It has been an exciting Formula 1 season, and fittingly the battle for the championship ended with the last chequered flag of the longest season ever – 20 races.
Sebastian Vettel, on Red Bull, won his third title in a row to claim a place among the legends of the sport, beating Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by just two points.
Vettel had the better car, especially in the latter stages of the season, and this gave him the edge over his Spanish adversary. Four wins in successive races in the east allowed the German to overtake Alonso in the drivers’ championship, never to relinquish it.
Alonso had built a steady lead thanks to his consistency and ability to finish races, but Ferrari’s reliability was not matched with pace, so much so that on several occasions Alonso had to start races way back on the grid. He did manage to climb up positions till the end of the race, but he was quickly losing points and with Vettel picking up 100 in four races, there was not much that the Ferrari driver could do.
But it all boils down to the two accidents that Alonso had in the first corner in the second part of the season, accidents that forced him to retire from the race. Had they not happened, Alonso would have probably picked up enough points to maintain the leadership and give Ferrari a victory that has been missing since the Raikkonen days.
There were other issues that are worth commenting about. It was the last season for Michael Schumacher, who three years ago came out of retirement to try his luck again at the sport. The experience was there, but the German champion’s impact on the races was minimal. He only managed one podium finish in three seasons, and some today argue that it would have been better for him not to return.
He will be replaced at Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton, who ends a long career with McLaren to go for a new experience. Ironically, Mercedes lost ground in the latter part of this season while McLaren picked up rhythm, but Hamilton’s knowledge will be greatly beneficial for Mercedes in 2013 and successive seasons.
After all, with all the new technology that is brought in, performances change between one race and another, and Formula 1 enthusiasts can look forward to the next season in the hope that it will be as exciting as this one.