Expect the unexpected

Not a happy camper: German Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing Team looking
none too pleased while facing the media.
(Reuters)

I'm pretty sure Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel would love to forget his race in Korea. Yesterday he had a great qualifying run -- which is not surprising -- taking P1 and P2 for Australian Mark Webber at the starting grid. Hell they both looked unstoppable as Webber looked to be in position to stay on top of the drivers' championship. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was all set in giving Webber a run for his money.

Race day came, the skies turned dark gray and the rain started pouring in. Perhaps not the way the inaugural Korean GP was supposed to kick off though.



The race looked to be competitive to say the least -- albeit the bad weather -- until Webber crashed his car at lap 24. There goes his chances of having a better chance at winning the F1 driver's championship. All is not lost though for team Red Bull though -- Vettel still got them covered.

The doors have opened for title contenders Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. I can't say the same for my boy, Jenson Button who's the defending champ. He made a mistake in having changed his tires right after Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher overtook him prior to Mark Webber's crash which pretty much cost him -- a lot. The pit stop came a bit too soon for Button. Probably shoulda done so while the safety car was deployed. I did noticed that he was having a hard time controlling his car because of the wet track but I guess he sort of, panicked.

So much for getting a chip with team McLaren as his goal looked rather bleak. I guess Jenson knew it was coming.

Via Eurosport UK:

The McLaren driver finished 12th in the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix, leaving him 42 points adrift of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with just two races, and a total of 50 points, still to be won.

Team mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second, is now 21points ahead of him.

Asked whether he was still in the title race, the Briton replied 'Not really' before recovering some of his fighting spirit.

"Never say never until it's mathematically impossible, but with two races to go and given how far I am behind then it's going to be very difficult from where I am," said the winner of two races this year.

"It's pretty much gone. It's still possible, but I'm miles behind. But I'll keep fighting," he added.

It was a great title run for him though. Button will be back with a vengeance that's for sure.

Things were rather smooth sailing for German Sebastian Vettel and his car. A win in Korea could propel him even closer to the driver's 'chip. Yeah, that would be huge win indeed for him until, well, the unexpected happened. Victory was well in his grasp he could smell it until his engine blew up with only 2 laps remaining in the race -- Fernando Alonzo took full advantage of it to take chequered flag and win the first ever Korean Grand Prix.

Not the way Vettel planned it, I suppose. Tell 'em why you mad, son:

"To be at the front of the field for the whole race, controlling it and looking after the tyres, I think there's nothing more we could have done," said Vettel of his third non-finish in 17 races

"All in all we did an almost perfect job today and also yesterday in qualifying."

"There are still 50 points available in the drivers' championship. It would have been easier if we had won today and the engine hadn't broken. But that's life and how it goes sometimes."

Obviously, he learned a very valuable lesson from that experience.

A mortifying experience for both Webber and Vettel, not a good day for Red Bull Racing team.

Seems like revenge on the part of Ferrari. 2009 was a forgettable year for them but this year, it's a different story.

Fernando Alonso finished 1st place while his teammate Felipe Massa placed 3rd. Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton took 2nd place.

With Alonso's win in Korea, he's now the top dog in the drivers' championship and the former front-runner Mark Webber dropped to being second banana. Hamilton jumped
to the 3rd spot and Sebastian Vettel dropped at 4. Jenson Button remained idle at 5th place as failed to earn a championship point as he finished 12th in the race.

With the Korean GP in the books, it's up in the air on who will be the 2010 Formula 1 Drivers' Champion. Will it be Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber of Red Bull or McLaren's Lewis Hamilton?

All that will be answered at the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks.