2010 Formula One World Championship — 64th season of Formula One motor racing
Sebastian Vettel became the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion, with Red Bull Racing claiming its first Constructors' title in a dramatic 2010 season finale.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 64th FIA Formula One season
- Races held
- 19 races in 18 countries on 5 continents
- Drivers' Champion
- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
- Constructors' Champion
- Red Bull Racing (maiden title)
- Vettel's age record
- Youngest World Drivers' Champion in 61-year history
- Points for win
- 25 (revised points system)
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
After a highly competitive 2009 season, major changes preceded 2010: Jenson Button moved to McLaren, Brawn GP was purchased by Mercedes-Benz and rebranded as Mercedes GP, and Michael Schumacher returned from a three-year retirement. Refuelling during pitstops was banned for the first time since 1993, and a revised points system awarded 25 points for a race victory.
The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship ran from 14 March in Bahrain to 14 November in Abu Dhabi across 19 races. Sebastian Vettel clinched the Drivers' Championship in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, having entered the race third in the standings, while Red Bull Racing secured the Constructors' Championship with a 1–2 finish in Brazil. Three other drivers — Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton — each had a mathematical chance of taking the title going into the final race.
Vettel's title made him the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the championship's 61-year history. Red Bull Racing's Constructors' triumph proved to be the last by a customer-engine independent team until McLaren-Mercedes in 2024. Bridgestone departed as sole tyre supplier at season's end, with Pirelli confirmed as replacement for 2011 at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva.