F1 Fanatic

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Monza, 2011

Fernando Alonso has set his sights on finishing second in the drivers’ championship.

Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix he said: “Even if it’s true we are no longer even mathematically in the hunt for the drivers’ title, there are still plenty of reasons to retain our motivation to tackle these last five races with the right attitude.

“First of all there’s second place in the drivers’ table. Given how the season has gone so far, with [Sebastian] Vettel totally dominant, failing to get on the podium only once, being runner-up would really be a great result for me and for the team.

“There are four of us in the running, as I am up against [Mark] Webber and the two McLaren guys and I reckon we will have to wait until Interlagos to find out who it will go to.”

Alonso has won once before at Suzuka in 2006 – though it came at the expense of his current team.

He said: “I’ve won the Japanese Grand Prix twice; once at Fuji and once here at Suzuka, the latter being the best of the two, but I’m sure no one in my current team would agree with that.

“I can understand that, because I can appreciate how disappointed they must have been when Michael [Schumacher] had to retire while leading ahead of me.

“It’s always bad to see a car stop with a failure. In fact, the same thing happened to me a few weeks earlier in Monza: Formula 1 can be a cruel sport at times.”

2011 F1 season

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• How well do you remember the 2011 F1 season? Take the F1 Fanatic quiz
• The 2011 F1 season: The complete F1 Fanatic review
• Your 2011 F1 predictions revisited
• Barrichello tipped to stay at Williams
• 2011 F1 statistics part 3: Stats and facts highlights
• 2011 F1 statistics part two: Vettel’s domination
• 2011 F1 statistics part one: car performance
• New 2011 rules produced best racing of last four years
• What F1 Fanatics really thought of the 2011 season

Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo