The 2010 season will always be remembered for the fierce and fun five-a-side battle that resulted in Sebastian Vettel’s first world championship at a historic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In that year, it was the German himself, his teammate at Red Bull, Mark Webber, the two McLarens, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso who were involved in the fight to be crowned in the Great Circus.
However, until reaching that outcome, a series of controversial episodes followed one another, such as the one that occurred on July 25, 2010 at the Hockemhein circuit. On a cloudy day in which the two-time Spanish champion was contesting his 150th race in Formula 1, only 2 thousandths separated him from Sebastian Vettel on the starting grid, and the pole position was a duel between the home driver and the Ferrari driver , with the rest a world away.
Already in the race, when the traffic lights went out, the Prancing Horse single-seaters took the lead, with Felipe Massa leading the pack, followed by Alonso, which left the German from Red Bull in third place. At that time, Lewis Hamilton was the leader of the championship with 145 points , 47 more than the Asturian, who was the only trick for those from Maranello, while Vettel was fourth with 121.
The difference between both Italian cars was abysmal, taking into account how the season had developed, and the fact is that the Brazilian had only been ahead of the Spaniard after his abandonment in Malaysia , in the third round of 2010.
For this reason, and after leading almost unopposed until the pit stops, Ferrari, through Massa’s track engineer, Rob Smedley , released one of the phrases that will remain engraved in the collective imagination of all Formula 1 fans : “Felipe, Fernando is faster than you” [“Felipe, Fernando is faster than you”].
That was a message that tried to make the São Paulo player understand that he would let the Asturian pass without problems so that he could achieve his 23rd victory in the highest category, closing the gap with the world leaders, who raffled off third to sixth place in the last Ferrari double until 2017.
The faces of tension were palpable from the first moment in which the Cavallino drivers got out of the car, and although there was no lack of celebration with champagne on the podium, the subsequent press conference was what filled the pages of the newspapers.
In a small room in Germany, with the heat of battle and team orders still present, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel confronted journalists, thirsty for some juicy headline.
That was the moment in which the two-time Spanish champion was put on the table if “he would put that victory next to the one in Singapore in 2008”, a victory in which the ‘Crashgate’ with Nelson Piquet Jr could rise to the top .
Confused and with a small wry smile at the situation, Alonso said: “It was a very important result for Ferrari today.” But that did not stop there, since the press insisted on the controversy of radio team orders, exposing that this could be a “dirty victory”.
The man from Oviedo remained calm with a slight and noticeable humor in his answers because he was aware of what they wanted from him: “There are 19 races, in some we will score points and in others we won’t.”
However, some came to his defense, as did Carlos Miquel , a compatriot of the Ferrari driver who asked him if they were worried because he had returned to winning ways after two complicated courses at Renault, to which Alonso assured that “it is maybe yes.”
However, the attacks on the two-time world champion did not stop, and they questioned him that if he did not beat his partner on the track he should ask his team, which the Spaniard denied while Sebastian Vettel reduced the tension by asking if he could leave the room with a big smile on your face at the awkward situation.
Be that as it may, that victory was added to the extensive track record of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 and, although it was of no use at the end of the season, since the title went to the German by just 4 points , it was a day that will be marked for the memory of the Great Circus.
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