Ferrari’s 2010 season can be read from two very different views; first, a strong title campaign which saw Fernando Alonso going into the finale as points leader and title favourite, and second, a season filled with strategic mistakes by the drivers and the team which cumulated in losing the title at the end when they almost had it in hand.
They seemed to made a wise choice in bringing Fernando Alonso to lead the team after ditching Kimi Raikkonen, with Massa returning to racing after being absent for the majority of the 2009 season after his head injury in Hungary. At no point in the season Massa looked as a threat to Alonso as he grabbed all the team’s poles and wins, a psychological blow to Massa, the runner-up in the 2008 season, where he fought brilliantly against Lewis Hamilton until the very last lap for the championship title. Suggestion of struggling with the 2010-spec tyres clouded Massa’s campaign.
As expected from him, Alonso established his authority within the team by winning the season opener in Bahrain, although he only won it after a mechanical failure in Sebastian Vettel’s car when he was leading the race, the Ferrari of Alonso looked very strong throughout the race. It seemed from the start that Alonso will be running away with the drivers’ title in no time, but things have changed dramatically.
After Bahrain’s debut win, the team suffered from low performing car developments and uncharacteristic mistakes by Alonso; a jump start in China and crashing during qualifying in Monaco meant Alonso and the team were behind their rivals Red Bull and McLaren in the points table, the media has written Alonso off by mid-season.
The team and Alonso in particular, seemed very determined to climb up to the top again, after the British Grand Prix, Alonso was very optimistic about the prospects for the coming races, an optimism that was justified with a stunning performance in the second half of the season; winning four races and scoring three podiums. Alonso was the biggest point scorer in the second half, more than his four title rivals. Ferrari has bounced back with a punch.
With the good news of the second half of the season, bad moments were there too; a team order for Massa, while he was leading the race, to move aside to let Alonso pass him and win the race in the final laps of the German Grand Prix. Ferrari made that decision from the logic of backing Alonso who was leading by a huge margin of pints over Massa and seemed to have a better shot the title, but this meant breaching the team-orders ban in the sport, which prevents teams to manipulate race results. However, after fining Ferrari for this breach, the FIA has decided to remove the rule for the 2011 season.
Heading into the finale in Abu Dhabi, Alonso was comfortably leading and all he needed is to finish fifth or higher in order for him to seal the title, regardless of where Vettel, Webber, or Hamilton finish. As a team, Ferrari were so confident and focused they missed on their whole strategy during the race, in an attempt to cover Mark Webber’s pit stop, who was the closest to Alonso in points, the team called in Alonso while running third, after the pit stop the team started to realize the mistake it has done when the Mercedes’ and the Renaults opted for a one-stop strategy at the end of the race, meaning that Alonso who came behind them after his pit stop was held up in seventh. Alonso frustration was apparent during the final laps of the race as he was unable to overtake the Renault of Petrov and the Mercedes of Rosebrg on a track that is hard to overtake on, handing the title unexpectedly to Sebastian Vettel.
For the 2011, and with the Abu Dhabi blunder behind them, Ferrari has decided to make an overhaul change to their strategy and in-race team with new processes. This should be enough for them to be again a strong title contender for 2011, with an ever-determined Alonso, and a hopeful Massa.
As expected from him, Alonso established his authority within the team by winning the season opener in Bahrain, although he only won it after a mechanical failure in Sebastian Vettel’s car when he was leading the race, the Ferrari of Alonso looked very strong throughout the race. It seemed from the start that Alonso will be running away with the drivers’ title in no time, but things have changed dramatically.
After Bahrain’s debut win, the team suffered from low performing car developments and uncharacteristic mistakes by Alonso; a jump start in China and crashing during qualifying in Monaco meant Alonso and the team were behind their rivals Red Bull and McLaren in the points table, the media has written Alonso off by mid-season.
The team and Alonso in particular, seemed very determined to climb up to the top again, after the British Grand Prix, Alonso was very optimistic about the prospects for the coming races, an optimism that was justified with a stunning performance in the second half of the season; winning four races and scoring three podiums. Alonso was the biggest point scorer in the second half, more than his four title rivals. Ferrari has bounced back with a punch.
With the good news of the second half of the season, bad moments were there too; a team order for Massa, while he was leading the race, to move aside to let Alonso pass him and win the race in the final laps of the German Grand Prix. Ferrari made that decision from the logic of backing Alonso who was leading by a huge margin of pints over Massa and seemed to have a better shot the title, but this meant breaching the team-orders ban in the sport, which prevents teams to manipulate race results. However, after fining Ferrari for this breach, the FIA has decided to remove the rule for the 2011 season.
Heading into the finale in Abu Dhabi, Alonso was comfortably leading and all he needed is to finish fifth or higher in order for him to seal the title, regardless of where Vettel, Webber, or Hamilton finish. As a team, Ferrari were so confident and focused they missed on their whole strategy during the race, in an attempt to cover Mark Webber’s pit stop, who was the closest to Alonso in points, the team called in Alonso while running third, after the pit stop the team started to realize the mistake it has done when the Mercedes’ and the Renaults opted for a one-stop strategy at the end of the race, meaning that Alonso who came behind them after his pit stop was held up in seventh. Alonso frustration was apparent during the final laps of the race as he was unable to overtake the Renault of Petrov and the Mercedes of Rosebrg on a track that is hard to overtake on, handing the title unexpectedly to Sebastian Vettel.
For the 2011, and with the Abu Dhabi blunder behind them, Ferrari has decided to make an overhaul change to their strategy and in-race team with new processes. This should be enough for them to be again a strong title contender for 2011, with an ever-determined Alonso, and a hopeful Massa.
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