The 2010 Formula 1 race-by-race review

Jenson Button © LAT

Round 2 Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, March 28

Jenson Button took his first win for McLaren thanks to a brilliant gamble on tyre strategy in a wet-to-dry race. The Briton made a bold, early call to switch to slick tyres, which put him second behind Vettel. When the Red Bull's brakes failed and Vettel slid out, Button had the lead.

Button had survived contact with Alonso at the first corner - which spun the Ferrari into Michael Schumacher's Mercedes. But he was only running seventh, after being passed by team-mate Hamilton, when he decided to pit.

Robert Kubica jumped Mark Webber, Massa, Alonso and Hamilton with his pitstop, earning him second place. Massa held onto third ahead of his team-mate, while Webber hit the back of Hamilton and dropped both down the order.

Round 3 Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, Kuala Lumpur, April 4

Red Bull finally scored its first win of the year with a crushing 1-2 in Malaysia - in the first race that Vettel didn't suffer reliability trouble.

Vettel had only qualified third behind Rosberg and Webber, but was in the lead at the first corner. The Red Bull pair charged clear and led a demonstration run all afternoon. Webber's only possibility to pass Vettel flunked when he lost time to an airgun problem in his pitstop.

Rosberg was a safe third throughout, with Kubica equally comfortable in fourth. Adrian Sutil held off Hamilton in the closing stages to take fifth for Force India, after both McLarens and Ferraris started down the order following dramas in wet qualifying.

Massa and Button made it back to seventh and eighth behind Hamilton, though Button got eighth back only after Alonso had passed him and had his engine blow up.

Jenson Button © LAT

Round 4 Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, April 18

It rained again, Button won again. It was another tyre call early in the race - this time electing to stay out on slicks while most dived in for inters.

The safety car erased the lead he'd built up by staying out, but within a couple of laps those on inters had cooked them and were back in the pits for slicks.

Hamilton triumphed in a great battle with Schumacher on his way back to the front, and later passed Rosberg for second. Alonso pitted five times in all - including a drive-through for a jump start - and still made it back to fourth.

Vettel and Webber could only manage sixth and eighth, among the Renaults of Kubica and Vitaly Petrov, after Vettel's earlier attempt to surprise Hamilton at a restart succeeded only in shoving his team-mate off the road.

Round 5 Spanish Grand Prix
Catalunya, Barcelona, May 9

Red Bull's superiority was emphatic in Spain with its pair qualifying three quarters of a second quicker than everyone else and Webber winning the race easily.

Vettel was bundled down to third when he had a slow pitstop and was forced wide by Hamilton when he rejoined.

He then had to nurse his car home with a brake problem, surrendering third to Alonso - though both were promoted a place when Hamilton crashed on the penultimate lap due to a wheel failure.

Schumacher was fourth after jumping Button in the pits and then holding off the McLaren, while Massa was a quiet sixth for Ferrari.

Mark Webber © LAT

Round 6 Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, May 16

Webber cruised to two victories in a week, this time with Vettel riding shotgun in second. Kubica had stuck his Renault on the front row again and held onto third after losing out to Vettel at the start.

Rubens Barrichello had jumped both Mercedes early on but dropped to 10th in the pits before crashing heavily at Massenet after a failure on his Williams, prompting one of the afternoon's four safety car periods.

Alonso started last after his practice crash put him out of qualifying, but he took advantage of the free pitstop offered by the first caution to make an early tyre change.

He'd made his way up to sixth by the last lap, when he got sideways and was jumped by Schumacher at the last corner after the safety car pulled in. But Schumacher was later penalised for passing him.

Round 7 Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul Park, May 30

Hamilton won for the first time in 2010, but the race is remembered best for the collision between the Red Bulls.

Webber had led up to lap 40, when Vettel tried to pass him into the final complex. Vettel squeezed by on the inside but tried to move back across the road to take the line for the corner. Webber refused to budge and they made contact, with Vettel spinning into retirement. Webber recovered to third behind the two McLarens.

Hamilton and Button had a battle of their own in the aftermath of the Red Bull shunt. Just as it began to drizzle with nine laps left, Button drove around the outside of Hamilton. But his lead was short-lived as Hamilton dived back ahead at Turn 1 on the next lap.

The Mercedes of Rosberg and Schumacher were fourth and fifth, with Kubica sixth ahead of the Ferraris - Alonso just eighth after another disastrous qualifying session.

Lewis Hamilton © LAT

Round 8 Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal, June 13

Hamilton had ended Red Bull's run of poles at eight on the Saturday, and then led home a McLaren 1-2 in Sunday's action-packed race.

Excessive tyre wear meant the leaders all had to stop twice and couldn't run the softer compound tyre for long. The mixed-up order made for plenty of shuffling as the afternoon panned out, with Hamilton coming back through ahead of the Red Bulls.

Button capitalised on Alonso getting held up in traffic to take second behind his team-mate, while the Ferrari took a comfortable third well clear of Vettel.

Webber left his change to the soft tyre late but it didn't work out and he finished fifth behind Vettel, with Rosberg and Kubica the only other cars on the lead lap.

Round 9 European Grand Prix
Valencia, June 27

Red Bull returned to form in Valencia with Vettel winning from pole, but Webber crashed out spectacularly.

He had been pushed down to ninth place during the first-lap barging and, unable to regain the lost ground, made an early move for the pits. He resumed behind Kovalainen, misjudged a passing move and vaulted over the back of the Lotus.

The safety car split the pack as everyone from Button (fifth) back went for the pits while the first four had to go round again. Vettel had already passed the pit exit by the time the safety car emerged, Hamilton was alongside it and pressed on, and the Ferraris were caught behind it.

Hamilton was later given a drive-through penalty for passing the safety car, but it came late enough in the race that Kamui Kobayashi, who hadn't stopped, had backed up the pack behind him enough that he could stop without losing a place.

That left him second behind Vettel, with Button third, while Alonso was stuck down in eighth after losing out behind the safety car. Barrichello finished fourth for Williams, with Kubica, Sutil and Kobayashi all ahead of Alonso.

Fernando Alonso © Sutton

Round 10 British Grand Prix
Silverstone, July 11

Webber took his memorable "not bad for a #2" win at Silverstone amid controversy over Red Bull's new front wing, which was fitted to Vettel's car and not his for the race.

The team had dominated qualifying, though a first-lap puncture for Vettel dropped him out of contention immediately. Massa too got a puncture on the first lap and also fell down the order.

Alonso was giving chase to Webber and Hamilton but had to clear Kubica first. He passed the Renault via a shortcut on the inside of Club.

Kubica retired with a differential failure before Alonso was ordered to let him back through, then Alonso was hit with a drive-through penalty. Worse still, he had to take it immediately after a safety car period so dropped well down the pack. His race deteriorated further when a puncture after contact with Vitantonio Liuzzi dropped him to 14th.

Up front, Webber won comfortably from Hamilton, with Rosberg completing the podium ahead of Button, Barrichello and Kobayashi.

Round 11 German Grand Prix
Hockenheim, July 25

After the controversies of Silverstone came more at Hockenheim, where Massa moved over to hand victory to Alonso.

Alonso had made a better start than pole-sitter Vettel from his front row slot, but while they were squabbling by the pit wall Massa went around the outside of both.

The Ferraris dropped Vettel after the pitstops, with Massa comfortably leading Alonso until being told over the radio "Fernando is faster than you".

He lifted exiting the hairpin next time round and Alonso went through - denying Massa what would have been his only win of the season on the anniversary of the Hungaroring accident that ended his 2009 campaign.

Both Hamilton and Button passed Webber to finish fourth and fifth.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel © LAT

Round 12 Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungaroring, August 1

Mark Webber was bundled down to third on the first lap but still came back to win his fourth race of the year and reclaim the championship lead.

Vettel and Alonso both got ahead at the start but Webber stayed out when the other front-runners pitted under a safety car period on lap 15. After that, Webber led from Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Massa and had to pull a pitstop's lead to win the race.

He was helped by Vettel, who was given a drive-through penalty for falling too far behind him at a safety car restart and by the time of his own stop he was 23 seconds ahead of Alonso.

Vettel completed the podium after serving his penalty, ahead of Massa, Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg. Hamilton dropped out with a gearbox problem and Button was only eighth.

The other incident that stood out in the race was Schumacher pushing Barrichello towards the pit wall as the Brazilian took the final point away from him.

Round 13 Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, August 29

Hamilton dominated at Spa after passing pole-sitter Webber at the start and controlling the race from there. He survived safety car periods and late-race rain - despite a trip through the gravel at Rivage - to pull clear and take back the points lead.

But the race is remembered for the clash between Vettel and Button as they contested second place. Vettel had a run at Button to the Bus Stop on lap 16 but lost control of his car as he ducked out, spun and speared the side of the McLaren.

Webber came back to second ahead of Kubica and Massa, while Alonso suffered another terrible Sunday. He was thumped by Barrichello as almost everyone ran wide at the damp Bus Stop on the first lap. He worked his back up to eighth but crashed out with just seven laps left.

© LAT

Round 14 Italian Grand Prix
Monza, September 12

Alonso scored his first pole for Ferrari at Monza and went on to win the race. He lost the lead at the start to Button but stayed right on the McLaren's tail until Button stopped, went a lap longer and passed him in the pits.

Massa got the second Ferrari onto the podium behind Button after surviving contact with Hamilton on the first lap which put the Briton out of the race and seriously dented his title hopes.

Vettel had to overcome an apparent engine problem, but left his pitstop until the penultimate lap of the race and emerged just ahead of Rosberg in fourth. Webber, meanwhile, had to pass Kubica in the pits and Hulkenberg on track just to get sixth.

Round 15 Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay, September 26

Alonso claimed back-to-back wins to revitalise his title charge, leading all the way in Singapore but having to fend off Vettel's Red Bull in the closing stages.

While Vettel sat within range of the Ferrari all night, it was only on the final lap that he came close enough to consider a look.

A tyre gamble paid off for Webber to give him third place, pitting early on at a third lap safety car to put the harder tyre on. Hamilton tried to regain the place at a restart, but the pair made contact and the wounded McLaren retired.

Button closed in on Webber and finished fourth, ahead of Rosberg and Barrichello.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel © LAT

Round 16 Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, October 10

Red Bull dominated in Japan again to swing the momentum back in its favour, with Vettel leading home a 1-2 without either driver seemingly breaking a sweat.

Button ran a long stint on the hard tyre and led briefly before resuming behind Alonso and Hamilton in fifth. It was only late on that Hamilton lost third gear and was easy meat for his team-mate to pinch fourth.

Schumacher completed the top six for Mercedes, ahead of the Saubers of Kobayashi and Heidfeld - the former revelling in his home grand prix on the same strategy as Button. He passed Jaime Alguersuari (twice), Sutil, Barrichello and his team-mate to earn seventh.

Round 17 Korean Grand Prix
Yeongam, South Korea, October 24

Alonso seized back the initiative with victory in the wet in Korea, while both Red Bulls suffered heartbreak and retirement.

The race was delayed by nearly two hours because of heavy rain, but once finally underway Vettel and Webber led the field.

Then, on just the second lap of proper racing, Webber tipped his car over a kerb, spun across the track into the wall and then collected the innocent Rosberg as he rolled back across the road.

While Vettel led, Hamilton briefly nicked second from Alonso thanks to a delay in the Ferrari pitstop, but he ran wide at the next restart and gave Alonso the place back.

Nine laps from home, Vettel's Renault engine gave up and he had to park. Hamilton followed Alonso home with Massa completing the podium.

Brazilian GP start © LAT

Round 18 Brazilian Grand Prix
Interlagos, November 7

Just when it looked like Red Bull would find a way to lose the title with the fastest car, another punishing 1-2 in Brazil but both its drivers right back in the hunt.

That the team allowed Vettel to win the race with Webber, ahead in the championship, finishing second was much-criticised at the time - but would turn out to be the season's crucial decision.

Hulkenberg's shock pole didn't turn into a lead as Vettel and Webber were ahead on the first lap. The six more laps it took Alonso to get by the Williams gifted the Red Bull pair the advantage they needed to make it through the afternoon unflustered.

Alonso was close to Webber by the end but ultimately settled for third, with Hamilton - also delayed by Hulkenberg early on - unable to threaten the Ferrari. Button caught up to follow Hamilton home in fifth with Rosberg sixth.

Round 19 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina, November 14

Vettel dominated the final race of the year in fitting fashion for the newly-crowned champion - though it didn't look at the start as though he could do it.

Alonso only needed to finish fourth to seal the crown, but Ferrari made an error in calling him into the pits to cover Webber's early stop. The pair were jumped by Rosberg and Petrov who had already stopped thanks to a safety car period on the first lap.

So while Vettel led, and Kubica's surprise intervention - thanks to a longer first stint - prevented Hamilton from making it a fight for the lead, Alonso and Webber were just seventh and eighth.

Button completed the podium behind Hamilton, with Rosberg, Kubica and Petrov filling the places that should have been Alonso's and Webber's - making Vettel champion.