2010 Formula One World Championship (Alt)

This is a fictional account of an alternative version of the 2010 F1 season. For the real 2010 season, see the 2010 Formula One World Championship

The **2010 FIA Formula One World Championship** was the 64th season of FIA Formula One motor racing.

This was Bridgestone's final season as the sole tyre supplier in Formula One as the company announced that it would not renew its contract at the end of the season. After several months of deliberation, Pirelli was chosen as the tyre supplier for the 2011 season at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva, in June 2010.

The points system was changed, with 25 points being awarded for first place, 18 for second, 15 for third, then 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for fourth to tenth. The technical and sporting regulations applicable for the season were the subject of much debate.

The season's first race was held on 14 March in Bahrain and the season concluded on 14 November in the United Arab Emirates after 19 motor races held in 18 countries on five continents.

## Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. With the withdrawal of BMW and Toyota from the sport, engine diversity in Formula One dropped to a 30-year low, with just four engine producers powering the entire grid (Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Cosworth), the lowest since 1980. Three new teams joined the grid: Lotus Racing, Virgin Racing and HRT. Teams competed with tyres supplied by Bridgestone.

### New entries process

**HRT, Lotus and Virgin debut.** The FIA announced its intention to open up the grid, aiming for a total of 13 teams, and in July 2009 selected three new teams from 15 new applicants, as well as confirming the entry of all 10 existing teams. The existing F1 teams, under the FOTA organisation, are understood to have agreed a system of technical support to assist new teams. This compromise proposal would involve the supply of parts and design knowledge to the new entrants, but not full customer cars, in return for which the budget cap idea was dropped.

The three teams on the entry list released in July 2009 included Campos Meta, a Spanish team led by former driver and GP2 team owner Adrian Campos and Madrid-based sports advertising agency Meta Image; Manor Grand Prix, an F3 team run by John Booth and designer Nick Wirth (who was formerly involved in the Simtek Ford team who competed in 1994 and 1995); and US F1, a team created by former designer Ken Anderson and journalist Peter Windsor. Following the withdrawal of BMW Sauber, Lotus Racing was accepted to return to the grid for the first time since the 1994 Australian Grand Prix. Manor became known as Virgin Racing after Richard Branson's Virgin Group purchased naming rights to the team, while Campos-Meta was reimagined as Hispania Racing after investor José Ramón Carabante purchased the team from Adrian Campos shortly before the first race of the season. USF1 officially withdrew from the championship in early March, following months of speculation and accusations from whistleblowers that the team had been crippled by mismanagement for months.

The FIA also had several entry bids from other racing teams including World Series by Renault and Le Mans entrant Epsilon Euskadi, Dave Richards's highly successful Prodrive outfit and Italian touring car team N.Technology as well as re-imaginings of former teams March, Brabham, Lola Cars and Team Lotus (not to be confused with Lotus Racing). Other expressions of interest came from Team Superfund, an Austrian outfit to be fronted by former driver Alex Wurz and myf1dream.com, a team established by fans of the sport and funded by their donations. Experienced sports car and touring car entrant Ray Mallock Limited had intended to submit an entry bid, but decided against it following the mid-season political crisis.

Of the most interest to the media was Stefan Grand Prix, created by Zoran Stefanovic and hailed as Serbia's first Formula 1 team. Stefan claimed to have acquired the remains of Toyota's abandoned TF110 chassis and engine and had access to Toyota Motorsport's former headquarters in Cologne, Germany. After being rejected from the grid, Stefanovic filed a complaint with the European Commission over the entry selection process and then announced his intentions to continue development of the Toyota chassis, re-badged as the Stefan S-01, with the team even going so far as to send equipment to Bahrain, Australia and Malaysia. After several difficulties including the cancellation of a planned test in Portugal when Bridgestone refused to supply tyres, Stefan attempted to purchase the defunct USF1 entry, but the moves were blocked. Stefan was finally rejected on 4 March when the FIA stated that it was not possible to issue entries so close to the season opener.

### Team changes

**BMW Sauber -> Sauber.** BMW announced on 29 July 2009 their withdrawal from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season, citing a lack of future viability and sustainability for the Formula One program. After a failed buy out from Qadbak Investments, the team was sold back to Peter Sauber. The FIA officially accepted the team to the 2010 grid under the name Sauber on 3 December, using a Swiss racing licence and Ferrari engines after the Toyota withdrawal.

**Toyota withdrew** from Formula One on 4 November 2009, due to financial difficulties in automotive industry. After announcing they would not sell the team on, their grid slot went to the Sauber team. Then, Stefan Grand Prix claimed that they had acquired rights to the Toyota Motorsport's former headquarters in Cologne and the TF110 that was renamed Stefan S-01.

Scuderia Toro Rosso became an independent constructor in 2010, after having their chassis supplied by the Red Bull Technologies design studio for the first years of racing. This had allowed the team to purchase customer chassis, despite the concept being banned by the FIA. This loophole was closed for 2010, meaning that the STR5 2010 car was the first car Toro Rosso have built on their own, having spent most of 2009 expanding their base of operations in Faenza, Italy to accommodate production facilities.

Renault had sold Gerard Lopez and his Genii Capital investment company a 75% majority shareholding, in order to secure the team's future. The team continued to operate under the Renault name and the engine department remained under full Renault ownership. The deal left the possibility for Renault to regain complete ownership once the economic situation had stabilised.

### Driver changes

#### Changed teams

**Fernando Alonso: McLaren -> Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen: Ferrari -> McLaren.** Fernando Alonso left McLaren to drive for Ferrari in 2010, replacing Kimi Räikkönen, who moved back to McLaren, doing a straight swap with the Spaniard. Alonso had signed a three-year deal up to the end of 2012, with options for further years.

**Rubens Barrichello: Brawn -> Williams.**

**Timo Glock: Toyota -> Virgin Racing.**

**Kamui Kobayashi -> Sauber.** Kobayashi, who made his debut for the now-defunct Toyota team at the end of 2009 covering for the injured Timo Glock, transferred to the newly revived Sauber team.

**Heikki Kovalainen -> Lotus.**

**Robert Kubica: BMW Sauber -> Renault.**

**Nico Rosberg: Williams -> Brawn.**

**Jarno Trulli: Toyota -> Lotus.**

#### Entered Formula One

**Karun Chandhok -> HRT.** Chandhok, who placed eighteenth in the 2009 GP2 Series for Ocean Racing Technology, joined former iSport International teammate Bruno Senna at Hispania Racing. Chandhok was the second Formula One driver from India, after Narain Karthikeyan drove for Jordan Grand Prix in 2005.

**Lucas di Grassi -> Virgin.** di Grassi, who placed third in the 2009 GP2 Series for Racing Engineering, joined Timo Glock at Virgin Racing.

**Nico Hülkenberg -> Williams.** Hülkenberg, 2009 GP2 Series champion with ART Grand Prix, made his debut in Formula One with Williams, alongside Barrichello.

**Bruno Senna -> HRT.** Senna, nephew of four-time World Champion Ayrton Senna, joined Hispania Racing in 2010, returning the Senna name to Formula One twelve years after his uncle's retirement in 1998.

#### Exited Formula One

**Giancarlo Fisichella** became Ferrari's reserve and test driver in 2010, having left Force India and joined Ferrari towards the end of 2009. After failing to secure a racing drive, he signed up to take part in the Le Mans Series.

**Romain Grosjean** was unable to secure a contract with Renault, due to Petrov's appointment as Renault's second driver and competed in the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship for Matech Competition.

After a poor 2009 season, Williams driver **Kazuki Nakajima** was unable to secure a drive for 2010. On 19 February, it was confirmed that he would join aspiring Serbian outfit Stefan Grand Prix, despite their lack of an entry to the grid.

#### Returned to Formula One

**Pedro de la Rosa -> Sauber.** de la Rosa returned to Formula One driving for the Sauber team, having previously served as test driver for McLaren. His return ended a two-year absence from racing since 2008, his last Grand Prix start being a campaign in 2007.

**Michael Schumacher -> Renault.** Four-time World Champion Michael Schumacher officially joined Renault on 23 December 2009, ending a three-year hiatus from the sport since 2007. Schumacher had originally intended to make a comeback with Ferrari in 2009 to stand in for the injured Felipe Massa, but was prevented from doing so by a motorcycle accident injury, and the contract was not signed until he was given a clean bill of health.

#### Mid-season Changes

* Sakon Yamamoto, who last drove in Formula One for Jordan and tested for Renault, replaced Bruno Senna at Hispania for the British Grand Prix, having previously taken part in Friday practice at the Turkish Grand Prix. The team confirmed that Senna would return to his seat for the German Grand Prix. Yamamoto then replaced Karun Chandhok from the German Grand Prix onwards, except the races in Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, where the seat was filled by Christian Klien.
* During the mid-season hiatus, Nick Heidfeld left Mercedes to take up a new role with Pirelli as their official test driver ahead of their return to Formula One.
* Following the end of the European season at the Italian Grand Prix, Pedro de la Rosa was dropped by BMW Sauber and summarily replaced by Nick Heidfeld, who last drove for the team in 2009. It was reported that the change was made because of de la Rosa's poor performance relative to teammate Kamui Kobayashi in general and Heidfeld's knowledge of the Marina Bay and Yas Marina circuits in particular. With Heidfeld joining Sauber, former Renault driver Romain Grosjean was drafted in as his replacement for Pirelli.
* Hispania Racing test driver Christian Klien replaced Sakon Yamamoto for the Singapore Grand Prix after Yamamoto allegedly contracted food poisoning ahead of the race, but was later seen in the Singapore paddock suffering no apparent symptoms, sparking talk of unpaid debts by the Japanese driver and further financial afflictions for the team to deal with when the logo of one of Klien's personal sponsors appeared on the car for the weekend. Team principal Colin Kolles confirmed that the arrangement would be for one race and Yamamoto would return to the cockpit at Suzuka provided he recovered in time. Klien also replaced Yamamoto at Interlagos and Abu Dhabi, though no explanation was given for the change.

## Season calendar

On 21 September 2009 the provisional 2010 calendar was issued by the World Motor Sport Council containing 19 races, followed by a second provisional schedule which had the Abu Dhabi and Brazilian Grands Prix switching dates. The final calendar was released on 11 December 2009.

### Calendar changes

* The Bahrain Grand Prix was run on a new layout at the Bahrain International Circuit. In this configuration, the drivers leave the old circuit shortly after turn four and follow a loop of nearly 900 metres in length, before re-joining the circuit before the old turn five. This increased the overall lap distance from 5.412 km (3.363 mi) to 6.299 km (3.914 mi). The race reverted to the circuit's original layout from 2012. The 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled due to that year's Bahraini protests.
* The British Grand Prix was originally planned to move from Silverstone Circuit to Donington Park in 2010, but the owners of Donington Park failed to raise the necessary £135 million bond to redevelop the circuit and infrastructure. After extended negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone, the organisers of Silverstone came to an agreement that will see the British Grand Prix hosted by the circuit for the next seventeen years, utilising the new "Arena" configuration which increases lap distance by 760 metres (0.47 mi).
* The Canadian Grand Prix returned in 2010 after its one-year absence.
* The German Grand Prix returned to Hockenheim for one year, after being held at the Nürburgring in 2009.
* The Japanese Grand Prix was due to return to Fuji Speedway for 2010, as part of a year-on-year rotation with Suzuka Circuit. However, Fuji's owners Toyota announced that they had abandoned plans for Fuji to hold the race, citing the global recession as the main reason for this. Suzuka will continue to hold the event in 2010 and in 2011.
* South Korea made its first appearance on the F1 calendar under the name Korean Grand Prix with a race being held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam on 24 October. On 12 October, the circuit passed its inspection.

## Changes

### Rule changes

* Refuelling during the race was abolished for the first season since 1993. Despite the resolution over the budget cap and the decision for 2010 to fall back to the 2009 rules, FOTA expressed interest in a refuelling ban as it represents a way to cut costs.

* To accommodate the extra teams, the maximum number of cars allowed to take part in a race increased from 24 to 26 cars. Formula One Management offered financial support to all new teams for 2010, in the form of $10m (£6.25m, €6.8m) along with the free transportation of two chassis and 10,000 kg (22,049 lbs) of freight to each race. The increased number of teams now requires garages to be allocated on an equal basis at each Grand Prix.
* Teams had to homologate certain parts of the car, including the driver's survival cell, roll structures, all impact structures and the front and rear wheels, meaning they couldn't be modified over the course of the season without written approval from the FIA on safety or reliability grounds. The minimum car weight increased from 605 kg to 620 kg (1,334 lbs to 1,367 lbs) to better accommodate heavier drivers with KERS units, despite FOTA's agreement not to use the system.
* The qualifying system changed to accommodate the extra cars: 7 cars drop out of the first qualifying session, 7 from the second session and 10 cars will challenge for pole position in the third session. The third session was to be run in a low-fuel configuration due to the refuelling ban, although these drivers must start the race on the set of tyres used in the third session. If a tyre is damaged in qualifying, then the FIA technical delegate will assess the extent of the damage and may allow the car to switch tyres to a set he deems to be safe.

* Drivers were given eleven sets of tyres over the course of a weekend, reduced from the fourteen sets in 2009. Three of these sets were for practice only and were returned before the start of qualifying, regardless of whether they are used or not. The front tyres were narrowed from 270 mm (11 in) to 245 mm (9.6 in), in order to improve the balance of grip between the front and rear. Wheel covers and rim heaters were banned, and tyre blankets were only allowed to act on the tyre's outer surface.
* A new points system was ratified for 2010, in response to the increased grid. Since 2003, points had been awarded to the top eight finishers, on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1. The 2010 system awarded the top ten classified finishers on a 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1 basis.
* The stewarding system had a fixed pool of stewards to draw from for each race, including former racing drivers, instead of a rotating line-up. This was to make the stewarding process more transparent, following recent controversies involving the stewards. Previously, stewards were only able to issue twenty-five-second penalties for infractions that occurred too late in the race for drivers to receive a normal penalty, but for 2010 they had the power to hand out twenty-second penalties to drivers who would have received a drive-through penalty and thirty-second penalties to those who would have received a stop-and-go penalty. A penalty had to be completed within two laps of the issuing rather than the three of previous years now.
* Replacement drivers were permitted to one day of testing, provided they have not participated in an F1 race in the last two calendar years. This was in response to several drivers in 2009 competing in their début weekend with no experience of their F1 car. Teams are also allowed to run a replacement driver in the Friday practice sessions.
* Powered devices that lift any part of the car during the pit stop were banned, and to prevent teams from releasing a car into the path of an oncoming driver in pit lane, the crew had to wait until the oncoming driver that is within a 25 m (82 ft) zone either side of the pit box has passed.
* The Concorde Agreement, which governs Formula One, was renewed at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Several cost-cutting proposals were included, such as a limit on the number of aerodynamic upgrades permitted over the course of a season and restrictions on the number of team personnel who attend a Grand Prix weekend. Also included was a Provision that teams were now be able to miss as many as three races before being ejected from the championship, although the FIA was to impose some kind of penalty for a missed race.
* Whilst the race is suspended neither the race nor the timekeeping system will stop; however the length of the race suspension will be added to the maximum two hour period.

#### Mid-season changes

* A new parc fermé system, trialled in Bahrain, had cars sealed inside a bag within the team garages and monitored by low-resolution cameras, switching to a high-definition output if it sensed movement within the garage. The system was made a permanent procedure for parc ferme from the Australian Grand Prix.
* Wing mirrors – previously treated as aerodynamic aids instead of for the drivers benefit – may no longer be mounted in the "outboard" position, following concerns about poor visibility which resulted in several cases of accidental blocking in Melbourne. The ban was effective from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.
* Following the success of the Canadian Grand Prix, tyre supplier Bridgestone announced its intentions to increase the difference between its compounds for the German Grand Prix, meaning that the teams have to deal with the extremes in the rubber compounds.
* At the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva, on 23 June, the rules regarding safety car conditions were clarified following a final-lap incident involving Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso at the Monaco Grand Prix. No car may overtake until it has passed the first safety car line for the first time when the safety car is returning to the pits. However, if the safety car is still deployed at the beginning of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.
* Any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically, or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers, will be reported to the stewards. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane. To avoid coming under the scrutiny of the stewards, a driver must return to the pits within a pre-determined lap time set by the stewards.
* If a sample of fuel is required after a practice session the car concerned must have first been driven back to the pits under its own power. This was a response to qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton stopped on the circuit after his team informed him that he may not have enough fuel left in the tank for the sample to be taken after the session. Although no action was taken against Hamilton, the stewards moved to prevent teams from deliberately doing it in the future.
* Following a minor controversy when Ferrari conducted a "filming day" at Fiorano ahead of the European Grand Prix using a car that included parts to be debuted at the race – which some felt was an attempt to circumvent bans on testing – changes were made to the rulebook that mean teams will be banned from running parts that have not been raced at a filming session or media event.
* Ferrari and Red Bull were both accused of having front wings that flexed at high speed, pushing them closer to the ground than is allowed. Although no wing ever failed scrutineers' tests, as of the Belgian Grand Prix the test was made more stringent by increasing the load applied to the wings. Similar changes were made at the Italian Grand Prix to the test of the front section of the floor under the nose (known as the bib).

### Safety car

* The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was introduced as the safety car for 2010.
* Following controversy at the European Grand Prix, the safety car rules were revised ahead of the British Grand Prix. In the event of a safety car deployment, drivers are given a "delta time" – 120% of a standard race lap (i.e. if the standard lap time is one minute, forty seconds, the delta time is two minutes) – a minimum lap time in which to get back to the pits or else be cited for speeding. However, following the Webber-Kovalainen crash in Valencia, several drivers were penalised for breaking the delta time as they had been racing ahead of the accident and the safety car was deployed as they approached the end of the lap; in effect, they had safely completed a lap at racing speeds and pitted at the earliest opportunity. Instead of following the delta time, drivers must slow down to the speed of the safety car from the moment it is deployed, but will be exempt from doing so for the final two hundred metres of the lap. As a result of this, it will prevent drivers from gaining an advantage by pitting at the earliest possible opportunity and emerging ahead of the safety car.

## Results and standings

### Scoring System

Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers.