2010 F1 Season Review Part 3- No Team Orders, Insist a Red-Faced Ferrari | Thebigtip

The 2010 Formula One season was one of the most exciting to date, with a heady mixture of new teams, new regs and a four-way title battle to keep even the least enthusiastic petrol-head glued to their telly screen. In my extensive season review, I'll be taking you through each of the 12 teams' performances, who was hot and who most certainly was not and I'll be giving my raw and unsolicited opinion on whether each team deserved their final finishing place. Third under intense scrutiny is Ferrari...

Drivers: Felipe Massa / Fernando Alonso

Team principal: Stefano Domenicali

Car spec: F10

Engine: Ferrari

Fernando Alonso achieved a dream most drivers would kill for in 2010 and that's not only to drive for the Italian-based giants, but also to win for them and press on to challenge for a world championship. Someimes dubbed 'Magic Alonso' for his prowess behind the wheel and already boasting two championship titles by the relatively tender age of 26, the fiery bull from Oviedo was no doubt going to be right in his element at the sport's most established team in history. As soon as the elusive Kimi Raikkonen packed his bags and departed F1 for the more appropriate climes of World Rally, it was only a matter of time before Alonso stepped up to replace him at Ferrari.

Lining up alongside the double champion, for his fifth season with the Scuderia, after a nasty accident in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix almost cost him his life, was Brazil's Felipe Massa: a much quieter driver than Alonso in comparison, but a proven race winner and every bit as capable of hauling in results when it mattered. Massa came within a hair's breadth of landing the drivers' title in 2008, but had it cruelly wrenched from his hands in the final corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The setting was idyllic: a Brazilian driver on pole at his home event, needing only for his nearest rival (Lewis Hamilton, in this case) to finish lower than fifth. We all know how it turned out, with a slow Timo Glock allowing Hamilton past him into the coveted position in the dying seconds of the race. It was heartbreaking to watch the initial celebrations of Massa's unsuspecting family turn to pure horror as the order changed at the vital moment and glory slipped like the final dregs of sand through an hourglass through the hapless driver's hands.

Neither Massa nor Alonso hit the ground running in 2009, the former with a retirement and the latter winding up a nondescript fifth in the opening round. Despite Massa's horrific accident ruling him out of action after Hungary, he still finished the year in 11th with Alonso only two places ahead, having struggled with both an uncompetitive Renault and a black cloud looming over his head following the fallout from the infamous Crashgate scandal. So what would 2010 bring? Alonso, the unknown quantity, pitted against Massa, the serene old hand. Showtime!

A one-two in Bahrain set the ball rolling nicely but it seemed to be a mere flash in the pan as the F10 dropped significantly off the radar as the season continued. Alonso's declaration to the world in July that he still had a fighting title chance was scoffed at by all and sundry, as the Red Bulls and McLarens clearly held the aces. But by the German Grand Prix, everything had fallen back into place for Ferrari. There was only one visible problem, however - the wrong driver was running away with the lead. And, in a team notorious for switching the order of its pawns at ill-planned instances, there was only one way to solve this awkward dilemma. Engineer Rob Smedley's message to Massa over the team radio was loud and understood: "Fernando is faster than you." What happened next was inevtiable. Millions of TV sets around the world snapped angrily to standby after that moment, a fair few of them doubtlessly kicked in by irate Massa fans. A chance to shine snatched away, yet again.

Most would argue that due to Alonso's superior position in the championship - 47 points clear of the top spot as opposed to Massa's 78 - was a justifiable reason for the position switch at Hockenheim. Alonso could be reasonably expected to make up all that lost ground by the season finale, whereas poor struggling Massa could not. However you regard the situation, it's still grossly unfair to take away one driver's hard-earned glory in one event for the sake of the bigger picture. It isn't sportsmanlike in the slightest and it detracts from the point of creating an exciting spectacle for the fans.

It was clear where the backing lay after that farcical decision as Massa's form plummeted and Alonso climbed from strength to strength. Ferrari headed the points table going into Abu Dhabi and despite having the slowest package out of the three key protagonists Alonso still managed to drag the complaining F10 into third on the grid in qualifying. Their downfall was to attempt to copy Mark Webber's strategy in the race, which left them red-faced and stuck behind reams of traffic, while Sebastian Vettel powered on to the victory and, more importantly, the championship.

2010 was a trying year for Ferrari, but it proved that they can still mix it up front with the best of them. Third in the constructors' battle wasn't such a terrible feat either! The coming season could well see Alonso straight in the hunt for that elusive third title, and with a bit of luck, the right package, and no team orders, Massa isn't one to completely dismiss either.

Massa finished: 6th

Alonso finished: 2nd

Bev's verdict: Once again, Alonso gunned for number one status just hours after joining a brand new team. Real shame Massa was such a pushover in Germany and let him get away with it. No holds barred next season, Massa - no one on the 2011 grid is more deserving of a world title than you.