Formula One world championship hopefuls not giving in just yet
Before the Belgian Grand Prix, there were five drivers in contention for the Formula One world championship.
Five are still in the hunt, but for the three who failed to score points at Spa, they have a lot of work to do to catch up with only six races remaining.
Lewis Hamilton took his third win of the season at the famous track, with Mark Webber coming home in second. He trails Hamilton by three points, but for Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, time is running out on their hopes of being crowned world champion.
Webber’s Red Bull teammate Vettel has made so many mistakes this season, and the mistake he made at Spa has put him 31 points behind Hamilton. He hit the side of Button’s car after losing control of his when attempting to overtake to snatch second position. He received a drive-through penalty and suffered a puncture to add to his misery, and ultimately finished 15th.
Vettel cannot afford to make any more mistakes, and although he is not where he wants to be at the moment, he still fancies his chances of winning a maiden world title. “I'm holding my head up,” he said.
“Let's wait and see. There are still six races to come and we have all seen how quickly things can change. I know I should have been on the podium at least [at Spa]. But everything is still possible. I can still make it happen. We'll have to see what we can do at the next races,” Vettel added.
Button was running in second behind Hamilton at Spa, and despite battling with damage to his front-wing, he would have collected 18 crucial points. Instead, he collected a DNF, and the incident with Vettel has put him 35 points adrift of his McLaren teammate Hamilton.
The reigning world champion had plenty to say about Vettel’s mistake. “I still think what he did was completely unnecessary. He didn’t need to pass me at that point, and I wasn’t making his life difficult, so his car shouldn’t have been on such a knife-edge when he hit me.”
The 30-year old is still feeling down after the events at Spa, but has not given up hope on trying to defend his title. “What’s most frustrating is that I’ve lost out on a good handful of championship points. I know there are 150 points still up for grabs, but it doesn’t help to now be 35 points behind Lewis.
“We know it won’t be easy…but we’re heading into the final six races in full-on battle mode. We know how to win and we want to keep winning,” said Button.
Ferrari’s Alonso is the driver who has the most work to do, falling 41 points behind. His form has been similar to a roller-coaster this season, but like Vettel, he is refusing to rule himself out of the fight. “With this points system and the way races swing one way or another, I am convinced we still have a significant chance,” he said.
Ferrari face a difficult challenge both on and off the track, as days before their home race at the Italian Grand Prix next weekend, they face a hearing at the World Motor Sport Council to find out if they will face further punishments after their team orders scandal at the German Grand Prix in July - where Ferrari instructed Felipe Massa to let Alonso through to win the race. They have already been fined $100,000 as a result of the incident.
Two-time world champion Alonso is gambling on the Italian fans to get them back into the championship fight. “Racing at Monza for the first time as a Ferrari driver will definitely be a nice feeling. Our team is made up of 95 per cent Italians and you can feel the passion and the will to do well for this special event. I can't wait to be there and look forward to seeing the grandstands packed with fans. We need their support,” he said.
Hamilton and Webber may be the top two, but Vettel, Button and Alonso will be banking on the only thing that is predictable about Formula One - its unpredictability.
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