Vettel won from pole at Yas Marina and took the title by four points from Alonso, who finished seventh, in a finale with four drivers still in the fight.
Abu Dhabi's season finale on 14 November 2010 gave Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel the title. He won from pole, and Alonso finished seventh, four points adrift, which made Vettel the youngest champion. Hamilton and Button completed the McLaren podium.
Sebastian Vettel took the 2010 Drivers' Championship by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second for McLaren, and his team-mate Jenson Button took third. Vettel became the youngest World Drivers' Champion at 23 years and 134 days, four points ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Robert Kubica's rally crash came before the 2011 season, and it meant that this was his last Formula One race until the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. It was also the last Grand Prix for Lucas di Grassi and Christian Klien.
What was at stake in the 2010 finale?
Four drivers could still win the title at Yas Marina, which had not happened at a season finale before. Alonso led with 246 points, Webber had 238 and Vettel 231, while Hamilton was 24 points behind Alonso on 222 with 25 still available.
Red Bull had already clinched the constructors' title on 469 points, 48 clear of McLaren. McLaren were themselves not yet assured of second place, holding a 32-point advantage over Ferrari.
Media attention focused on whether Red Bull would use team orders to help one of their drivers. Ferrari had used radio instructions at the German Grand Prix to move Alonso past Massa, which gained seven extra points.
Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz and team principal Christian Horner both said Red Bull would not impose team orders to stop Alonso. Vettel had said he would help his team-mate if needed, having been seven points behind Webber going into the weekend.
Bridgestone was leaving Formula One after 242 races since their full-time return in 1997, having been the sole supplier since Michelin pulled out after 2006. Pirelli took over for 2011, returning to the sport for the first time since 1991.
Vettel won from pole and became the youngest World Drivers' Champion, at 23 years and 134 days.
How did the championship permutations work?
Vettel and Webber both had a chance of a first title, and Red Bull would have its first drivers' championship since buying the former Jaguar team in 2005. Hamilton and Alonso could win their second and third titles, while Button was out of contention with a 47-point deficit.
If Alonso had won, he would have become the youngest three-time champion at 29 years and 108 days. A Hamilton title would have been his second in three years and the third consecutive title for a British driver, after Button and Hamilton's own titles.
Vettel could have become the youngest champion ever at 23 years and 134 days. Webber and Vettel would have been the first champions for their countries since Alan Jones and Michael Schumacher.
Practice on a warm Yas Marina track
The first practice session was held on a damp but drying track after an unexpected downpour. Vettel set the fastest time at 1:42.760, just over six-tenths of a second faster than Hamilton, with Button another four-tenths off Hamilton's pace.
In the second session Hamilton was fastest at 1:40.888, around a quarter of a second quicker than Vettel. Alonso was third, ahead of Webber, Kubica and Massa, while Schumacher was only eleventh.
On the warmer Saturday track, which reached 43 C (109 F), Vettel was again quickest at 1:40.696, narrowly ahead of Webber. Hamilton, Alonso, Button and Petrov completed the top six. Schumacher was seventh, the only other driver within 1.5 seconds of Vettel's time.
How did qualifying give Vettel pole?
Vettel clinched his tenth pole of the season with a time of 1:39.394, which made him only the seventh driver to take ten poles in a season. Hamilton joined him on the front row, Alonso was third, Button fourth and Webber fifth. Alonso was happy with third, having outqualified Webber.
Vettel's pole was Red Bull's 15th of the season, which equalled McLaren's tally from 1988. Massa, Barrichello, Schumacher, Rosberg and Petrov completed the top ten.
Kubica managed only 11th, missing the top ten for the only time in 2010 after struggling with overall grip. Kamui Kobayashi was the best of the Saubers in 12th, with Sutil, Heidfeld and Hulkenberg behind him.
Liuzzi qualified 16th, and the Toro Rossos, Lotuses, Virgins and Hispanias made up the rest of the grid.
How did the race start and who retired early?
The grid was dry, with the air at 29 C (84 F) and the track at 33 C (91 F), and no rain was expected. The formation lap began at 17:00 local time (UTC+4), and all 24 drivers got away cleanly.
Vettel kept the lead into the first corner, with Hamilton second. Button rose to third when Alonso made a slow start, and at turn six Schumacher tried to pass Rosberg around the outside while fighting for eighth.
Schumacher spun his Mercedes, which left him facing the oncoming field. He was collected by Liuzzi, and both drivers retired on the spot, which brought out the safety car.
Six drivers, Rosberg, Petrov, Alguersuari, Senna, di Grassi and Klien, pitted at the end of lap one to offset the cost of a stop. They rejoined between 17th and 22nd, and racing resumed at the end of lap five.
How did the middle of the race unfold?
Webber, who had brushed the armco, pitted after struggling for grip on the super-soft tyres and rejoined 16th. Alonso also brushed a barrier at turn 19 and pitted four laps later, rejoining just in front of Webber. Webber had moved up the field steadily, and he was 13th and setting the race's fastest lap at that point.
Vettel and Hamilton kept faster lap times than their championship rivals, despite running on heavily worn option tyres. Alonso and Webber were on fresh hard tyres, and they caught Petrov near the end of lap 18.
Five laps later, Alonso went for a move on Petrov under braking for turn 11, then backed out of it to avoid the Renault. Hamilton pitted from second on the same lap, and Vettel pitted from the lead on the next.
Vettel rejoined comfortably ahead of Hamilton, but in second behind Button, who had yet to stop. Hamilton filtered back into fifth behind Kubica and Kobayashi, who were running similar strategies to Button.
Button made his stop on lap 39, which let Vettel lead again with nearly twelve seconds in hand over Kubica. Button rejoined fourth behind Kubica and Hamilton, while Alonso and Petrov ran inside the points in seventh and eighth.
Kubica pitted from second on lap 46 and came back in fifth, ahead of his team-mate Petrov, Alonso and Webber. Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race on lap 47, at 1:41.274, as he closed slightly on Vettel.
How did the finale end, and who scored the points?
No further passes were made on track, and Vettel led to the end for his fifth win of the season. Hamilton and Button made it a McLaren podium, with Rosberg behind them. Kubica and Petrov then took the Renault places, with Alonso and Webber following.
Alguersuari and Massa took the final points places. Massa had spent 40 laps battling without getting past his rival, and that was the story of his afternoon.
Trulli retired from the race, but he was classified because he completed more than 90% of the race distance. With Alonso and Webber finishing seventh and eighth, the championship was decided.
The top eight finishers and their grid positions
| Finish | Driver | Team | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing | Pole |
| Second | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | Second |
| Third | Jenson Button | McLaren | Fourth |
| Fourth | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | Ninth |
| Fifth | Robert Kubica | Renault | Eleventh |
| Sixth | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | Tenth |
| Seventh | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | Third |
| Eighth | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing | Fifth |
Vettel's championship margin was four points over Alonso, and Webber finished a further ten points behind in third. Vettel said he did not know the result until he crossed the line, when his race engineer told him over the radio that he had won the title. He called himself speechless.
Hamilton praised the McLaren team for the work it had done through the season. Button said his first year with the team had been a great one and that he felt at home there.
