BGP001 was a brilliant machine, not the best in the end, but it was consistent, and beautifully simple in its looks and design, and, like many other “fairy-tales”, remembered and talked about in years to come. Certainly a story to tell the grandkids…

Icons

• Formula 1 Icons - Brawn GP 001
• Formula 1 Icons - McLaren MP4/4
• Formula 1 Icons - Ferrari F2004
• Formula 1 Icons - Renault R25
• Formula 1 Icons - Tyrrell P34
• Formula 1 Icons - Brabham BT46
• Formula 1 Icons - Williams FW18

15 wins out of 16 races. 10 1 – 2 finishes. Driven by a certain Mr Senna and a Mr Prost…

The McLaren MP4/4.

Pretty little thing isn’t it? It didn’t just look good either, it was one of the most dominant Formula One cars ever created.

Coming off the back of a poor 1987 season, where McLaren lost out to Williams 9 times, Lotus twice and also twice to Ferrari, this was their chance to shine. 1988 was the final season that turbo-charging was allowed, and where most teams were creating cars to get used to the new regulations, Gordon Murray (famed from his Brabham days) went ahead and designed the new car around their newly acquired Honda V6 Turbo-charged 1500cc engine, which was itself a major advantage for 2 reasons.

The first being this was the most powerful engine in the paddock at the time. The second; in going to McLaren, Williams lost the right to use the engine.

The car alone was looking like a formidable force. But when Senna signed a 3 year deal with the team, after being recommended by Prost, the championship, on paper at least, was McLaren’s to lose.

Throughout the season the car proved just how good it was. As mentioned, the MP4/4 won 15 out of the the 16 races held that season, and Prost was the main catalyst for this. He either won or came second in every race, apart from two retirements. Senna too only had two retirements, and in all but three of the races he finished, he also either won or came second.

McLaren won the constructors’ championship and Senna went on to win the drivers’ championship, by virtue of having more wins than Prost. That year the championship was decided by each drivers 11 best results (I know, I was confused too). Prost scored 105 points, but only 87 of those counted towards the championship. Senna scored 94 with 90 contributing to the championship. It’s the kind of championship finish that makes a great team atmosphere…

Icons

• Formula 1 Icons - Brawn GP 001
• Formula 1 Icons - McLaren MP4/4
• Formula 1 Icons - Ferrari F2004
• Formula 1 Icons - Renault R25
• Formula 1 Icons - Tyrrell P34
• Formula 1 Icons - Brabham BT46
• Formula 1 Icons - Williams FW18

In this special post An F1 Blog’s analyst Steph Farnsworth takes a look at ten of the most memorable team radio moments throughout the season, from victory celebrations to aggressive obscenities!

10. “I think we’ve found the solution”

Although Massa had bagged a couple of podiums and had out-qualified Alonso at his first attempt Felipe never really looked on the double world champion’s pace even early in the season. However, his race engineer thought they’d found a novel fix to his problem at the Spanish Grand Prix.

9. “No more…”

After the fury of Valencia, things went from bad to worse for Fernando at Silverstone. After being instructed to let Kubica through because of an illegal overtake, the Pole retired before Alonso complied leaving the Ferrari man with a drive through penalty. The situation turned into a disaster when the Safety Car was brought out meaning he found himself well outside of a points scoring position. Unsurprisingly, Alonso was fed up.

8. “Freakin’ terrible”

Alonso wasn’t the only one to have a tantrum this year – actually most of this top ten are driver strops, but there was no denying Hamilton’s anger at his strategists after this message. For someone who is usually very careful about what he says this was quite a surprise. Lewis had gained a lot of respect from fans for his new maturity since his troubled 2009 season but this was quite refreshing, if unwise.

7. “How the…?”

Given that Seb had tried to help the team by slowing everyone down behind the safety car at Hungary so his team mate could build a gap at the restart and make his strategy work it is understandable he was irritated that Webber ended up winning the race while he was slapped with a drive through penalty.

Although Vettel had tried to be a team player at the time there was speculation that the rivalry between the Red Bull drivers was beginning to boil over and this snippet seemed to support that theory.

6. “I don’t want to know”

Fernando provided us with this hilarious moment at Australia. Stuck behind his teammate with his old enemy Hamilton fast approaching he just couldn’t take much more.

5. “Black flag!”

Whatever side of the fence you’re on regarding Schumacher ‘s defence against Rubens at Hungary it was a scary incident and to hear the shocked tone from the man whos wheel had just brushed against the pit wall was a reminder of just how badly wrong Michael’s move could have gone.

4. Weltmeister!

In any other year this would probably make the top spot but this has been quite a season. To hear Seb’s complete disbelief and pure joy unleashed is magical enough to make even the most devout Ferrari fans who were sulking at the time to raise a smile.

3. The evil laugh.

Any radio clip could have been taken from the Korean GP and placed in our top ten as before the race had even started the drivers were screaming at Charlie Whiting pleading to be heard.

Lewis who desperately needed to make up some points was pestering Charlie to start the race while the Red Bull’s and Fernando who were starting ahead of Lewis and worried about the risks of the wet weather insisted that it was too dangerous to start. It was more akin to a pantomime than a Grand Prix watched across the world but eventually the green flag was given and thank God it did for this next piece.

Two back to back wins and then a podium finish meant that the momentum was firmly with Fernando despite having the second fastest car. Vettel had led most of the Korean race only for his engine to cruelly blow up handing the victory to Alonso. The Spaniard was a real title threat and his fifth win of the season was ominous especially as his two main title challengers had failed to finish. The two-time champion was ecstatic. His laugh sounds almost menacing which was fairly fitting for his rivals who were listening.

2. “Not bad for a number 2 driver!”

It’s fitting that this one takes the silver medal for us today. Vettel’s front wing failure during practice at Silverstone would lead to claims of favouritism in the Red Bull camp. After the failure there was only one new, updated front wing available for qualifying and Horner gave the call for it to be taken from Mark’s car and put on Sebastian’s without telling the former first. After the Turkey debacle where Red Bull had first blamed Mark for him and Vettel colliding and then backtracking there was the feeling that the team were favouring Sebastian.

Vettel took pole with Mark second in qualifying but Webber has always revelled in being the underdog and he forced his way through at the start to take the win and his frustration at the weekend’s events was clear when he spoke to Christian Horner. The team boss didn’t improve the situation and cemented his role as the villain that weekend by asking if Mark “would manage a smile now”.  Not to mention that the Aussie seemed determined to keep his superior away from the podium…

1. “Fernando is faster than you”

This was possibly the worst radio broadcast from the 2010 season but it is the most memorable and resulted in Ferrari being hauled in to answer to the stewards and eventually, the World Motorsport Council.

It wasn’t the first time Felipe had moved aside for a team mate but to do so at such an early point in the season and in such an obvious way made a mockery of the ban on team orders.

The situation was made more painful than Austria 2002 as it was exactly a year to the day since Massa had sustained the life threatening injury that had wrote off most of his season the year previously.

Stefano Domenicali should have assumed control over the issue but it was Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley who gave the coded message. Rob’s almost as popular as the racing drivers and it is well known his relationship with Felipe is incredibly close so for him to speak to Felipe was heart wrenching for everyone watching.

What are your most memorable radio moments this season? Leave a comment!

Tyres have played a massive part in the history of Formula 1, and have undergone significant changes throughout the history of the sport, with different manufacturers and specifications used throughout. With Pirelli replacing Bridgestone as the sole supplier for 2011, here’s a look at the history of tyres and the part they have played throughout our sport.

The early years (1950-1965)

There were numerous suppliers for Formula 1′s debut season, including a Belgian tyre company Englebert, Pirelli, Dunlop and Firestone, with Continental and Avon both stepping in from 1954. It was very much Pirelli who dominated the early years, and from 1950 to ’57, Pirelli had 41 Grand Prix wins, compared to Continental’s 10, Firestone’s 8 and Englebert’s 6.

However when Dunlop scored their debut Grand Prix win in 1958, there was no stopping the British company, and they won every single race on the calendar from 1961-1964, as Englebert, Pirelli, Continental and Avon fled the scene. In 1965 Dunlop won nine out of the ten races in the season, but the one other race was won by Goodyear – their first ever GP victory. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but the balance of power in the Formula 1 tyre world was about to shift.

Goodyear domination (1966-1998)

From 1966 to 1972 the Grand Prix wins were split between Dunlop, Firestone and Goodyear, with Dunlop winning 13 before withdrawing in 1970. Firestone won 38, with Goodyear amassing 28 wins throughout this six year period. However, from this point onwards Goodyear completely dominated, winning every single race up until 1977; the same year Michelin entered the sport.

Michelin provided the only competition to Goodyear, and won 59 Grands Prix until they quit abruptly in 1984. Goodyear continued to be the leaders in tyre technology though, and won every race between ’89 and ’97 with the exception of three Grands Prix. Bridgestone returned to Formula 1 in 1997 after a previous short spell.

Goodyear left Formula 1 at the end of 1998 after 45 years at the peak of motorsport, and an incredibly successful one at that, having won at least one race every year since 1965, and amassed 368 Grand Prix victories.

Bridgestone/Michelin rivalry (1999-2006)

Between 1998 and 2008, regulations required the tyres to feature a minimum of four grooves in them, with the intention of slowing the cars down, and it would be these grooved tyres between this period that Bridgestone and Michelin will be remembered for in Formula 1.

Bridgestone were the sole tyre supplier in Formula 1 until 2001, when Michelin returned, and a bitter rivalry was stoked. It took until 2005 before the French manufacturer were able to match the Bridgestones and took their first drivers’ and constructors’ title since their return, courtesy of Fernando Alonso and the Renault team.

They achieved this feat despite the debacle that was the 2005 American Grand Prix, in which every car Michelin supplied failed to start the race due to a safety failure on their tyres. On Friday, 17 June 2005, during the afternoon’s practice session, Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher crashed heavily in Turn 13 of the Indianapolis circuit as a result of a left-rear tyre failure. Michelin announced that its tyres were unsafe for use around this circuit, and said that they would fly in spares from its French base for the cars to compete the next day.

However the replacement tyres turned out to have the same problem, and no cars running Michelins made the start line. Only six cars made the chequered flag. It was a disaster; Michelin’s share price fell by 2.5%, and the company committed to refunding the price of all tickets for the race.

The events of the 2005 United States Grand Prix caused a massive divide between Michelin and the FIA, and one that was never to recover. In December 2005, and as a result of the difficult relationship with the sport’s governing body, Michelin announced that it would not extend its involvement in Formula One beyond the 2006 season. They bowed out with a metaphorical two-finger salute at the FIA, winning the drivers’ and constructors’ titles for the second time in a row, again with Renault and Fernando Alonso.

The end of the Bridgestone era (2007 – Present)

Bridgestone were sole suppliers of tyres for Formula 1 from 2007 onwards, and slick tyres were re-introduced for the 2009 Formula 1 season as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip. However the Japanese manufacturer announced that they would withdraw from the sport following the 2010 season on the 2nd November 2009. After 14 years, 242 races, 175 Grand Prix wins and 700,000 tyres, the end of the Bridgestone era came with Sebastian Vettel‘s dramatic last gasp title win in Abu Dhabi.

On June 23rd 2010, it was announced that Pirelli would take the helm as F1′s sole tyre supplier from 2011 until 2013 – the first time the Italian manufacturer would be involved in Formula 1 since 1991.

Testing

• Vergne wraps up clean sweep in Abu Dhabi (Pictures)
• Vergne fastest again on Day 2 in Abu Dhabi (Pictures)
• Vergne tops the timesheets on Day 1 of Young Driver Test (Pictures)
• A who's who of the 2011 Young Driver Test
• Vettel fastest for second day running
• Vettel quickest on first day in Barcelona
• Jerez testing in pictures
• Barrichello sets fastest lap overall on final day in Jerez
• Heidfeld stakes claim for Renault seat as he goes fastest at Jerez
• Schumacher sets the pace in Jerez
• Felipe Massa fastest on day one at Jerez
• Kubica fastest as Valencia testing comes to a close
• Alonso sets the pace on day two in Valencia
• Day 1 of Valencia testing in pictures
• The history of tyres in Formula 1
• Day 2 of the Pirelli tyre test in pictures
• Felipe Massa fastest on Pirellis in combined timesheet
• Alonso tops final Pirelli test with Ferrari fastest on both days
• Day 1 of the Pirelli tyre test in pictures
• Massa fastest but mixed reactions over new Pirelli rubber
• Preview ahead of tomorrow's Pirelli tyre test
• Day 2 of the Young Driver Test in pictures
• Ricciardo fastest again on final day of Young Driver Testing
• Day 1 of the Young Driver Test in pictures
• Red Bull's Ricciardo fastest in Day 1 of Young Driver Test
• Exclusive with GP2's Sam Bird on driving for Mercedes GP in the winter

Photos (C) Pirelli, Renault/LAT, Bridgestone