Fernando Alonso doubts he can repeat perfection of 2012 F1 campaign

Fernando Alonso believes it will be near impossible for him to repeat the perfection of his 2012 performance in the future, the Spaniard insisting he had a flawless season.

Despite having an inferior car for most of the season, Alonso took the championship battle down to the wire and lost out to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel's by just three points.

The Ferrari driver won three races and finished on the podium 13 times out of 20 races.

The Spaniard feels there was nothing he could have done better.

"You just have the feeling that some years you have done a good job and others when you feel there was something missing or something you wanted to change or want to improve for next year," Alonso told reporters during a Santander media event in Madrid.

"I think it's been a perfect year. It's going to be nearly impossible to repeat that in my career."

Ferrari had a poor start to the year in winter testing after its car proved to be very far from the pace of its main rivals ahead of the start of the season.

Alonso is convinced there is no way the start of next season can be any worse, although he concedes Red Bull will still be the favourite given its late-season form.

"A worst start would be impossible," he said.

"We were some 2.5 seconds off the pace in the Jerez test when the car made its debut, so it's nearly impossible that it will be worse, and so I expect a better start.

"But there's no doubt that Red Bull will be favourite at the start. They finished the season with a pretty strong dominance and [the] rules are more of less the same.

"They had a seven, eight-tenth advantage so we need to close that gap in two months, which is not easy.

"There will be a lot of work, but the starting point will be much better than last year, which is not hard."

Despite admitting Ferrari will have to work hard to catch up with its rivals, the two-time champion remains hopeful that the Maranello squad can become the team to beat.

"I hope so. That's every team's goal: to be first and second on Saturday and first and second on Sunday. There are a few teams who have managed that recently," he said.

"McLaren has done that a few times. Red Bull has done it over the past years. Even Lotus, there were times when they had both drivers on the podium.

"We haven't been able to do the job properly when it comes to the car performance, and that's one of the goals for next year.

"But it was also the goal for this year and it wasn't to be, so next year we will try to reach it."

[Source: Autosport.com]

 

I cant blame him. Must be frustrating to drive your heart out and end up short of the cigar.

 

I can't think of any other way to describe this season for Ferrari other than, strange. Terrible car going in, but it yielded remarkable results due to some fantastic conditions, and then more conditions fell their way, then more, and more. It was inevitable that no matter what happened, Alonso, if on even ground with the top cars on the field he could not physically best them with F2012. Alonso might as well have finished 7th in the WDC as it makes no difference now. It just wasn't meant to be this season, but going forward I believe Nando deserves the grand fortune with the scuderia as he's done good things with them.

 

Given that Alonso pretty much single handedly collected the Scuderia's WCC points it made actually a huge difference that he came in 2nd vs 7th. As in dozens of millions of $.

 

As if Ferrari were hurting for capital? I shudder to think what their top sponsors are shelling out per anum. I see your point though

 

I wonder how long he'll put up with not winning. It sounds insane but I'm sure he must be tired of the car not being up to the task three years running. It might be time to look for a better car. He would have been champ if he were in a McLaren...

 

Really, two races cost him the championship, if he hadn't been taken out he would be WDC.

 

I agree with this. Had mclaren given alonso undisputed number one status i think he would have at least two more (4 career total) wdcs.

He really did all he could this year you cant ask for more from any driver.

 

+1, I still can't understand why Ron Dennis after securing Alonso didn't automatically place him as undisputed number one driver in 2007 and kept Hamilton in check as he was a Rookie (albeit a strong one), but Alonso was a twice straight champion coming into the team. I also couldn't believe it when Dennis made the comment, that they weren't paying attention to Ferrari and didn't bring Hamilton into the pits sooner (when he spun on worn tires) because they were fighting against Alonso. They should have appreciated the guy a bit more and Lewis would have had his chance.

 

looks like he is doing the usual racing driver thing and making excuses in advance

the Ferrari was NO dog no matter what the general concensus is from the peanut gallery, you don't get a car onto the podium 13 times if it's a pig

 

I know it doesnt matter but would Vettel, Hamilton,(take your pick) been able to do the same.? Fred drove the wheels off a car that did not start out as it should have against the top teams. It was heart-breaking to watch this season especially when he was taken out twice and received little help from his teamate who ended up on the podium how many times?

 

He had a phenomenal year, and if the tires are as predictable as Ross Brawn predicts(see the link in the 2013 predictions thread), I see no reason why Ferrari and FA will not have a good year.

 

??? No proper business shrugs its shoulders at making millions of dollars and you can say about Ferrari what you want but they are a hardcore business. And I am sure that there is a way that sponsors see some of their money back if the team is very successful, a sort of prize money sharing scheme. You need to retain your sponsors and that is no easy task. Also a lot easier if you finish second rather than seventh, for the sake of having a better reputation, a better chance at next season and so forth.


Onno

 

I'm not saying Fred isn't the best driver out there, he's just getting in some excuses early

I think Massa had a similar season to Michael, a lot of bad things happened to both and their season went down the toilet. Felipe proved his point by out qualifying FA at the end of the season, I think he has his mojo back which means Ferrari will be in the hunt next year for the WCC if not the WDC

Would have been nice to see Mark Webber go to Ferrari but he wants to get shafted by Red Bull**** again next year, I think he is working on the theory that if something happens to Vettel they will HAVe to put proper support behind him .... maybe

 

+1

I never quite understand the argument that Ferrari isn't after $ just because they have a lot to begin with. After all they're not handing out their road cars for free if you just ask for one.

Yes the WDC is the goal. But short of that $ from WCC position is important. As well as the chance of at least having been in a real fight for the WDC to the end.

When you go to sponsors, it does matter whether you ended up 2nd or 7th. Just ask Sauber or Williams etc.

 

Alonso did have a great season but it was far from perfect....The mistake at japan was his by ignoring KImi, and in the last races he was not driving at the same level...he was beaten by Massa when he should have been at the top of his game. In Brazil massa was moving backwards and forward in order to help him, if not for that he might have chalenged for the win, while Alonso was never even close....despite a briliant season, Alonso would not have arrived at Brazil with winning chaces if Felipe had not given him points in Monza and Austin.
Alonso did a lot with a car that was not the best but that was far from being as bad as he claimed.....if you compare the f2012 with some of the crap Alesi (for example) had than it´s minblowing what Jean pulled off.

 

The Kimi incident is debatable.

Alonso's 2012 is as close to a perfect season as any driver has ever driven, IMO.

 

Debatable or not it was still his fault....I Agree it was a very small one but it costed greatly...and it was not the first time he makes something like that...in 2010, Australia if i´m not mistaken he also ignored someone on the first corner (i belive it was Shummy) and he got touched, spining on the spot...tht litle stunt might have costed him the title that year.

 

And equally, had vettel finished the two races when his alternator failed he'd still be champion.

 

Ferrari had the best car on the grid. They just couldn't get it right. Screwing Massa to favor Alonso might not of been the best idea in hindsight either.

I don't buy the "Ferrari was not a fast car" story. They had a fast car, just one that was hard to setup, and the team did a bunch of strange strategy stuff that in the end, cost them.

 

Avoiding mechanical failure is part of building a great reliable car to race which is part of the F1 game; being taken out by spatially-challenged 1st lap nutcases is not.

Huge difference in circumstances, and the one is very much within control of the team. Even as a seb fan you should be able to understand that...

And I would argue that the incident w/ Kimi was equally Alo's fault as it was Kimi's; a racing incident where both drivers were being very aggressive and thought they had given each other enough space but marginally had not, resulting in a puncture in Alo's rear.

Ferrari's perfect reliability is definitely one of the things that kept Alo in title contention.

 

He drove well in 2010 but made many more mistakes. Australia spin, Spa crash, China jump start, Silverstone passing Kubica by cutting chicane then not giving the spot back.

Luck for him that season Vettel was terrible. Fast but horribly mistake prone.

2012, however, Alonso was unbelievable. I disagree that the Kimi incident was totally his fault but other than that one thing he drove perfectly. (I think he might have ran wide at China and lost a couple spots during the race but that's the only other thing I can think of). Amazing.

 

THIS^.

 

R-e-s-p-e-c-t-!

From Autosport;

Love him or hate him, you've gotta respect him...... For sure, the guys on the inside do!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Choke artist!