Closest Formula One championship for some time
In previous seasons, the Formula One world championship has been between two or three drivers, but this season, five are in contention with only four races remaining.
Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button can all still win the world championship, with only the equivalent of one race win- 25 points- separating them.
Because of how close this season is proving to be, and the number of drivers still in contention for the championship, it is being dubbed as the most competitive and best season for some time. It didn’t look like it at the start of the season in Bahrain, where many thought it would be boring and dull to watch. It’s been far from that.
Ferrari’s Alonso has won four races this season and is currently the driver to beat, having won the last two races in Italy and Singapore. Red Bull have shown blistering speed all season, and that is reflected in their results, with Webber leading the drivers’ standings. The Australian has four wins, and his teammate Vettel has two.
Reigning world champion Button has two wins, but it has been some time since he was on the top step of the podium, back in April at the Malaysian Grand Prix. His McLaren teammate Hamilton has suffered back-to-back retirements and went from leading the championship to third place. He has three wins, and is still very much in the fight despite having two major setbacks.
It was inevitable last season that the championship was going to be Button’s after six wins in the opening seven races. This season, with only four races left, the world title could go anywhere.
In 2008, the championship battle between Hamilton and Felipe Massa went down to the final corner in Interlagos, Brazil. For a moment, when Massa crossed the finishing line when winning in front of his home crowd, he thought he was world champion. Hamilton however, overtook Timo Glock and finished the race in fifth place which secured him his maiden title by a point.
In 2007, Kimi Räikkönen also clinched the world title by a point, and for most of the season looked out of the fight as Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren were battling one another. Their in-house war made them take their eye off the Ferrari, as Räikkönen won the final grand prix in Brazil in dominant fashion.
Alonso’s two world championships in 2005 and 2006 didn’t see as many drivers battling for the title as this season. In 2006, he overcame a resurgent Michael Schumacher, while in 2005 he defeated Räikkönen convincingly.
From 2000 to 2004, there was only one man who deserved to be world champion, and that was Schumacher. His and Ferrari’s dominance made Formula One great for them and their fans, but took some of the excitement away from the sport, rather like Button’s triumph last season.
There have been close battles for the championship, like in 1999 between Mika Häkkinen and Eddie Irvine, and in 1994 between Schumacher and Damon Hill - where Schumacher famously turned deliberately into Hill in Adelaide to stop him from getting ahead, which if he had been able to do so would have won him the title.
It will take something special in future seasons to match the one being witnessed in 2010, and with the drivers preparing for Suzuka for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, a win for any of the five contenders will put them firmly in the driving seat to become world champion.
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