Alonso: “Sebastian Vettel is ahead because he provides the best work”
The double world champion acknowledges that at the start of the 2013 season, Sebastian Vettel made the difference. The Spaniard, who once again pledges loyalty to Ferrari, does not rule out the possibility of one day teaming up with his German rival.
At the twilight of a 2012 season where he gradually saw his title hopes slipping away, Fernando Alonso made headlines by claiming that he was fighting more against Adrian Newey than against Sebastian Vettel or Mark Webber. These statements were deemed « unfair » by the future triple world champion, particularly in light of the work done by all members of the Milton Keynes team, including renowned drivers and engineers.
After Sebastian Vettel’s victory on his home soil in Germany, his fourth win to credit the reigning champion this season, Fernando Alonso acknowledges, in the columns of *Auto Bild*, that the native of Heppenheim makes the difference: « Currently, we are fighting against Sebastian. I said, in the second half of last season, that I was no longer fighting against Sebastian or against Mark (Webber) but against a plane, so strong was the Red Bull. Maybe some people misunderstood: I was simply trying to say that it was difficult to fight against a car that could potentially finish in the top two spots in every race. [But] this is no longer the case this year: Sebastian is ahead because he is doing the best job. »
While he is 34 points behind his rival at Red Bull, the native of Oviedo does not consider the game over: As long as we are not 50 or 60 points behind, we are not giving up. Sebastian was 44 points behind last year and he still won the title in the end. Anything is possible.
Engaged in his fourth season with the Scuderia, with a record still devoid of any title, the Asturian, however, denies any intention of leaving Maranello to see if the grass is greener elsewhere: « I have no intention of changing teams. I have no idea how long I will stay in Formula 1. I need to find the motivation to have fun and feel safe. All these factors will play a role [in his decision to extend after 2016, the expiration date of his current contract with Ferrari, ed.]. But if I continue, it will be with Ferrari. »
The Spanish driver does not rule out the possibility of teaming up with Sebastian Vettel, while some claim he would have veto power over the choice of his teammate: « Why not? I think we have a lot of mutual respect, and it would also be good for the team to maximize the car’s performance as well as the points. »
But the Ferrari driver would also like to have Adrian Newey on his team, as he recently stated: « I want to work with the best, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to work on the same team as Newey. »
