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Alonso hopes a little bit of bad luck strikes Vettel

Alonso hopes a little bit of bad luck strikes Vettel

  • Published on 27 Aug 2013 10:05
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Fernando Alonso has admitted his championship hopes would get a boost if Sebastian Vettel crashes at the start of a grand prix. Many see Vettel's dominance in Belgium as a sure sign the Red Bull driver will now canter to his fourth consecutive drivers' title.

"Vettel has the world title in the bag," said Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport after the race at Spa-Francorchamps. Corriere dello Sport agreed: "Vettel remains out of reach; invincible in his Red Bull with which no one can find fault. "He is on track to break all of Michael Schumacher's records."

Ferrari, however, showed at Spa signs of recovery after a miserable July, but Spaniard Alonso acknowledged that he needs Vettel to run into trouble. "I left Monza last year with 41 points more than Vettel," he is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace. "It shows how quickly things can change. But for this, we need to win three or four races in a row and have someone run over him at the start, as happened to me, or technical problems."

Alonso is undoubtedly referring to his Belgian grand prix of a year ago, when Romain Grosjean's flying Lotus ended his race in a shower of carbon fibre. "It happened to me last year and it could happen again," added Alonso.

But with just eight races left in 2013, some of Vettel's rivals are beginning to be written off. Kimi Raikkonen, for example, lost his runner-up place in the drivers' standings at Spa, where he retired with brake failure. "You would probably have to say that the three (Vettel, Alonso, Lewis Hamilton) who finished on the podium in Belgium are likely to be the major rivals to the end of the year," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Marc Surer, a former driver turned pundit, sees another problem for Raikkonen's Lotus. "If you lack the money to try everything you can think of," he told Der Spiegel, "you have no chance."

Questions about Mercedes are also being asked. "Do they still have reserves in their development to catch Red Bull in this season?" former driver Patrick Tambay told France's RMC Sport. "In Belgium they were clearly beaten."

So perhaps the final question is to wonder if anyone can beat Vettel now. "Probably, only himself," acknowledged Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn. (GMM)

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F1 News Fernando Alonso Romain Grosjean Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Lotus F1 Ferrari Mercedes

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McLaren
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Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
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Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia
Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
19 - Apr 21
China
Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
Italy
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
24 - May 26
Monaco
Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
Austria
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United Kingdom
Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy
Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
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United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
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Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Brazil
Interlagos
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United States of America
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Qatar
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
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Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan Circuit Suzuka
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China Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
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Italy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
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Canada Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain Circuit de Catalunya
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Austria Red Bull Ring
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United Kingdom Silverstone
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Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
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Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
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Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
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United States of America Circuit of the Americas
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Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Driver profile

ES Fernando Alonso 14
  • Team Aston Martin
  • Points 533
  • Podiums 9
  • Grand Prix 149
  • Country ES
  • Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (42)
  • Place of b. Oviedo, ES
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.71 m
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Lotus F1
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