In pictures - the 2010 Formula One season

Bahrain 14 March Vettel’s final position 4th, qualifying 1st. A worryingly processional start to the 2010 championship received an injection of drama when the leader Sebastian Vettel suffered a spark plug problem in the second half of the race, handing Fernando Alonso the win and elevating Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton to podium positions. The young German limped home in fourth. Championship standings after race one: Alonso 25pts Hamilton 15 Vettel 12 Button 6 Webber 4 Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Australia 28 March Vettel’s final position dnf, qualifying 1st. A rain-affected Australian GP kick-started the season as Jenson Button made an inspired choice to switch early to dry tyres and inherited the win from Vettel, who retired with brake failure. A hard-charging Webber crashed into Hamilton as the two chased Alonso, Massa and Robert Kubica for the remaining podium places following a second stop for tyres. Championship standings: Alonso 37pts Button 31 Hamilton 23 Vettel 12 Webber 6 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Malaysia 4 April Vettel’s final position 1st, qualifying 3rd. A great call by Webber’s race engineer to use intermediate tyres in a rain-affected qualifying session gave the Aussie pole position. However, Vettel stole a march from the line and went on to win. The two McLarens and two Ferraris were caught out by the weather and started near the back. Alonso suffered an engine failure and retired. Championship standings: Vettel 37pts Alonso 37 Button 35 Hamilton 31 Webber 24 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

China 18 April Vettel’s final position 6th, qualifying 1st. More rain, more inspired Button decision-making. This time, the World Champion opted to stay on dry tyres through light rain before changing on to intermediates. Hamilton drove doggedly to second to score a McLaren one-two and at one stage looked like he might challenge his team-mate. The Red Bull duo were never able to match them. Championship standings: Button 60 Alonso 49 Hamilton 49 Vettel 45 Webber 28 Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Spain 9 May Vettel’s final position 3rd, qualifying 2nd. Spain sparked the beginning of a Webber fightback. The Australian dominated from pole position to take the third win of his career. Elsewhere, two of his title rivals hit trouble. Hamilton suffered a puncture and crashed out at turn three while Vettel suffered more brake trouble and had to back off to get the car to the chequered flag. This misfortune promoted Alonso to second. Championship standings: Button 70 Alonso 67 Vettel 60 Webber 53 Hamilton 49 Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Monaco 16 May Vettel’s final position 2nd, qualifying 3rd. Webber continued his title assault in imperious style with a second consecutive win from pole though Vettel was on his tail for the duration of the race, finishing just 0.5seconds behind. The high attrition rate helped Alonso finish sixth from the back of the grid after a shunt in practice ruled him out of qualifying. A crafty move by Michael Schumacher on the Spaniard under the safety car on the final lap was penalised. Championship standings: Webber 78 Vettel 78 Alonso 75 Button 70 Hamilton 59 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Turkey 30 May Vettel’s final position dnf, qualifying 3rd. Turkey went down as a Red Bull own goal. While leading under severe pressure from the McLarens, Webber was victim of a bizarre move by Vettel. The German seemed to just turn right into the Aussie heading into turn 12 causing a row among the team and lingering bad blood over who was to blame. Hamilton inherited the lead but was overtaken by Button, despite McLaren personnel urging both to save fuel. The 2008 Champion re-took the lead on the next lap to claim his first win of the season. Championship standings: Webber 93 Button 88 Hamilton 84 Alonso 79 Vettel 78 Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Canada 13 June Vettel’s final position 4th, qualifying 2nd. The degradation of the Bridgestone tyres delivered the unpredictability of a wet race with Alonso, and the two McLarens and Red Bulls fighting for victory. Hamilton led home the third McLaren one-two of the season with bold overtaking manoeuvres and the demonstration of a more sensitive approach to his tyre management. Championship standings: Hamilton 109 Button 106 Webber 103 Alonso 94 Vettel 90 Photograph: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Europe 27 June Vettel’s final position 1st, qualifying 1st. Webber’s Red Bull collided with Lotus’ Heikki Kovalainen sending him skywards yet, remarkably, the Australian emerged unscathed. Vettel recorded his second win of the season. Hamilton recovered from a drive-through penalty, issued because he passed the safety car after the safety car line in the wake of Webber’s accident, to take second ahead of Button. Championship standings: Hamilton 127 Button 121 Vettel 115 Webber 103 Alonso 98 Photograph: Rafa Rivas/AFP/Getty Images

Britain 11 July Vettel’s final position 7th, qualifying 1st. Webber bounced back from his horrific shunt in Valencia to hold off Lewis Hamilton for the win. With the row over Turkey still festering, Webber sniped: “not bad for a number two driver,” after his success, referring to Red Bull’s decision to take an updated front wing off his car and give it to Vettel before qualifying. Vettel and Alonso both suffered punctures with the German recovering to seventh while the Spaniard was handed a controversial penalty for overtaking Robert Kubica off-track. Championship standings: Hamilton 145 Button 133 Webber 128 Vettel 121 Alonso 98 Photograph: Felipe Trueba/EPA

Germany 25 July Vettel’s final position 3rd, qualifying 1st. Ferrari were fined $100,000 for breaching sport regulations when they appeared to order Felipe Massa to allow Alonso into the lead. The positions stood, however, and the result signified the beginning of Alonso’s fightback in the race for the drivers’ championship. Webber suffered engine problems and finished sixth. The McLarens were a solid third and fourth, led by Hamilton, though they never threatened the front two. Championship standings: Hamilton 157 Button 143 Webber 136 Vettel 136 Alonso 123 Photograph: Guillaume Baptiste/AFP/Getty Images

Hungary 1 August Vettel’s final position 3rd, qualifying 1st. Vettel looked to have the race in the bag, with the Red Bull on devastating form around the Hungaroring, but a drive-through penalty for dropping more than 10 car-lengths behind the safety car relegated him to third behind Webber and Alonso, putting the Aussie back in the lead in the championship. Hamilton retired with a gearbox problem while Button struggled in eighth. Michael Schumacher was penalised for almost forcing former team-mate Rubens Barrichello into the pit wall in the closing stages. Championship standings: Webber 161 Hamilton 157 Vettel 151 Button 147 Alonso 141 Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Belgium 29 August Vettel’s final position 15th, qualifying 4th. Hamilton avenged his misfortune of 2008 to take his first win at Spa in changeable conditions ahead of Webber, despite a graze with the wall at the outside of Rivage. An impetuous move by Vettel on Button forced the Englishman to retire on lap 16 while the German finished in 15th. Alonso crashed out after running wide on the exit of Malmedy and spearing into the barrier. Championship standings: Hamilton 182 Webber 179 Vettel 151 Button 147 Alonso 141 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Italy 12 September Vettel’s final position 4th, qualifying 6th. Alonso overhauled Button, who ran an uncharacteristically high downforce set-up, at the pit stops to become the first Ferrari winner at Monza since Schumacher in 2006. Hamilton retired on the first lap after breaking his front-right suspension against Massa. Despite finishing fourth with Vettel and sixth with Webber, the Red Bulls struggled to keep the pace on low downforce. Championship standings: Webber 187 Hamilton 182 Alonso 166 Button 165 Vettel 163 Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Singapore 26 September Vettel’s final position 2nd, qualifying 2nd. Alonso held off a charging Vettel to take his second consecutive win from pole and his second Singapore victory. Webber jumped Hamilton and Button to take third, the McLarens staying out too long on the option tyres. Hamilton retired again after trying to overtake the Australian at turn seven after the second safety car. Button was unable to pass Webber for the last podium spot despite having much fresher tyres. Championship standings: Webber 202 Alonso 191 Hamilton 182 Vettel 181 Button 177 Photograph: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

Japan 10 October Vettel’s final position 1st, qualifying 1st. Vettel narrowly repeated his win of the previous year, holding off Webber by 0.9sec at the chequered flag. Alonso finished a solid third, unable to do anything about the Red Bull’s superior performance, ahead of the two McLarens. Button was elevated to fourth when Hamilton lost third gear in a new gearbox, which had cost him five places on the grid. Championship standings: Webber 220 Alonso 206 Vettel 206 Hamilton 192 Button 189 Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

South Korea 24 October Vettel’s final position dnf, qualifying 1st. Yeongam proved a curse for Red Bull as a double retirement set both drivers back with just two races left. Webber made a potentially fatal mistake, dropping his car in the wet conditions and then taking out Nico Rosberg. Vettel looked certain for victory but, like Bahrain, unreliability gave Alonso the win and the lead in the title standings. Hamilton was second while a 12th-place finish for Button all but ended his hopes of defending his crown. Championship standings: Alonso 231 Webber 220 Hamilton 210 Vettel 206 Button 189 Photograph: Ker Robertson/Getty Images

Brazil (Interlagos) 7 November Vettel’s final position 1st, qualifying 2nd. The Red Bulls were in a class of their own, with Vettel leading Webber home after making short work of surprise pole sitter, Nico Hülkenberg. Alonso kept his lead in the championship with a third-place finish ahead of the McLarens. Button dropped out of title contention altogether with fifth, while Hamilton retained a (very slim) mathematcal hope by finishing one place ahead of his team-mate. Championship standings: Alonso 246 Webber 238 Vettel 231 Hamilton 222 Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Abu Dhabi 14 November Vettel's final position 1st, qualifying 1st. The 23rd-year-old German defied the odds to win the race and claim his maiden world title at the expense of Alonso and Webber. Despite having not led the championship all season and having spurned numerous pole positions, Vettel narrowly held off Hamilton going into the opening corner to put himself in control of the race. Following a period behind the safety car, Vettel then pitted 0.6 seconds quicker than the Brit to regain track position at a critical phase in the race. The hopes of Alonso and Webber were scuppered by an impeccable drive by sixth-placed Vitaly Petrov. Vettel stole the title by four points from Alonso, making him the youngest World Champion in F1 history. Final standings: Vettel 256 Alonso 252 Webber 242 Hamilton 240 Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Yet, as this image shows, it could all have been so different had Hamilton crept past Vettel on the opening corner of the Yas Marina circuit ... Photograph: Sutton Motorsport/Press Association Images

The pile-up involving Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and Vitantonio Liuzzi's Force India car during the opening lap also played a critical role in determining the fortunes of Vettel and his rivals Photograph: Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images

Vettel executed a swift getaway when the safety car left the track and then pitted faster than Hamilton to maintain track position. Ferrari's decision to bring Alonso in for hard tyres on lap 15 proved costly as he found himself trapped behind Petrov thereafter. Webber (pictured in the distance) laboured through the entire race Photograph: Crispin Thruston/Action Images

Vettel won the race and tentatively punched the air ... he then waited for radio confirmation of his rivals' final positions before bursting into tears at news that he had become world champion Photograph: Gero Breloer/AP

Fittingly, Vettel was doused with champagne on the podium by two former world champions, Hamilton and Jenson Button, who finished second and third in the race. "I'm speechless. The start was crucial, and it was very tight with Lewis, but after that it settled down," said the German. "Coming back into the garage and seeing the guys and their faces in incredible. I said on the radio 'I love you' and I think I sounded like a little baby or girl. I had tears running down my face because I didn't know [I was world champion] until I crossed the line." Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images