Rewinding F1 season title battle between Webber and Alonso
With sixteen races of the Formula One 2010 season already gone one can still not predict any one name for World Championship. Of course, this season would be remembered long for the twists and turns witnessed in the points’ tally race after race. Now as the caravan is to visit just three more destinations, the top five drivers, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button stand only 31 points away from each other, ready to backlash anyone who comes in their way.
The Red Bull driver leads the charts, with four race wins and 220 points so far. Catching his tail, stands Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, shy of only 14 points from the charts’ topper being the only other driver of the season with four victories. Now as the cars prepare to enter the last three and most crucial rounds of the season, the chances of these two top drivers seem very bright.
The season started brilliantly for the Ferrari driver however the team was not able to provide a very competitive car till the middle of the season, which left them behind the top teams, Red Bull and McLaren. The season opener at Bahrain saw a clean 1-2 finish by the team as Alonso ended at first place while his teammate Felipe Massa stood second. On the other hand, the season started slowly for Red Bull however the team was quick to make advancements in its car and leaped to the top soon.
Webber was quick to jump out of the dark shadows of the first race where he ended 8th and secured second place on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix. At after the other round, the Red Bull drivers kept on demonstrating great pace thus threatening their rivals immensely. Every now and then the two men flew through the track faster than all their competitors who kept striving to chase them but in vain.
At the Australian Grand Prix Webber stole second place on the grid while Alonso bagged fourth. Hard luck continued for the Spaniard as he finished at 13th place in Malaysia after starting the race from 19th place on the grid.
The next rally of cars was seen in China where Alonso finished at 4th while Webber ended at 8th place. However, this finish did not sooth the Ferrari driver as he stayed away from the competitive for another couple of races as the tug kept going between the Red Bull and McLaren.
Moreover, the following races in Spain and Monaco brought two consecutive wins for Webber, escalating him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship. However, the Turkish Grand Prix was poor one for the racer as he lost his guaranteed third consecutive win due to the rivalry of both the team drivers as they crashed into each other while striving for a 1-2 finish for the team, following which Webber ended at third place while Vettel retired.
Another fifth place finish in Canada deprived him of his lead in the points’ tally handing it to the McLaren driver, Hamilton. The next race in Spain brought the worst weekend of the season for Webber in Spain as his car crashed and had a complete spin in the air before landing at the tyre wall of the track.
And then came up the German Grand Prix! The lulled team, Ferrari returned with a roar. Alonso and Massa gave the second 1-2 finish to the team, and a very controversial one which reshaped the championship war completely.
From four angry drivers, the battle turned to a quintet of fierce gladiators, from the top three powerful teams.
Stay tuned to unwind the rest of the season.
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