Alonso: Red Bull have a car advantage, our advantage is our team
13 October, 2012
Fernando Alonso in the Yeongam pitlane with his crew
Oct.13 (Reuters) Red Bull have a car advantage but Ferrari can beat them with teamwork, Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso said on Saturday before a Korean Grand Prix that his rivals are favoured to win.
Alonso is four points ahead of Red Bull’s double champion Sebastian Vettel with five races remaining – worth a total of 125 points.
Red Bull swept the front row in qualifying, with Australian Mark Webber on pole, but Alonso will line up fourth on the starting grid – right behind Vettel – and the Spaniard told reporters there was everything to play for.
“I am not worried for tomorrow, I am not worried for the next five races,” he said after a qualifying lap time three tenths slower than Webber’s best.
“It will be tight, as we knew. They [Red Bull] have one advantage, that is the car. We have the one advantage, that is the team. So we will see.”
The Ferrari has looked a lot more competitive in South Korea than it did in Japan last weekend, where Alonso spun off at the first corner after making contact with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and retired with a puncture.
Alonso had started sixth in that race. The double world champion said it had been a surprise at Suzuka to see Red Bull, who have had the benefit of a new rear wing ‘Double DRS’ system for the last two races, out of everyone’s reach but felt Japan might have been a perfect track for them.
Korea, he felt, was more normal – even if his rivals had been fastest in practice and through all the three stages of qualifying.
“I am reasonably confident to [have] a good race, the long runs normally are good for us. Yesterday was good and in the race pace there are many factors,” he declared.
“In qualifying there is only the quickest car, doing pole position. In the race it is not only the quickest car. You need to have a good strategy, good tyres, good pitstops, good start. So many things.
“In that, in general, I think we are the strongest team. With all these factors, and thanks to this strength, we are leading the championship.”
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its just Alonso showing some respect for the team after he taunted in japan that he has been driving the same car for 6 races.
Alonso is right. It is a team sport.
Vettel looks butt hurt not getting pole. He blamed Massa.
@chris
i agree ferrari have butchered quite a few points dew to pit stops.
.300 of pole i think ferrari will be .100 slower in race trim… but may be faster. if it get in front
I Admire Fernando as a Complete Driver but he was making some Stupid statements this time in my view
Redbull has Car advantage but you have Team Advantage which means They won’t have a Team that can Challenge their Team
Remember Fernando in 2010 it was Redbull tactic that Helped them to win the Drivers championship
Your target was to finish P4 or Above but your team was failed to do a Better strategy that would make you to get P4
So never think you have a Team advantage that Ferrari team was gone where it was used to Dominate Every race and Every season in Micheal’s Era.
Ferrari doesn’t make Mistakes but They won’t get strategies perfectly
In this year
First goes with Monaco
Fernando still had some Life in his Super Soft’s as he was doing super quick lap times had he continue for 2 or More laps in that way he will emerge as Leader as Every one who Changed to Soft was struggling to get heat in to the tires. He Jumped in to P3 but if He continues it could be a Win for him
second time in Montreal
They Clearly saw that 2 stop is better when Felipe was Doing a Good job at the Middle with some good lap times but they opted for One stop that Made them out of Podium and He need to settle with P5.
Third time in Silverstone They know that soft at the end would make some Problems after the first round of Pit stops of others but they went for Hards again so that Fernando must have the soft tires as the Choice at the 2nd Pit stop. which clearly costed him Victory.
Montreal
Ferrari fans can say that Their team rectified it and Doing a Good Job but they are still lacking the Edge in their strategies.
What a load of… Red Bull has one of the strongest teams on the grid, which produces excellent pit work with few errors, executes very solid strategy, responds quickly to technical challenges, and has evolved both a car and approach to tires that has moved them from struggling at the season opener to very strong WDC title contenders, and WCC leaders thus far. They also support two team members as equal players, unlike Ferrari who enforces an Alonso led pecking order. Alonso is just freaked out to have to be fighting for the WDC with Vettel, again. I used to root for Ferrari, and Alonso. Now I root for anyone that can and does beat them. Every time Alonso finishes behind Vettel is a great day for me, just because it ticks Alonso off so much.