F1 Money

The 2010 F1 season was seen by many fans as the most exciting in years, but although the battle on track caught most of the attention, the crucial off-track battle to emerge top in the financial stakes was full of plenty of twists and turns of its own.

Red Bull emerged triumphant off the track as well as on it and ended the season with more than just two championships to celebrate. Although the energy drinks giant poured an estimated US$240m into Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso throughout the season, it got much more than its money's worth in return.

The key to how it achieved this is the main reason that many sponsors and team owners take part in the sport: brand exposure. More than 520 million people globally watch F1 every year and companies are willing to pay big money for access to these viewers, just as they might otherwise pay to advertise during a TV broadcast's commercial breaks.

After each race, Formula Money's ROI Review calculates the value of the time spent on screen by every brand, as if it had been purchased as global TV advertising slots. Unlike traditional TV advertising which provides a defined slot with a tailored message, showcasing a brand in F1 is a tricky business. Each sponsor shares the screen time with over a hundred other companies and there is no guarantee when and for how long its brand will appear.

Formula Money estimates that during 2010 the Red Bull brand gained exposure which would have been worth a huge $358.5m if it had bought it as traditional TV advertising. This represents a 150% return on its spending, demonstrating why F1 is such an important platform for the Red Bull brand around the world.

Toro Rosso added to Red Bull's brand exposure © Sutton Images

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Remarkably, Red Bull took a massive 30.5% of the exposure of all F1 brands in 2010. This was down to having its brand displayed prominently on two teams, which would have given it a major advantage even if it hadn't won the title. All the same, its strong performance on track was certainly a big factor in this. More than $255.2m worth of Red Bull's exposure was generated through its logos on Red Bull Racing, around 70% of the total. The faster the car, the more exposure it will get during the race, which is the key reason why the better teams draw more sponsorship investment.

To top off Red Bull's amazing year, exposure of the company's brands doesn't stop with its signature beverage. Branding for Red Bull Mobile generated exposure estimated to be worth $4.3m in the equivalent advertising value, with Red Bull Cola and Scuderia Toro Rosso decals generating exposure worth $2.1m and $1.7m respectively. This brings the total exposure value for all Red Bull's brands to $366.6m, placing it streets ahead of its rivals.

All together, the 141 brands with on-car logos in Formula One in 2010 gained exposure worth $1.2bn, an average of $62m per grand prix. This included not just sponsors and team owners, but the engine manufacturers, the team names themselves and charities, such as the FIA's Make Roads Safe campaign which appeared free-of-charge on all the teams' cars throughout the year. The campaign got coverage from this which would have cost it $1.3m if it had bought the time as standard TV advertising.

The closest challenger to Red Bull's supremacy was McLaren's title sponsor Vodafone, which drew exposure worth $122.5m throughout the year, giving the mobile phone provider a return of almost 190% on the $65m it spends annually. It was followed by Ferrari's major new partner Santander, which got exposure worth $99.3m, a 200% return on its $50m annual spending. With returns like this, it's easy to see why companies are so keen to get involved in F1.

Exposure wasn't the only area where Red Bull Racing made a financial impact in 2010. The team spent an estimated $265m during the year, funded by prize money and sponsorship as well as money from Red Bull. This worked out at $530,000 per point it scored which was the second best value of all the teams. The team with the lowest spending per point was McLaren, which ran on a budget of $210m resulting in a cost per point of just $460,000. Although it wasn't all good news for Red Bull. Excluding the three new teams, which spent $256m between them and didn't score a single point, the worst performer in terms of cost per point was Toro Rosso, which despite a comparatively small budget of $125m spent almost $10m on each of its mere 13 points.

Fernando Alonso brought Santander to Ferrari but was on a salary of million © Getty Images

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Ferrari was the biggest spender throughout the year at $393m, but its high points haul meant it was still the third best value team, spending $990,000 on each point. However, the lack of a championship will have disappointed the team, which ran on a budget 40% bigger than any of its rivals. The $40m salary the team is believed to have paid Fernando Alonso is the biggest in the history of the sport, but meant that at $158,700 per point he scored he was technically worse value for money than any of his rivals. However, his second place in the championship and his attractiveness to major Spanish sponsors such as Santander, will no doubt make this sum seem like a bargain to Ferrari.

The best performing drivers in terms of value for money tended to be younger drivers who had yet to realise their full earning potential. Vitaly Petrov, who received no salary for his time at Renault, was the best value, producing 27 points for free, but several other drivers were something of a bargain for their teams. Adrian Sutil cost Force India just $10,600 for each point he scored while Kamui Kobayashi cost Sauber $15,625. Perhaps the biggest success story was Nico Rosberg, who was best value leading driver. Each of his 142 points cost Mercedes just $21,100 in salary compared to $138,900 for his prestigious team mate Michael Schumacher. It was real evidence of the changing of the guard and a sign that even better may be to come from Rosberg in 2011.

The data in this column is from the Formula Money ROI Review and the new edition of the Formula Money report, which will be published in early 2010. For more information please visit www.formulamoney.com

The best sponsorship returns in 2010

	Brand	Team	Estimated value of exposure
1	Red Bull	Red Bull, Toro Rosso	$358,497,614
2	Vodafone	McLaren	$122,458,146
3	Santander	Ferrari	$99,288,929
4	Petronas	Mercedes	$85,444,418
5	Renault	Renault, Red Bull	$69,290,891

The best value teams of 2010

	Team	Points	Estimated resources per point
1	McLaren	454	$460,000
2	Red Bull	498	$530,000
3	Ferrari	396	$990,000
4	Renault	163	$1.27m
5	Mercedes	214	$1.31m
6	Sauber	44	$1.63m
7	Force India	68	$1.75m
8	Williams	69	$1.87m
9	Toro Rosso	13	$9.59m
10	All other teams	0	No points

The best value drivers of 2010

	Driver	Points	Estimated cost per point
1	Vitaly Petrov	27	No salary
2	Adrian Sutil	47	$10,638
3	Kamui Kobayahsi	32	$15,625
4	Nick Heidfeld	6	$16,667
5	Nico Rosberg	142	$21,127

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

F1 Money

We often hear about the huge sums Bernie Ecclestone charges to host a grand prix. Exactly how much does he cream off from circuits?
Formula Money estimates that the total amount that Formula One Management (FOM) received from the 19 Formula One circuits this year was $561 million. Bernie Ecclestone personally doesn't get any direct share in this, however, as a 5.3% shareholder in FOM's Jersey-based parent company Delta Topco he receives a portion of the business's profits. The revenue from race hosting fees is believed to be the source of FOM's biggest profits since there are very few costs associated with it: the company simply grants the rights to races and receives money for doing so.

How many circuits stage races only because of government funding and how many still go it alone?
Only Silverstone and Suzuka receive no government money. All the other races are supported financially by local or national governments through funding of the races themselves or of the construction and maintenance of the circuits.

Does every circuit get treated the same re income they keep and have to pay?
Most circuits take only revenue from ticket sales from their grand prix, though a few have special deals with Formula One Management that entitle them to a share of trackside advertising or corporate hospitality revenues as well.

How much does it cost to sponsor a grand prix?
A typical grand prix title sponsor pays around $6 million per race, though some sponsors pay extra to gain additional coverage.

What does it cost a tyre manufacturer to provide tyres for the season? And is it s straight deal where they supply in return for exposure?
Bridgestone spent around $100 million a year on developing and supplying the tyres as well as marketing its involvement. As well as the exposure, it also benefited from the opportunity to test its technologies in extreme conditions and to develop its engineers' skills as a result of this.

Why don't ticket prices reflect the local market, resulting in poor attendances in places like Turkey where the costs are prohibitive?
Turkey actually has some of the lowest ticket prices on the calendar - $49 for a three-day general admission ticket, beaten only by $39 for an equivalent ticket in Malaysia. Turkey's problem is that there simply is little local interest in the sport, whatever the price. With race hosting fees reaching as high as $50 million, the circuits have to be very careful to judge what the fans will pay for a ticket as they could quickly hit financial difficulty if the prices are too high.

How much income does the FIA get from TV deals? And how much does the BBC pay and does the FIA have any rules about broadcasts being on free-to-air channels?
The FIA doesn't get any money directly from TV deals, however Formula One Management pays it an annual fee for the whole commercial rights which comes to an estimated €7.4 million. The BBC is one of the highest-paying broadcasters and pays FOM $50 million each year for the rights. Like the other free-to-air broadcasters it benefits from a clause in the Concorde Agreement, the contract between FOM, the FIA and the teams, which guarantees that F1 will be broadcast free-to-air wherever possible. This is designed to protect sponsorship revenues, as the higher the TV audience, the more money sponsors are willing to pay.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

F1 costs

How much are the drivers paid … and who has been the worst-paid champion?
The best paid driver in 2010 was Fernando Alonso, who received $40 million in salary from Ferrari - a record for any driver. He hasn't always been top of the pile though and is also the worst-paid champion in the last decade. When he won his first title in 2005, as a relatively unknown driver, he received 'only' $6 million from Renault.

Does a top IndyCar or NASCAR driver get paid more than their equivalent in F1?
The very top F1 drivers get paid more than IndyCar or NASCAR drivers, though there are more mega-earners in NASCAR than there are in F1. Alonso's $40 million compares to $30 million for highest-earning NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr, however around a dozen NASCAR drivers made $10 million or more in 2010, compared to just five in F1. Most top IndyCar drivers are paid around a tenth of their F1 and NASCAR equivalents

How much money does a top engineer (Ross Brawn, Adrian Newey etc) make?
The top engineers are paid more than most of the drivers. Adrian Newey, for example, is believed to get around $10 million annually from Red Bull Racing, making him the team's highest paid employee ahead of both of its drivers.

How much does it cost to run a mid-table F1 team, including car build, development, travel, promotion etc over a entire season?
The average team budget in 2010 was $166 million

Do high-profile rich owners (Branson/Mallya) run teams at a loss to offset costs against their corporate profits?
The investment in Formula One made by the majority of team owners is allocated from their marketing budgets and is therefore a cost for them so accordingly any taxable profits will be calculated after this has been deducted. Along these same lines, the teams' profits are calculated after deducting all of its costs from its revenues. Teams tend to avoid trying to make a profit because this situation would indicate that they have not spent all the money which was available to them during the season. Teams can always invest more money to improve their performance so unless they win the championship it is hard for them to justify not spending everything they have. Whilst making a loss is not ideal, because it means that the owner has to pump in additional investment, losses can be offset against the team's future tax bill, so there is an upside.

Teams earn from FOA according to how they stand in the championship after the season. But do they get any money each race, specially the driver who had won the race?
F1's prize money is paid out based on the teams' positions at the end of the year, though teams also receive some travel and freight assistance, which increases for the flyaway races. Unlike most sports, there is no prize money for the drivers.

In terms of cost to run against points, which was the most and least successful team in 2010?
The best performing team was McLaren, which spent an estimated $460,000 per point it scored in 2010. The worst were the three new teams, who together spent around $200 million without gaining a single point.

Abu Dhabi

No TV line at home. So will be watching downloaded race in a while. A person out of 4 is already champion. I will know in couple of hours... I AM EXCITED-CUM-AFRAID.

Korea 2010, PF1 Conclusions

McLaren Still Losing Out
Hamilton's title prospects advanced substantially in Korea but barring a sudden pace injection in Brazil that advance will not be maintained for long. In a three-car title race, the McLaren is a distant third.

Red Bull have lead the way since April but the team sprinting to the line are Ferrari. Momentum is a critical matter in sport and, with Fernando Alonso winning four of the last seven races, Ferrari have exclusive rights to its feel-good factor. Hats off. The team have timed their sprint perfectly.

Fernando Drove At The Peak Of His Considerable Powers
So, too, has their number one driver. As remarked a few months ago, the number of mistakes made by Alonso during the first-half of the campaign was remarkable given that the Spaniard prides himself on his consistency of performance. But since Silverstone, when he confidently predicted a title triumph, he has been better than his word. Only in qualifying in Belgium has he been anything other than outstanding.

Even this weekend, the mistake of Hamilton and failure of Vettel's Red Bull were gifts he probably didn't require. He certainly had ample pace to retake the position lost to Hamilton at the pit stops - just look at the distance between their two cars at the chequered flag. We'll never know if Vettel could have been trumped but it shouldn't be overlooked that the Spaniard had closed the gap to 1.5 seconds at the time that the Red Bull's engine blew and Vettel was being reeled in despite Alonso protecting his tyres.

What we do know, however, is that Alonso drove with a touch of genius.

In a race that was scarcely green for forty laps, and was interrupted by three subsequent safety-car deployments, the Spaniard beat his team-mate to the line by 30 seconds. Thirty. In F1 terms, the difference is a lifetime. In driving terms, it's the difference between being very good and possessing the devil of genius.

Pete Gill

Korea 2010

Red Bulls stole the pole from the bull fighter [:D]

Fernando lost it to Webber and Seb at a time when it seemed he had nailed it...

Still he said-

Fernando Alonso says he will take a "calm" approach to the inaugural Korean Grand Prix after qualifying third at the new Yeongam circuit on Saturday afternoon.

The Ferrari driver is second in the World Championship, 14 points behind leader Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing, and says that finishing the 55-lap race is the priority with just three Grands Prix remaining in the 19-round season

With 25 points on offer for a win, Alonso said a non-finish could end his chances of a third World Championship.

"We cannot be one of those who does not finish," the Spaniard said. "We need to keep scoring points in every race, and I am sure with that we will be very happy with that. We need to be calm and finish the race."

NOW HE WON THE GP ON SUNDAY AFtER MARK CRASHED AND SEB BURNT HIS ENGINE. And is now the top 4 have following points-

Before After

Alonso 206 231

Webber 220 220

Hamilton 192 210

Vettle 206 206

POST RACE-

Fernando Alonso has warned against early celebrations after taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship with his Korean GP win.

Although it initially appeared as if Alonso would have to settle for third place behind the Red Bull drivers, losing ground to Championship leader Mark Webber, the picture changed when Webber crashed out on lap 19, elevating Alonso to second out on track.

And it only got better for the Ferrari driver from there. While running in second place behind Sebastian Vettel, Alonso was the perfect view as Vettel's engine expired on lap 47, putting the Spaniard up into first place.

From there Alonso etched out a lead over Lewis Hamilton and went on to claim the victory in the inaugural Korean GP.

The victory, his fifth of the season, has put Alonso at the top of the Drivers' standings, 11 points ahead of Webber. However, with 50 still to play for, five drivers are still, at least mathematically, in the chase.

"Nothing has changed really," Alonso said. "We know with the new points system anything can happen in one race. If you don't score you lose 25 points with one of your main opponents so nothing has changed really.

"Bad luck for Mark and Seb, but anything can happen and there are still four/five contenders. Being on the podium and being consistent is maybe key to the Championship.

"We have been doing well in the last seven races but the last two we cannot forget we need to be on the podium and at least fighting for the victory."

He added: "One result for one race does not change the picture of the Championship. There are still four contenders, five, so we knew before coming here that every race is important to finish."

But while most of the talk was about the title race, Alonso did take the time to celebrate his Korean victory, his first in the wet.

"I think that was one of the best races of the year for us and the team, both cars on the podium is a fantastic achievement for Ferrari," he said.

"We're been competitive all weekend. Qualifying yesterday we saw a very strong car so we knew the race pace was there but with the weather conditions you never know.

"This morning was wet and we knew that it was a tricky race to finish and of course winning the race, I think my first wet race, means I'm even more happy."

Q: Fernando, now you are leading the championship and in normal coditions you don’t need to attack. How much will your approach to races change and your driving and racing strategy?

FA: Nothing reanlly, I think. One result and one race doesn’t change the picture of the championship. There are still four contenders now, I guess, or five. We knew before coming here that it’s important to finish every race. As we said many times, finishing on the podium is something that secures you a lot of points every weekend and more or less certainly puts you in a position to fight for the championship in Abu Dhabi. So we need to keep this consistency in the next two races. Obviously winning races is fantastic and every weekend we go with the aim of winning, but sometimes we know it’s not possible, so we need to maximise our potential every weekend.

--------------

Webber too showed calmness. He crashed at the most important moment of his life. Yet he was perfectly composed if not smiling. He got out of the car, fixed his wheel and looking at the car he quietly moved away....

So 'contrasty' with his team mate...

The Secret Life of Michael Schumacher

Nineteen years ago Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut. Nineteen years of interviews - and seven world titles - later, there’s very little we don’t know about Schumacher. But after he agreed to partake in our Secret Life series, we managed to wrangle a few surprises out of the German legend. Samuel Beckett, skydiving and Italian culinary exploits are just some of his unexpected answers…

Q: Are you a ‘Plan-B’ kind of guy?
Michael Schumacher: No.

Q: Driving a Formula One car aside, what is your favourite buzz?
MS: At the moment it is skydiving.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
MS: The engineers.

Q: Who is your dream date?
MS: She is also my dream come true - Corinna.

Q: Which film has made you cry?
MS: Lately it was Slumdog Millionaire. Well, at least a little.

Q: What are you afraid of - and why?
MS: It was heights, but not anymore.

Q: What was the last book you read?
MS: Something from Samuel Beckett. I am very bad at remembering the titles of books and movies and stuff like that.

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
MS: A glass of red wine and a cigar.

Q: Five things that you hate?
MS: I don’t really hate anything.

Q: Have you ever - or would you ever - dye your hair?
MS: Sure. Why not?

Q: What was the first CD that you bought?
MS: It was an LP - I think some hard rock, metal stuff.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
MS: Only temporary ones.

Q: What did teachers say about you in your school report?
MS: Not nice things.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
MS: Hard to tell. I did not really have any.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
MS: Cigars? Poker? I don’t think I should feel guilty about it.

Q: Do you collect anything?
MS: Watches maybe. But not madly.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
MS: My family.

Q: What was your worst-ever buy?
MS: That changes with every fashion change.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
MS: With hot milk.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
MS: A long breakfast with my family.

Q: What was the first car or machine you drove?
MS: A Fiat 500 - well, actually I drove a lot of karts before that.

Q: What was the most embarrassing mistake you have made?
MS: Choose one.

Q: What is the best thing that you can cook?
MS: Italian pasta probably.

Q: When was the last time you were really furious?
MS: Really, really furious? In Spa, 1998 [when he crashed into the rear of David Coulthard’s McLaren while leading a very wet Belgian Grand Prix. Coulthard was a lap down and Schumacher blamed the Scot for the incident.]

Russian Roulette

Adam Hay-NichollsOctober 19, 2010

This week former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett claimed that a number of attempts were made on his life after the Australian Grand Prix moved from Adelaide to Melbourne. Crikey, what will happen if the Russian Grand Prix ever moves from Sochi?

Bernie Ecclestone was there on Thursday, stood next to prime minister Vladimir Putin, to announce plans that F1 will set up camp in the Olympic city from 2014. This is Bernie's dream, and he's been working on it since the late 1970s when he was in discussion with Leonid Brezhnev. There were several attempts, notably in 1983, to put Russia on the grand prix calendar but each time it was blocked.

In the early '00s there were other plans, focused on Moscow, but disputes over commercial contracts resulted in the firing of bullets. This 2014 event will be a real test of the new Russian regime. The only mafia Bernie wants running the show is his mafia. Bernie has disclosed that he's been looking to do deals with all Olympic venue: "In all the Olympic cities I have been to so far these venues are often almost never used after the games," he said. "I think it is very important that these things are thought through properly, and, obviously, that is being done in Sochi."

Pf1 Suzaka 2010

Red Bulls Sink A Titanic Script
What's that saying about horses and water? All the ingredients were in place for a titanic clash after ten laps of the Japanese GP when the Safety Car trundled back into the pits to leave the five title contenders in a one-second-long queue. The scene was set. The lead actors had the stage to themselves. And then the Bulls ripped up the hoped-for script and expressed a processional monologue of devastating superiority. They were just too good for the Japanese GP to be a good race.

Fernando Alonso will fight to the last and is driving with as much defiance as skill, but the Red Bull is an awesome piece of motor racing machinery. Do not be fooled by the proximity of Alonso to Mark Webber and Seb Vettel at the chequered flag. The Bulls were in a league of their own all weekend even when enjoying cruise control.

Too Close To Call For Two
For the two Red Bull drivers, the championship situation is straightforward: Vettel will win the title if he wins all of the remaining three races, Webber will prevail if he manages a race win and a couple of podium finishes.

Both men had reason to celebrate on Sunday - paradoxically, Webber increased his lead on a day that Vettel his closed the gap to his team-mate - and both have reason to believe that this will be their year. The Aussie has the points advantage. The German has the momentum. The line between them is fine.

And Fernando? There's still hope for him too - not least because the Bulls have previously self-destructed this season and the Spaniard will only have to recall 2007 as an example of how what seems to be a two-car race can crown a third competitor as champion. But the odds, and the class car of the field, are against him.

Hamilton Losing Out In Title Race
But over at McLaren, hope is running out and close to be extinguished.

Anything less than a 1-2 for McLaren in Korea and McLaren's drivers can be written out of the World Championship equation. The mathematics provide greater scope for belief, with Lewis Hamilton only a race win and a bit behind the championship leader and Jenson Button just a few points further adrift, but, as Hamilton himself asked this Sunday, "How many points are the Bulls going to drop now?" Barring a repeat of their Turkish disaster, not many. So long as Vettel and Webber keep their wheels pointing in the right direction, fifth is the very least they will secure - just as Lewis did in his stricken vehicle this weekend.

Moreover, McLaren still remain the third fastest team on the grid. All of which makes it very unlikely that either Hamilton or Button will be crowned champion next month. In percentage terms, their title prospects might now be as low as 10%.

Speed Trumps Super Strategy
Too clever for his own good? Not really. Jenson's contrary strategy ultimately proved an error in so much as it cost him a few seconds, but as he acknowledged after the race it did not cost him a podium finish. Whatever the strategy, fourth was the maximum he could achieve after losing out to Fernando into the first corner.

Approaching the right-hander, Button had a car length's advantage over Alonso but was baulked by Webber and then muscled aside by the Ferrari. That unreplayed moment had twice the impact on Button's result than the delay in pitting him for soft tyres. Speed was the problem, not strategy.

Kobyashi Tries Out A New Combination
Thank goodness for the driving of Kamui Kobyashi because the Japanese GP would have been a dull procession without his daring. The pick of his moves has to be his second overtake of Alguersuari into the hairpin because he completely outfoxed the Spaniard by going around the outside of his Toro Rosso having gone up the inside into the same corner ten laps before. This hasn't been said regularly of Kobyashi during his nascent career, but it was a move that required brains as well as brawn.

Pete Gill

Valentio R

At the end of today's free practice session, Valentino Rossi delivered a strong message to Carmelo Ezpeleta.

“It is ridiculous that MotoGP has to wait until 4pm to race, because of Formula 1 - Rossi commented - everybody knows that after a certain time here, which is usually 3:30pm, it is almost certain to rain. It seems like we will be waiting around for it to start raining. We are always bowing down to the power of Formula 1, while they couldn't care any less about MotoGP and aren't afraid of anyone. We are the ones who are always afraid! At 2pm there is a 90% chance it will not be raining, while at 4pm it is the opposite. It's really stupid."

And last year...

“Last year I had the championship on the line and I was worried. The race started at 4:00, I was on pole, and then after a few laps we had to interrupt the race and re-start with the wet setup. The organizers need to consider these things, and not just the TV schedule."

Did you talk to Carmelo Ezpeleta?

“So many times! I also told him that I would talk to Bernie (Ecclestone, ed) if he wanted me to. But he just made a face as if to say that Bernie doesn't care, and isn't interested at all in what MotoGP is going. F1 gets better TV ratings in Italy."

Then a Spanish journalist pointed out that F1 gets better ratings in Spain as well.

“It's a sport that is more popular than MotoGP. Maybe because of Ferrari, I don't know...”

But MotoGP has Valentino Rossi...

“Yes, but obviusly Formula 1 is better known.”

Well that could be a good thing when you go to Formula 1, right?

“At think point I really don't think that will happen.”

PF1's Conclusions From Singapore

No Real Complaints From Red Bull
Third place after starting in fifth also amounted to bullet-dodging for the World Championship leader. His early pit-stop proved to be an inspired call and while Horner did his reputation as an objective viewer no good by declaring Hamilton to be entirely at blame for his collision with Webber, the Red Bull team principal earned his money this weekend by sticking to his guns even when the Aussie questioned the call to stop.

It was unfortunate, however, that Vettel pitted on the same lap as Alonso and was thus unable to display his full pace in clean air. Would a couple of laps free from Alonso's rear-wing have been sufficient for Vettel to get the jump? Maybe. In another role reversal from two weeks ago, Alonso only needed one clear lap in Monza to jump Button for the win.

In any case, Vettel is in no position to point the finger of blame given that his careless failure to select first gear at the stop cost him at least a second. The youngster continues to make hard work of a season that should have been far easier running.

Alonso Does It All By Himself
Then again, Vettel wouldn't have jumped Alonso even with the cleanest of clean get-away and Alonso probably wouldn't have been bothered if Vettel spent the final 30 laps just behind him rather than only the last three. Alonso has made a surprising number of mistakes this season but he looked utterly unperturbed and unflustered by the harassment of the Red Bull in Singapore. Combined with one of the outstanding qualifying laps of the campaign and the weekend added up to an outstanding display of driving by the Spaniard. At the decisive stage of the season, he is the man in form.

His prospects of winning the title would be greatly enhanced with a better set of results from his team-mate, however. Felipe Massa is the joker up Alonso's sleeve because he can be sure that the Brazilian will not be finishing ahead of him again this year. His only role in the remaining four (or three) races will be to take points off Alonso's rivals.

Mechanical failures wrecked Massa's weekend but it was difficult not to watch him big overtaken by Robert Kubica without wondering just how long it will be before the Pole takes his seat. The only ingredient missing in this year's title race is the absence of a second Ferrari.

The McLarens Need To Toughen Up
But there are unlikely to be too many complaints with the stewards' verdict that the collision was a racing accident, not least because on another day it would have been Webber's car, rather than Hamilton's, crippled by the clash.

A tangent in the debate is the mounting evidence suggesting that the McLaren is a brittle motor vehicle. Just look at its track history: Sebastian Vettel was able to continue in Belgium after putting an almighty hole in Jenson Button's Mclaren. In Italy, Hamilton's front suspension was wrecked by a brush with Felipe Massa's undamaged Ferrari. And in Singapore, with roles reserved and Webber in the position of Hamilton's McLaren in Monza, it was still the McLaren that retired while its rival carried on.

"We dodged a bullet," admitted Webber. McLaren, on the other hand, look vulnerable to a fatality every time they are in the firing line.

Star of the Race
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1st
In what was easily one of the drives of the season, Fernando Alonso, coupled with inspired/lucky guesswork strategy from his pitwall, clung on to an unexpected win at the Singapore GP.

The Spaniard resisted a mountain of pressure from Sebastian Vettel, and was error-free. He had won a fortnight before in Monza despite a few slip-ups at the start of the race. This time he was immaculate.

The one chink in his armour was going to be when he stopped for tyres and incredibly Ferrari managed to detect when Red Bull were about to make their pit-stop and react.

It was reminiscent of the races where he withstood immense pressure from Michael Schumacher, also in a faster car, and came out on top. It was a drive worthy of a World Champion, maybe a three-time World Champion.

Something that doesn't quite add up...
Were Ferrari listening to Red Bull's radio messages? When the BBC's Ted Kravitz asked the Ferrari team if they had been aware that Sebastian Vettel was about to stop they said no. They told the pitlane reporter that they were making the move to cover off the pit-stops of the McLaren pair of Button and Hamilton. That doesn't add up. At the time, Hamilton was over 20 seconds behind the lead Ferrari and after his pit-stop he was behind Webber.

Ferrari moved into the pitlane for Alonso's stop before Red Bull came out into the pitlane, Red Bull jumped a few seconds later. And Sebastian Vettel was so caught out by the identical timing that he almost muffed his getaway.

All that aside, for Ferrari to win at the lowest downforce circuit at Monza and then win at the highest downforce circuit in Singapore two weeks later is a remarkable achievement. No wonder Christian Horner has gone a shade paler.

Overtaking Moves of the Race
Laps 45 to 56: Robert Kubica, Renault moving from P13 to P7
For the first time, not one move, but a series of moves that carried Robert Kubica through from P13 to P7. Rejoining after a late-race puncture robbed him of sixth place Kubica opted for hard tyres when logic probably said he'd have been better off with the softer options. It didn't seem to matter. He set about overtaking P12 to P7 Adrian Sutil with the kind of controlled aggression that is a joy to watch. He probably overtook more people in 11 laps than Sebastian Vettel has all season.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2nd
Apparently Vettel wasn't going to be in P2 by the time we got to the first turn, it was going to be Lewis Hamilton. Ron told us. As it was, Vettel got a blinding start and almost snatched P1 off Alonso going into Turn 1. It was one of his best starts of the season. For the rest of the race he pushed when he could, but he came up against a resolute World Champion in top form.

He said after the race that he didn't dare risk overtaking Alonso, but there was hardly an opportunity from lights to flag.

Mark Webber, Red Bull, 3rd
And just when it was all going so well... Having criticised Mark Webber in the past for blundering into overtaking moves, his Monza performance looked to have shed that unhappy ghost. It was back in Singapore.

Following the restart after the second Safety Car he had been overtaken by Lewis Hamilton on the straight and was way off line going into the corner. Lewis passed him, left him room, and still he clattered into the back of him.

For those who thought it was a fair and sensible move (Brundle) where was his car going to go after he braked? He was behind Hamilton, he was on far too tight a line to make the corner alongside Hamilton, it was obvious he couldn't make the turn and avoid hitting the McLaren.

It was certainly a racing incident, but a racing incident the kind we see executed by rookies who haven't quite worked out what F1 is about. For competitors slugging it out for a World Championship it was a crazy move, because as Bridgestone showed after the race, his front tyre was hanging on the rim by 5mm. He was extraordinarily lucky to continue, let alone not lose a place. It smacked of desperation, of a man who realises this is his one and only shot at being World Champion.

Christian Klien, Hispania, DNF

Rare for an HRT driver to figure in the Winners, but in one race Klien has probably ended Bruno Senna's F1 career. For the Austrian to jump into a car he's never driven, at a circuit where there is very little margin for error, and qualify a second quicker than Senna is nothing short of amazing.

It both highlights Klien's ability and Senna's apparent lack of it. It doesn't cast a flattering shadow across Karun Chandhok's performances either. Surely Klien should be in a seat somewhere.

Singapore GP 2010

Fernando Alonso has the opportunity on Sunday to claim a Singapore GP victory in legitimate circumstances.

Two years ago Alonso won the inaugural race around the Marina Bay street circuit from 15th on the grid at a time when he was driving for Renault.

On that occasion there were critics who raised eyebrows when his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jnr's crash into a wall brought the safety car into play, which was ultimately the main contributory factor to the win.

A year ago that incident took on new meaning as the 'crashgate' scandal was in full swing, culminating in Flavio Briatore losing his job as team principal and the team being handed a two-year suspended ban.

Now with Ferrari, Alonso on Saturday won a qualifying shoot-out with Sebastian Vettel by beating the Red Bull star to pole position by 0.067 seconds.

It was Vettel who gently, and somewhat comically, reminded Alonso of his victory in 2008, making a point that tomorrow's showdown is still up in the air.

"It's a long race, nearly two hours, so it's very tough and a lot can happen," said Vettel.

"For sure it helps the further up you are on the grid, but the race can still change a couple of things.

"For instance, Fernando started here two years ago from..."

Turning to Alonso, the Spaniard solemnly replied: "Fifteenth."

With a cheeky smile, Vettel concluded his sentence by saying: "Fifteenth and he won the race."

Vettel admitted to a "pretty messy qualifying" which means he will start second for the second year in succession in Singapore.

2013: F1's chance to change the world

People may not like to admit it, but Formula One is in the midst of a serious financial crisis. Look down any grid and sponsor logos are dwindling like never before. The global economic downturn has hit hard, and it's not about to get any easier.

Title challengers McLaren have a blank rear wing for the first time in years, the Ferrari has never had as many red panels as it does now and Red Bull have struggled to get new partners on-board despite their success. In the midfield, Force India and Toro Rosso would be blank other than the support of their owners, while the Sauber is actually blank thanks to the unceremonious exit of BMW last year. Renault's car is covered with Genii partners' logos and Williams are set to lose two or three major sponsors by year's end. Then there's Virgin who are running to a budget of just €45m thanks to their CFD-only route, while Lotus and HRT are funded largely by their respective owners.

The sport has begun to act and safeguard its future though and in doing so is hoping to change the way all of us use our cars on a daily basis.

In 2013, Formula One will make a definitive step away from fuel-guzzling, high-revving, naturally aspirated V8 engines and move towards low-capacity, turbocharged, fuel efficient engines, making the sport more relevant to the layperson than it has ever been before, and making itself a hotbed of research and development for hybrid technology.

At the moment, teams have no limit on how much fuel they can pour through their engines over the course of a race weekend, although the ban on refuelling for this year has meant that more fuel efficient engines are advantageous during races. That won't be the case in 2013 however, as a fuel flow meter will limit the rate at which fuel can flow into the engine, while a fuel limit will cap the amount of fuel a car can start the race with.

"The big difference this time around is the amount of fuel that we can pour into the engine across the course of the race - it's going to be very, very restricted. That's where the big change is going to come. We've got to get a lot more out of less," says Cosworth CEO Tim Roustis.

"We're looking at numbers that are going to sit somewhere between 35% and 50% less than the amount of fuel that we're using today. For a car that's got to do fundamentally the same lap-time and the same sort of distance, it's a big change."

If the technological developments derived from the 2013 hybrid regulations succeeds in transferring to road cars in the future, the impact on reducing carbon emissions from the world's fleet of automobiles will be absolutely extraordinary. 2013 is Formula One's chance to change the world and it must succeed. The future of our great sport is at stake.