Is the F1 Championship slipping through British fingers?

Date: 6th October 2010 at 4:00 pm | Filed under: Formula 1 News,McLaren | Author: Nick Tomlinson | Tags: Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Japanese Grand Prix, Jenson Button, Korea, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, McLaren, Red Bull | image © Action Images

This weekend it will be the 16^th race of the Formula 1 season, with all the drivers and teams heading off to Suzuka, Japan as the season races to its climax.

There are only four Grands Prix left in the season meaning a total of 100 points up for grabs and there are still five drivers with a really good chance of winning this year’s World Championship. From Mark Webber who is leading the Championship down to fifth place man Jenson Button there is only 25 points separating them, this exactly the amount of points you get for a win. So the 2010 World Championship looks like it will be going down to the wire and could be one of the closest seasons in the sport’s history.

McLaren will be hoping for heavy improvements following their recent form. In the last three races they haven’t managed to get both their drivers home with only one of them finishing. This means that both drivers have lost ground in the title race. Lewis Hamilton who was leading the Championship has now slipped down to third place, 20 points behind leader Mark Webber. Jenson Button has slipped down to fifth, however both drivers still firmly believe there in with a fighting chance.

My predictions for the Japanese Grand Prix is that it will be a straight fight between the Red Bulls and Ferrari’s, I think McLaren have lost a lot of ground on their opponents especially Hamilton who has been forced to retire in his last two races. Also McLaren will soon have to chose a driver to back, whoever they don’t chose will leave the driver very unhappy. This is a major part to F1 as it showed in the 2007 season when McLaren backed both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to win the title this left Kimi Raikkonen to snatch the Championship away from them.

Another setback for McLaren is the speculation that has been growing about the inaugural Korean Grand Prix about whether it will be ready in time to host a Formula 1 race. If this Grand Prix doesn’t go ahead this means there will only be 75 points left to claim meaning an even tighter finish to F1 season.