Ferrari well-equipped and ready for title battle
With two races to go, Fernando Alonso is in prime position to win his third world championship.
The Ferrari driver was first to the chequered flag in Korea, after racing in some of the most difficult conditions a Formula One race has seen. Heavy rain was accompanied with the fading light, and Alonso’s celebrations on the podium were more like scenes at a disco.
Red Bull secured another one-two after qualifying, but both drivers failed to finish the race, with Mark Webber crashing out while Sebastian Vettel, primed for the race win, suffered an engine failure with only nine laps remaining.
Alonso is 11 points clear of Webber, and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton benefited from the Red Bulls retiring to finish the race in second and go 21 points off Alonso, while Vettel is a race win - 25 points - adrift of Alonso.
Ferrari know what it takes to win championships. When they told Felipe Massa in controversial circumstances to let Alonso through in Germany, they were thinking about the championship. Unlike Red Bull, who have let their drivers race one another all season, Ferrari placed all their eggs into one basket, and the gamble might just pay off.
The Italian outfit are the oldest team in Formula One. They hold many records, such as the most number of driver championships (15), most constructor championships (16), most grand prix wins (214) and most podium finishes (640).
Even though they have impressive statistics, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is still wary of the challenge from Red Bull. “I am a pragmatic guy. If they were able to do 15 pole positions in 17 races, then it is something. So they have a fantastic car,” he said.
“But for me the most important thing is that, despite this fantastic [Red Bull] car, we are there, fighting, and we will fight up until the last corner of the last race.
“This is something that has to be considered because it is a reward for the team that we are still there and with the right approach, even if we know the competition is very strong. We know that in the last two races that we cannot lose any kind of opportunity,” Domenicali added.
Many drivers have been in Alonso’s position and have gone on to lose the title. With that in mind, Domenicali is not taking anything for granted.
“We don't change our approach,” he said. “We said in Suzuka [Japan] that at every race we need to be on the podium and win one race, we have won one race and now we need to keep going without any calculation and try and be focused. Then with the numbers we will see afterwards.
“We have two championships to fight for and for sure in Brazil [next race] we cannot win the second one. We want to go ahead, keeping the feet on the ground,” added Domenicali.
This year’s championship is now Alonso’s to lose, and the combination of the Spaniard’s all-round skills and the experience of the Scuderia will make it difficult for them to beat.
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