Alonso leads championship – points in full

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Drivers’ championship

PositionDriverPoints
1Fernando Alonso231
2Mark Webber220
3Lewis Hamilton210
4Sebastian Vettel206
5Jenson Button189
6Felipe Massa143
7Robert Kubica124
8Nico Rosberg122
9Michael Schumacher66
10Rubens Barrichello47
11Adrian Sutil47
12Kamui Kobayashi31
13Vitantonio Liuzzi21
14Vitaly Petrov19
15Nico Hulkenberg18
16Sebastien Buemi8
17Pedro de la Rosa6
18Nick Heidfeld6
19Jaime Alguersuari3
20Heikki Kovalainen0
21Jarno Trulli0
22Karun Chandhok0
23Bruno Senna0
24Lucas di Grassi0
25Timo Glock0
26Sakon Yamamoto0
27Christian Klien0

Constructors’ championship

PositionTeamPoints
1Red Bull426
2McLaren399
3Ferrari374
4Mercedes188
5Renault143
6Force India68
7Williams65
8Sauber43
9Toro Rosso11
10Lotus0
11HRT0
12Virgin0

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    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    163 comments on “Alonso leads championship – points in full”

    1. Food for thought:

      After seventeen races, no driver has won a race while leading the World Championship. Given that Alonso has no engines left, let’s start the betting pool on when the next one is going to nuke itself.

      That said, as much as I hate Alonso right now, I want him to win. I want him to keep winning so that when the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi, he’s more than seven points ahead of everyone else. Races like Korea give Formula 1 credibility … we should be seeing that compromised.

      1. A better FIRST comment would have been welcomed but u started in the wrong note.

      2. Well, I hate Ferrari and Alonso, but subtract the 7 that belonged to Massa, and Alonso’s still #1.

        1. @ Prisoner monkeys AND Louis,Please don’t say you HATE Alonso and Ferrari,there is no room in this sport for Haters.
          I can undersatnd your reaction being Australians,but this was a VERY,VERY hard & difficult race and the most experienced 4 drivers – who I may say have had plenty of bad luck this year,rose to the challenge and met it head on.
          You do not get to become a World Champion by sailing through Grand Prix in dry and sunny weather.Foul weather races like today,sort out the most talented drivers from the lesser.The one exception being Jensen who as a World Champion,sadly fell behind.BUT,at least he finished,so well done Jensen.

          1. “Please don’t say you HATE Alonso and Ferrari,there is no room in this sport for Haters.”

            Yes Ma’am! Will do Ma’am! Anything else you’d like Ma’am?!?

      3. Couldn’t agree more. If it’s by anything less than 7 it’ll be a total sham.

        1. This blog needs a Facebook-esque Like button. Keith, can we get a Like button?

          1. well since you asked, i’ll give your troll post a -1, a “dislike” and a thumbs down. feel better now?

            1. What troll post? Only troll I see here is you

          2. I think a “stop trolling and get out of there” button would suit your ridiculously childish comments better.

          3. The less facebook-esque things the better

            1. *like*
              (too short)

      4. I hope Alonso’s not superstitious because that’s a worrying stat for him!

      5. Alonso is gonna win it this year – he’s probably in the form of his life at the moment. He could take an engine penalty in Brazil and still fight his way through the field and get a decent finish in Brazil.

      6. I say if fernando wins by less than 7 points it justfies their hockenheim decision even more

        1. Why?

          The World Champion is the best driver in the world. A man who cannot pass his own team-mate without the team telling said team-mate to move over is quite clearly not the best driver in the world.

          1. This is a tiresome albeit predictable remark, nothing like a win for Alonso for all the spite to start spewing, eh?

            Seriously, can we get past all this drivel whether its from the pro-Alonso camp or pro-Hamilton camp?

            Is there an ignore feature that I can use to block out posts that spout nonsense on Hammy, Alonso, or Schumi, so that I can focus on posts that focus on racing?

            1. i think you’ll find he’s australian…i don’t know, but are you truly a fan of hamilton PM?

              i don’t think 2007 comes into this at all. just the fact that alonso was handed 7 points by his team in an ‘unsportsmanlike’ manner. but for me, he’s more than redeemed himself with his performances in italy, singapore, japan and now in korea.

              but go WEBBER!

            2. I’m not pro-Alonso or pro-Hamilton, and the 7 points really do bother me. Yes Alonso has really proven himself since Monza, but it’s an entire season which counts for the championship and that includes Germany’s result, which is why if he wins I want him to win decisively by more than 7 points.

          2. Fuel problem, Jenson! Fuel problem, Lewis! What big champions are…

        2. I couldnt be more agreed with this comment, considering that all teams but RB have done it this season.
          And you see where RB are by now. Mark has gone out because of the presure from his team mate. The handling of RB has been demostrated as bad as the Ron in 07.
          Shame for them. WDC and WCC should been in their pockets already.

        3. I don’t really care about the 7 points he got because he was gifted them, but more by the fact he got them by breaking the rules.

          1. Yeah, which is why in my mind those 7 points don’t exist, so if he does manage to win somehow by less than 7, my brain will say “does not compute” and short circuit.

            1. Computer says no…..

        4. Utterly true….if dogs are barking it means, Sancho, that we ride…

      7. Whether he wins by less than 7 points or not, the fact is, he has the points and that’s relieved him of a lot of extra pressure that he otherwise would have had to catch up.

        I said at the start of the season he’d win, I said it in the middle when he was 12-1, I’m sure he will win, but it still feels lousy.

      8. It seems to me that when drivers see Alonso in their rear-view mirrors, they tend to blow up engines ( I can think of Shumi, Vettel), wear out and blow up tyres, or make mistakes.
        Fast Fred in the rear view mirrors is baaaad news.

        Changing the subject,is it possible that there are drivers that treat their engines better than others in this high-tech age?
        I know that back then drivers like Stirling Moss were well known to be very hard on their engines. Moss was more than fast enough to win several WDC, but he did not because he was very tough on his cars.

        How about today? please I would appretiate some good opinions
        Thanks and cheers

        1. I’d really like to know. Some say that with the rev limitations and all the new tech there’s very little a driver can do to cause motor malfunction (apart from crashing, I guess). I don’t have the expertise but it seems to me that Seb must be doing something wrong to get so many mechanical DNFs while Mark has none. Also, unless Fred has an engine-zapper gun hidden inside the Ferrari, it’s hard to explain that the cars in front of him tend to break down if it is not caused by overdemanding nervous drivers.

    2. I see Quick Nick has matched de la Rosa’s points haul after just 3 races.

      1. Matched? He’s tripled De La Rosa’s points.

        1. not really, 6 points each

          1. Sorry I don’t know what I was looking at.

            1. 666? I’d get your computer exorcised.

            2. Ha. I actually did just exorcise it yesterday before the race!

      2. Im kinda not surprised about it

      3. I’m pro nick as well, but part of that surely would be that the Sauber is now, quite a quick car. Compare that to the start of the season.

      4. The Sauber is a quicker car but I was much more impressed that he finished just behind Kobayashi and was only a tenth of Kobayashi in qualifying. He’s had no testing this year and been out of the car longer than Felipe was. Great return I think

        1. well that´s not quite right, he was testing for Pirelli.

        2. To be fair PDLR had the car break down A LOT. There were also some other things that weren’t his fault.

    3. So if Alosno wins another race he is Champion. Simples.

      1. Not true. If he wins in front of Webber, his lead is 18 points. So if he gets a no score in Abu Dhabi and Webber wins, Webber is the champion.

        1. Much as i hate to say it ..this was payback time for Weber.He refused to accept responsibilty for taking Hamilton out at Singapore and therefore i have no simpathy for him crushing out.
          it is likely that the red bulls will mount a comeback but for once they are on the backfoot.
          I still think that we shall have the final two races decided between Alonso and Hamilton.
          The redbulls can continue to dominate the front during qualifications but we seen a very poor pole to win and poll to finish ration from them as one of the top teams fighting for this years big prizes.
          DNF for the ferraris is a very strong posibilty due to engine restrictions.

          1. Don’t forget another innocent victim of Mark Webbers aggression today was Rosberg,but when they interviewed Webber later,he never apologised for taking Rosberg out or even asking about him, which is a nasty black mark in his etiquette book I am afraid.
            There are other drivers on track who are trying just as hard to score points.

            1. Headline on ESPNF1 is: ‘I wrecked Rosberg’s race too.’ — Webber.

            2. You do realise that he made a mistake, and that from an early point in the crash he was just a passenger right?

              … But your right, he must be evil.

          2. He refused to take responsibility because it wasn’t his fault. It was a racing accident. Even the British commentators thought it was more Hamilton’s fault!

        2. Key Statistic for me is this:

          1: Vettel, 2: Webber, 3: Alonso;
          1: Webber, 2: Alonso
          = Alonso wins championship.

          OTOH:

          1: Webber, 2: Vettel, 3: Alonso;
          1: Webber, 2: Alonso
          = Webber wins championship.

          Someone at Red Bull may have to make a call at the next race.

          1. A bit of Ferrari-ness, ehh? ;)
            Certainly will make it interesting last race

          2. 1: Vettel, 2: Webber, 3:Alonso
            1: Vettel, 2: Webber, 3: Hamilton, 4: Alonso
            = Alonso wins championship

            1: Vettel, 2: Webber, DNF: Alonso
            1: Alonso, 2: Vettel, 3: Webber
            = Alonso wins championship

            Agree, someone at Red Bull may have to make a call.

            1. Next race is the key. If Vettel finish ahead of Webber regardless of Alonso position, Alonso almost have it. Consider following scenario.
              1: Vettel, 2: Webber, DNF: Alonso
              1: Alonso, 2/3: Webber, 2/3: Vettel
              = Alonso wins championship

              But of course, if Alonso is unable to win after one DNF, he is not champion. But Red bull need to pray for Alonso DNF.

    4. Happy for Alonso’s win. But I’m a bit upset about Rosberg. I think he deserved better…

      And what about Sutil? He was driving like nuts! Isn’t he going to get a fine or something for dangerous driving?

      1. He’ll certainly get Reject of the Race from F1 Rejects if it’s any consolation …

    5. Younger Hamilton
      24th October 2010, 10:16

      I hate Alonso too me being a McLaren fan but i have to say i much rather have him win the title than Vettel or Webber who has some stupid errors throughout the season if Lewis is out in Interlagos then in Abu Dhabi(if title is not decided) then i will be supporting Alonso(I still hate him).What a great race.What a great boost for Lewis!

      1. Pretty much everybody has blown it at some point or other during the season. Today was Button’s turn. And Webber’s, I suppose.

        1. Funny you mention Button and Webber, ’cause it got me thinking about their bad races. Silverstone was another for Button, and Valencia for Webber. It seems when Button has a bad race he somehow manages to drive one of the faster cars to the back of the pack. Webber on the other hand crashes out spectacularly.

    6. Should be an equal playing field now with the top three teams backing one driver.

      Given that it was suppose to be Mclarens best track of the remaining races its now a two horse race (with DNFs for Alo and Web maybe an outside chance for Vettel and less so for Hamilton)

      1. Yes, Ferrari are for Alonso, McLaren for Hamilton and RedBull for Vettel .. if you listen to Helmut Marko, thats what you have to believe (seems he isn’t very good at math).

        1. Well, Vettel stayed on track today. If it rains at Interlagos, I’d back Vettel too.

          1. Absolutely. Although with the RB6’s downforce just about anyone could be the new rainmeister. Oh wait, except for that guy that crashed one out in the rain today.

            1. Name me one WC in the last 10 years who hasn’t crashed in a wet race somewhere.

    7. PS Are Alonso, Webber, Hamilton and Vettel going to score less than 8 points over two races.

      A: No, Button is out of it.

      1. Would you believe me if I had come up to you yesterday and told you that Webber would crash and take Roberg out, that Alonso would inherit the lead when Vettel had a mechanical fault (again), that Button would fail to score after a dud strategy call and that the race would be delayed an hour by rain and yet the drivers would still complete the full 55 laps?

        The point is that, as the legendary Murray Walker would say, anything can happen in Formula 1 – and it usually does.

        1. Using the 2.5 multiplier for converting to old points, Button’s deficit is…17 points.

          But Button has to beat one more driver than Kimi did, in a car that isn’t as competitive.

          1. Still doesn’t mean he’s out of it.

            1. No but McLaren should decide strategy, if necessary, as though he is. The chances are too small now.

            2. Mathematically, no. But there are many more factors that make it much more difficult for Button than it was for Kimi. In addition to what Icthyes says, Jenson also has to contend with a teammate in the same car, who is usually faster, and who will probably get the primary backing of the team in the championship run-in.

              Plus the current championship leader isn’t likely to frighten himself into costly errors in consecutive races, which is the main reason Kimi was able to make up so much ground in 2007.

            3. It means he might as well be as makes no difference. And I was wrong, he has two more driver to beat than Kimi, which makes it even worse for him.

            4. In fact Button would have to beat the SAME two drivers Räikkönen beat, plus Webber and Vettel who are in the magical RB6. I think Button knows he’s out of it now, and based on my perception of his relationship with Hamilton and the fact that he’s really a decent guy I think he’ll probably throw his support behind his teammate for the last two races.

            5. I think if Button is leading a McLaren 1-2 with Alonso third in Brazil, they will switch places.

              Its over for Button!

        2. Lewis still has an slim chance but Jenson needs a full-blown miracle, or more like a full string of them.

        3. In a WORD YES.

          I’ve always said Webber would have at least one DNF in the last 5 races and Button would finish a race but not in the points.

          1. PS. Now all we need is an Alonso finish in place 7 – 10 in one of the last two races and I will complete my hat-trick of predictions.

            Rubbish at the top 5 predictions for each race though ;-)

    8. I’m not his #1 supporter and I prefer rocket red to red, but you cant deny him his due. He is really good.

      The interesting bit on the constructors point is how Ferrari are now able to overtake McLaren for second, which seemed impossible a short while ago, with Massa floundering so badly.

      And on this point let me add: no thanks to you, Jenson Button. Button, once again trying palor tricks instead of putting his head down and beating the car ahead. China and Australia now go down in history as flukes.

      Decent recovery drive from Massa.

      1. The fact of the matter is Jenson cannot put his head down and beat a driver in front of him. Due to his current points tally, and his season with Brawn GP, I think people have overestimated Jenson’s ability behind the wheel. He is an average driver at best, and he knows he cannot win a race on pure pace or skill, and that is why he gets forced into gambling on risky strategies. Not every race is Australia and China.

        1. Bahrain, Spain? i hate people who judge drivers on one performance, recently it been hamilton. today button has had a bad day, but he has been bloody consistent. please back yourself up before you start making claims,

          relating to your comment webber wasnt any better and he has been leading the title for a while now so does you comment not reflect to that? at least button finished the race.

          i havnt been a button fan, but i really do not agree with what you are saying about him

          1. What about Bahrain and Spain??? Are you suggesting that a quick pit stop in Bahrain that catapulted him from 7th to 6th, and a 5th place finish in Spain, were outstanding drives?!? Button’s lack of pace aren’t claims anymore, they are hard facts.

            And I agree Webber hasn’t been that much better, and he showed us that today as well.

            1. Yeh, if anything Bahrain and Spain are examples of bad races by Button…

            2. … Apart from Alonso… in your opinion, is there a good driver on the grid?

            3. Yes there are Mike. Kubica, Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Sutil and off late Kobayashi has impressed me as well.

    9. Well, I think that Button is not a championship contender anymore : he would need a miracle to win this year.

      It’s certainly the best F1 season I’ve ever seen.

      1. he we go again button bashing

        1. I was not bashing Button at all. I honestly like this driver and I hoped he (if not Webber) would get the title.
          As far as I like him, it’s just impossible for him to take the championship lead.

    10. Battle for 9th place looks finished :)
      However battle for 6th also looks finished :)
      Nice, that battle for 1st isnt finished yet

      1. Force India are still 3 points ahead of Williams. There’s something else for you to watch. Possibly also the battle for 10th in the CC.

        1. Oh, and best Rookie. Petrov is 1 point ahead of Hulkenberg.

          Also, Barrichello and Sutil are tied on points in 10th and 11th.

    11. A superb result for Ferrari and now even the chance(if needed) to change an engine on a circuit that suits. I hope the people watching in Korea think all races are like this.

      1. I think its good that Ferrari can now consider an engine change for Fernando. This race changed the face of the championship for Fernando. I really feel sorry for Vettel though, he did the best he could, and again was let down by Red Bull’s reliability problems.

        I hate to say I told you so, but I did predict Mark making a mistake and getting a DNF in this race. Honestly, Mark has been the luckiest of the top 4 championship contenders when it comes to mechanical problems. I would rather see more deserving, but unluckier drivers such as Vettel, Hamilton, or Alonso take the championship instead of Mark Webber.

      2. I must be missing something, why does Alonso get the chance to change an engine? Or do you mean he’s got a big enough points lead to take the blow of a grid drop? I’d dispute that so I’m wondering what I’ve missed.

        1. Ferrari had a lot of concerns regarding the higher temperatures of Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and their effect on their used engines. And I think Domenicali saying that they do not have the privilege of considering at engine change for Fernando because he is still trailing in the championship, and he cannot afford a 10 place penalty.

          If Brazil goes relatively well for Alonso, I wouldn’t be surprised if they give him a fresh engine for Abu Dhabi, and incur a 10 place penalty. There is nothing more heart breaking than an engine failure during the race.

          1. I read somewhere Alonso can us the 1st engine of the season in the last race without penalty so if they get through Brazil engines are not an issue (apart from even a newish engine can blow)

            1. @BBT. As far as I remember, the Bahrain engine was overheating in the first race itself, and was used in Malaysia, where it gave way.

            2. anto the irish
              25th October 2010, 9:46

              na think they found metel in the oil after partice,,or was it shell who found the metel…no overheating

          2. There is nothing more heart breaking than an engine failure during the race.

            I think the entire nation of Germany experienced that this morning.

          3. Webber is still best off when it comes to Engines. The new one he used here only did half a race behind the SC, so it should still be in good condition. Ha!

        2. well, Alo might now be in the position to take 5 pos penalty (it is 5 isn’t it?) instead of risking a DNF in one of the 2 races left.
          I don’t think it will be Brasil though. Dpending on Brasil’s result he might consider for AbuD

          1. so the penalty its 10 positions… definitely not in Brasil

        3. If Alo has a podium in Brazil he could in do quali in Abu Dabhi and then take a 10 place drop to make sure he finishes in the points. If things go his way and he has another 5 or so points he could do it and remove all risk at the last race.

          1. Depends on the podium though. What if Webber wins in Brazil like last year?

            I see the logic and it could turn out that way, just that your original post implied it could be done for the next race. But it has to be a specific situation.

            1. Its safer to be at the front than in the mid-field. Whats he more afraid of? A blown engine or being taken out by one of the force india’s?

    12. What the heck was the call by Maclaren for Jens Button to change to intermediates when he did in the race today.Returning in 15 place . Did they really use him as a guinea pig for Lewis? and throw away his chance ? If they did I hope Lewis is DNF for the last two races with Alonso’s engine failing and Webber and Vettal taking each other out. Then Jens can win both remaining races taking home the championship 2 times in a row Which hasn’t be done in England I think I may be wrong as I know we have had multiple winners like Mansell But I dont think he managed to win consecutively . What ever the reason for the strategy it was stupid stupid stupid and really did not help Jenson or the team

      1. Ivan Vinitskyy
        24th October 2010, 10:30

        Unlikely, McLaren wants constructor’s championship.

      2. Mansell only won one title but about the rest you are right, none of the brits won in consecutive years.

        I think Button said his tyres were down and the intermediates looked to pick up some pace at that time .. bad luck the safety car came out.

      3. It wasnt McLaren bringing him out. Jenson said post race his wets were shot at that point…

        1. Exactly as in Australia…

          1. Argh, early post. I was going to say, unlike Australia he just didn’t have the speed after the switch, I thought Button would move up the field after his stop.

      4. I THINK you are wrong here since Button has admitted during the F1 forum show after the race that it was his call and that his car was totally undriverble so please dont blame the team.Even in retrospect Buttons qualification on Saturday was poor so you cant blame the team or Hamilton.

    13. McLaren has to start the process of supporting Hamilton for the stretch run. EJ commented on that and the guys at Woking basically are still going with the company line of ‘both drivers equal opportunities’. W
      Well we see what a massive boost Fernando’s gotten since Felipe was made to capitulate to him, 3 wins in the last 4?
      McLaren again, I fear making a grave mistake.

      1. Button has basically admitted his championship hopes are over. I think he would probably help Hamilton without being asked … though I believe McLaren will be asking him, no matter what they say in public.

        1. On the F1 forum Button said that if Kimi got up and walked away then we’d have a different champion that year and said he wasn’t out of it yet (by the maths). I don’t think he’s willing to throw in the towel just yet.

          1. I know what you are saying but I think Button had his PR head on by that time … I would put more weight to his “heat-of-the-moment” comments when the two directly contradict one another.

            Put another way, Button knows he can only win the championship if others falter. That includes Hamilton, so if Button’s in a position to deprive Hamilton of a few points I suspect he will let him through, since a few points over Lewis aren’t enough for Jenson at this stage.

            1. I think at the end of the day he’d be sensible enough to help Lewis but it would be funny to see a sudden u-turn. Jenson is too nice for that though!

            2. It will also be hilarious to see people perform hypocritical u-turns with their views on team orders should Button help Lewis in the next race despite still being mathematically in the title race

            3. Put another way, Button knows he can only win the championship if others falter.

              Not just that, but he basically needs ALL his rivals to falter, and not just once, but in the cases of Webber and Alonso, he’d need them to falter in both races, and then at least finish ahead of Vettel and Hamilton in both races.

            4. It will also be hilarious to see people perform hypocritical u-turns with their views on team orders should Button help Lewis in the next race despite still being mathematically in the title race

              That’s assuming they will. That’s even assuming Button is ahead of Hamilton for once. And their stance would be a lot more sound than the “Massa can’t win it anyway” reasoning of Hockenheim, especially as any situation that necessitates Button moving over would mean he would have been out of the championship by the end of the race anyway.

              Anyway on a personal note the only thing that bothers me anymore is that those infamous 7 points were gained illegally. Massa didn’t want to give them up, Button probably “will” (he won’t want to but will play the team game).

              And as a flip side, I wonder how many would complain if Button gave up a win for Hamilton?

            5. I’d complain until I was blue in the face if he appears to have been told to move over…
              It’s against the rules and it goes against everything good sportsmanship means to me.

              However, if I think that Button made the decision to move over in order to help his team mate… Then I’d applaud loudly…
              As that would be great team work.

              @Ads21, There is a world of difference between now, 2 races to go, When mathematically it would take a miracle for Button to win, than in hock, where Massa was only 8 points (old money) behind Alonso, and still “in the running”.

            6. “I wonder how many would complain if Button gave up a win for Hamilton?”

              I woudn’t complain at all, I wouldn’t like it since I like Button more that Hamilton, but realistically Hamilton needs to win in Brazil to keep his/McLarens title hopes alive.

        2. Hamilton needs no help from anyone.let the team give him a good car and he will race to win.

          1. He needs a bit more than that. Let’s suppose (big IF) that Lewis wins the next 2 races: 260 points

            Fernando would need 29 points to win, not very hard for him unless he toasts his engine in Brazil.

            Mark would need 40 and his max would be 38 (two 2nds) so that’s it. Still, Lewis is depending on a big screw-up by Fernando, on top of winning the next 2 races. A bit like Kimi in 07. Hard but not impossible.

            1. Actually it’s 36 for two 2nds. And Kimi was 17 points behind, which is almost two wins, whereas Hamilton is now 21 points behind, which is less than a win.

      2. Yeh I hope that’s just PR or McLaren will have made yet another mistake this season.

    14. Red Bull have to start supporting Webber but only in specific circumstances. If they’d already started favouring him that decision would have been a big boob without Vettel’s retirement. So they can’t afford to put all their eggs in one basket because anything could yet happen. But if they’re together on the race track and either behind Alonso or just ahead, then Vettel should let Webber through.

      McLaren might want the WCC but that’s a longer shot than the driver’s championship for them. Sacrifice Button for Hamilton, they might even get more points overall if it gives Hamilton a win. There really is the barest of hopes for Button and he can say what he wants to the camera but it’ll be the wrong decision to split resources.

      1. McLaren have to be careful being cavalier with WCC points too though, as there is still the possibility that they may fall behind Ferrari.

        1. If their driver wins the world championship then it won’t matter. And there’s a balance to strike – Button might lose 2 places and 4 points but it might give Hamilton a win and 7 more points.

    15. Well I feel sorry for Jenson, but other than that, it is great! We now have 4 drivers with a realistic chance of the title and Vettel is fast at the moment. If in Brazil, Hamilton won from Vettel, Webber, Button and Alonso respectively, the championship would look like this:

      Drivers Points
      Alonso 241
      Webber 235
      Hamilton 235
      Vettel 224
      Button 201

      Consequently, Button would be out of it but it would set up the perfect finale in Abu Dhabi, where my money is on Vettel.

      1. Well, with that score in Brazil Vettel would need a lot more than winning in Abu Dhabi for the WDC. A 2nd for Webber or Ham or a 6th for Alonso would ruin it. A pretty conservative race for Fernando would give him the WDC unless a disaster happened.

    16. I Feel So Sorry for Vettel…Tell him anything but he really was a Winner here….

    17. Shumi was amazing!!!

      1. Wasn’t he just Bruno!! I think all his skills are now coming back in readiness for next year.
        Michael Schumacher is an amazing person who never gives up.The mark of a true Champion.

    18. Anyone else noticed the championship table looks like this:

      5 wins
      4 wins
      3 wins, 4 seconds
      3 wins, 2 seconds
      2 wins

      So much for points ;)

      1. Good spot! Cue Bernie saying, “Look, medals!” some time in the next week. “They’re the same as points, only shiny…”

      2. It’s been that way pretty much all year. To me that shows that the points system is working, not that it needs to be replaced with medals. The problem with medals is that there’s no reward for drivers placed off the podium, and we have all kinds of interesting battles in points this year, ROS, MAS, and KUB… BAR and MSC… KOB, HUL, and PET… none of which we’d have if points were replaced with medals. Bernie is daft, let him run the business where he seems to know what he’s doing, and let others focus on the sport.

        1. Actually, under medal system, the drivers would still score points. So there would still be the Massa-Rosberg-Kubica fight for 6th in points’ standings, it’s only that the champion would be decided by wins.

    19. Great race, excellent championship:

      Alonso: superb from the start despite mechanics error in pit stop loosing position to Ham.

      Hamilton: poor race in general. Seemed to be very agressive at the radio before Whiting switched the green light. No attempts to overtake Alo in the 1st and2nd restart, error in 3rd restart loosing position to Alo.

      RBs: Fatal error Webber, unlucky the german finger boy

      Massa: constant racing, good points to the team

      Button: horrible on the strategy (his decission to pit early), terrible on overtaking far slower cars. Overrated driver

      1. One bad race does not make someone over-rated.

        1. Was it only one bad race this season? I rather think he was very luck being in the right place and right moment last season

      2. Well at least Hamilton’s radio ‘aggression’ meant we all got to see a race!! Waking up at 4 am to watch the cars trundled round in an enormous shower cubicle and hearing Vettel etc. wanting to the race cancelled isn’t my idea of fun. Since both McLaren’s seemed subdued, I’d say it was more down to the conditions not suiting them.

        1. I doubt that the race direction or the stewards would make much of the demands of the RBRs (who obviously wanted the race suspended) or of Hamilton (who obviously needed to race). Both demands had little to do with the actual race conditions and everything to do with their WDC standing. I really started worrying about the race when Robert Kubica (who is no sissy and didn’t have much to win or lose) also said he wanted the race suspended.

        2. If that’s true David, and Whiting took the decission because of Hams radio comments, then it furthers reinforces the argument of the great treatment that Ham receives from Whiting (in at least 4 ocassions this season):
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwm4iqWS8v0&feature=fvw

    20. Hamilton was so keen to get the race started yet was the only top 6 driver to be overtaken. takes the lead courtesy of a ferrari pit stop mistake and runs wide after wondering he could’ve won this race.

      When are red bull going to realise no matter how fast Vettel is, his car probs and stupid mistakes this year aren’t going to win him the championship and should support webber………or is that too late now as Alonso may take the driver’s title courtesy of red bull realising they let vettel try to compete (favour him in the team) with webber and throw away the driver’s title.

      lucky for them i suppose Webber made a mistake today so all’s well ends well. alonso looking dangerous…..read on.

      1. yeah i suspect the redbulls set Vettels car engine oh very high engine mix to give him the edge and the gamble backfired because Vettel was hiper aggresive to try and win .

    21. Now that vettel blew his last engine. Does he get a 10 place penalty in Brasil?

      1. Not neccessarily. If he can swap to one of the other 7 he has used at some stage in the year (assuming they are still usable), there is no penalty.

    22. @monkeys no, wdc is the driver who scores the max points in the season. If your theory were to be true then Button,hill,villeneuve, would never have been world champs . Btw who are you to decide who is the best and who is not? The current drivers, niki lauda,berger, martin brundle, Ej, etc…who’ve more credibility than you, have stated that alonso is the best. So even if your ridiculous theory is applied , the right man is leading .

    23. Can someone explains what it means when a team go behind one of the drivers apart from allowing for position swap on the track on race day???

      1. There are many ways in which they can favor one of the drivers, and most of them do. The car is often designed and tweaked around the strenghts and weaknesses of the preferred driver. Also there may be priorities for pitstops, for getting new stuff (and Mark knows about this) and of course there is the body language. Seb gets all the hugs and kisses, and Mark the cold shoulders. No wonder he famously said “not bad for a second driver”.

        And then there is outright verbal aggression. When your team principal says they are basically racing against you, you know it’s time to quit.

        1. I think Alonso probably burned that bridge at Hungary. Perhaps that should say “When you’ve set in motion a chain of events that leads your team to get a $100m fine and championship expulsion, you know it’s time to quit”.

          1. That’s killing the messenger. McL was fined and expelled for spying Ferrari. As far as I know, Alonso testified about that, but did not spy himself. Or did he?

            1. At that point McLaren had been investigated once and exonerated. It was Alonso who told Mosley at Hungary there was more, leading to the second investigation.

            2. I thought it was Ron Dennis who called Mosley after Alonso indicated he knew there was more.

            3. Not just the messenger but a knowing benefactor. Alonso’s e-mails to de la Rosa showed he knew he was using Ferrari information as early as Australia.

              @mvi that’s what happened but it’s doubtful Dennis would have done anything if he hadn’t thought Alonso would go through with his threat.

          2. I thought it was Ham’s father who set in motion that chain of events…

            Maybe I have to refresh my mind ;)

    24. This is how I see it now.
      Webber is still in the box seat to win the WDC. Red Bull must favor him to have any shot at it and with the front rows locked out in Brazil and Abu Dhabi all he has to do is drive to the finish (lol, all he has to do! easier said than done for red bull this season).

      Alonso will struggle with the engines he has left. Plus his form is questionable. Korea was a fluke, he lucked into this win big time and i think that all alonso fans should know this. Although he wasn’t, he could have easily been beaten in both Italy and Singapore (chasing teams making critical errors). Followed the RBRs home in Japan and got Germany on a silver platter. The rest of the season is just meh. Hamilton has to pull a rabbit out of a hat (not impossible in formula one) to win it from here.

      I shouldn’t really be bagging Alonso though, because he won those races and in the end winning races is what counts. Win races and you Win Championships. Let this be a messasge to Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing: Win races and you will win the championship. Just Win.

      1. I’d still rather would’ve won like Alonso (even on flukes) than just knowing I could’ve won! Being a runner up doesn’t give you as much momentum or confidence as winning, and especially if it’s 4 of the 7 last races.

        Webber needs to show consistency over the next 2 races, and unfortunately he isn’t carrying a great deal of momentum forward.

        And with Vettel being given equal opportunity and still being 25 points adrift, Webber is fighting an internal battle aswell. Do you really think Vettel will move over in Brazil if he is still mathematically in the championship? Ofcourse not!

        Alonso is looking poised to take this. It’d be a shame if he didn’t. He’s come from 47 points down after Silverstone and snatched the lead back. It’s no less than a miracle as most of us ridiculed him when he declared he’d win the WDC back then. And all that too, with only the 2nd or 3rd best car on the grid! What an effort!

    25. Okay, here’s my wish for Brazil to keep the championship alive. Button’ pretty well out of it and there’s not much of a way to keep in there. If Vettel wins, Hamilton second, Webber fifth, and Alonso retired or out of the points, they’ll head to Abu Dhabi with Alonso on 231 in the lead on # of wins, Vettel in second also on 231, Webber in third on 230, and Hamilton in fourth on 228. Now THAT would make for an epic final showdown in Abu Dhabi. Keeping my fingers crossed.

      1. It would also basically mean that whoever wins in Abu Dhabi wins the championship.

      2. Closest I can get with all 5 still in it is:

        BUT – 1st
        VET – 2nd
        HAM – 3rd
        WEB – 5th
        ALO – DNF

        Gives:
        ALO 231
        WEB 230
        HAM 225
        VET 224
        BUT 214

        17 covers the top 5 (least possible amount) but 7 covers the Top 4

        1. I’m looking at those numbers and saying to myself… “Self, that looks like a very realistic finish to me.”

          I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see a finishing order like that.

          1. Stranger things have happened. With Alonso’s engine count it’s certainly plausible for him to DNF.

          2. Which means that Alonso can afford a DNF at Interlagos (say, a busted engine) and still be in a pretty good position to win the WDC at Yas Marina

            Still, dreaming is free, so this is what I would like to see at Interlagos:

            MASSA -1ST
            ALONSO- 2ND
            KUBICA- 3RD
            ROSBERG- 4TH
            KOBAYASHI- 5TH
            BUTTON-6TH
            WEBBER – 7TH
            VETTEL -DNF
            HAMILTON – DSQ

            It would not be over yet, Webber would still have a slim chance in Yas Marina (Alo 249, Web 226) needing a win and a 9th or worse for Alonso

    26. I can’t stop any driver winning the WDC. I have my favourites and those who I’d rather win, but that last race was great.
      I actually sat up and shouted “No!” at the TV when the Red Bulls had there moements.
      Despite me wanting Webber to win the title, the drama in Korea was fantastic.

      Whoever wins, I just want the same twists and turns through the remaining races.

    27. I would like Alonso to win the WDC ahead of Webber or Vettel and I am saying that as a Hamilton Fan.

      Yeah it would be great if lewis could turn it around but that is highly unlikely in the machinery he has at his disposal now. I’d rather fernando win it ahead of the red bulls simply because I don’t think either of them are good enough. The car is but the drivers have lucked into in my eyes the same position Jenson was in last year and have made it harder than it really should of been.

    28. i’m suprised of the among of brits that seem to hate Lewis Hamilton.Other countries support their drivers. But you guys are very pathetics. Verguenza ajena me dais. I’m from mexico can’t wait for next year to support my driver.

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