Fernando Alonso wary of Michael Schumacher threat
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has surprised many by naming Michael Schumacher as his main rival for the title next season. Even though the 7 time world champion did not have a great 2010 season, Alonso believes that his first year back was a warm up, and in
2011, he will really give everyone a run for their money.
Fernando Alonso missed out on the gold in the world championship last season on the final day, as Sebastian Vettel lifted his maiden world title. Michael Schumacher, who made his way back to the sport after 3 years, finished in the 9th position,
overall.
Alonso said that when the new season kicks off in March, there would be 5 world champions competing for the title, and, out of all those, Schumacher is the one he is most worried about.
It was an error of strategy by Ferrari’s pit engineers that cost Alonso the title on the final race day, and he finished 4th in the end, while a 2nd position would have earned him the title.
Alonso is currently on a ski strip with Ferrari; it is a traditional pre-season trip for the team that enables them to bond constructively while raising spirits in a fun environment before a gruelling season. The Spaniard said that most of the experts and
teams would be playing down Michal Schumacher, but he is not going to make the same mistake. He added that in any game, experience is the key, and a man who has 7 world titles to his name would always be a threat.
The two time world champion said that another reason to be weary of Schumacher was that he has his long time mentor, Ross Brawn with him at Mercedes- the two have been working together for years, and both of them are legends at Ferrari. No one probably knows
them more then the people in Alonso's team, who have told him many stories about how Brawn and Schumacher used to work together. Given their track record, lowering one's guard could be a fatal mistake.
The chances of Schumacher having any chances of going for the title this season would be clear when he gets his new car ahead of the new season. The testing will begin in Spain on the 1st of February, while the first race will take place on the
13th of March, in Bahrain.
Fernando Alonso went on to say that Sebastian Vettel would be high on his first world title and his confidence may make him a tougher opponent in the new season. Alonso added that the new season would have new cars and a number of modifications in the rules
would be made, and it would be interesting to see who adapts the quickest.
The Spaniard admitted that the last season was tough, and his team got to grips with the modifications half way through the season. He added that if they had unserstood things earlier, the title race might have been much more easy.
Alonso ended by saying that he was looking forward to the new season, and was feeling confident about his title prospects.
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