I said it last month and I’ll say it again: there is no F1 season in history that was as close as this one.

With just a quarter of the season left to run there are still five drivers in close contention for the title.

We could have an unprecedented four- or even five-way championship finale at Abu Dhabi. But who will prevail?

Mark Webber

Points: 187

Wins: 4

Lagged behind somewhat in the opening flyaway races but since the ‘European season’ began he’s clearly done a better job of racking up the points.

Not only has he won more races than anyone else but he’s brought home strong points on the rare days when an RB6 was not the best thing to have.

He may have the fastest car on the grid at his disposal but, as we’ve seen with his team mate, Adrian Newey’s creation is failure-prone. Webber is yet to lose a race finish because of a problem with his car and you have to wonder if the law of averages is going to catch up with him before the season is out.

Lewis Hamilton

Points: 182

Wins: 3

Until last weekend you could confidently say Hamilton’s season has been marked with a new level of maturity. One which had allowed him to maximise the points-scoring potential of his car while others were squandering theirs.

Then came his nightmare weekend in Monza – a questionable decision on set-up followed by a disastrous first-lap error. Was it a minor blip in form? Or was this the moment his journey to a second championship title was de-railed?

He certainly can’t afford another no-score, whether it comes from himself or his car, which has let him down twice this year.

Fernando Alonso

Points: 166

Wins: 3

Lost a lot of ground at Valencia at Silverstone but it wasn’t just these headline-grabbing moments that have cost him in the championship. Failure to make more out of his weekends in Melbourne, Shanghai and Istanbul have also held him back.

But in the last four races Alonso has done a much better job of converting the F10’s potential into points with two wins and a second place.

And he has one key advantage over his rivals: his team mate is there to help him, not win the championship for himself. That could prove extremely valuable in the final races.

Jenson Button

Points: 165

Wins: 2

Has generally been a couple of tenths of a second per lap off his team mate. He’s often responded by taking a different direction on race strategy or set-up and there have been times when it’s paid off in a big way.

He called crucial tyre decisions right in Melbourne in Shanghai and reaped the rewards, taking an early lead in the championship. At Spa and Monza he went a different way on car set-up and his Monza gamble certainly paid off.

Given that he hasn’t finished ahead of his team mate on the road since the Chinese Grand Prix it’s surprising that Button is only 17 points behind Hamilton. He’s far from out of it.

Sebastian Vettel

Points: 163

Wins: 2

There’s nothing but tough questions for Sebastian Vettel. He’s got the fastest car on the grid, but he’s fifth in the championship which is being led by his team mate.

Car failures, whether terminal (Australia) or not (Bahrain, Canada, Italy) are partly to blame. But careless errors are just as big a part of the picture: the safety car blunder in Hungary and the unnecessary crashes with Webber in Turkey and Button in Belgium.

Yes, he’s young – but he’s also got 57 F1 starts to his name so you have to ask when the mistakes are going to stop.

The outsiders

With 125 points left to be won Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica are mathematically still in contention for the title.

Realistically, Rosberg and Kubica don’t have the cars to compete. And Massa’s championship hopes ended when he pulled over for Alonso at Hockenheim.

Over to you

Who do you think will claim the championship? How many drivers will still be in the running at the end? And who are you rooting for? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Who will win the 2010 drivers' championship? Mark Webber (46%)

Lewis Hamilton (26%)

Fernando Alonso (17%)

Jenson Button (6%)

Sebastian Vettel (4%)

Someone else (1%) Total Voters: 3,239

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Read more: History repeating: The three-way championship deciders

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