Fernando Alonso says he’s happy with his 2010 season, despite losing the title at the last hurdle.
Intriguingly he cited his position in the all-time victory list – boosted by five wins – as the high point of the year. Michael Schumacher was never one for statistics…
“It was an interesting season, with some ups and downs for everybody,” said Fernando when asked by this blog to summarise the year. “For us it was a very good year, the first year of the relationship with Ferrari. I’d been fighting to be in Q3 for the last two years, and now I’m finally fighting for the World Championship once more, so I’m really happy for this.
“I had five victories this year which put me on the list in front of Niki Lauda, Fangio and some other names which for me are very special, because I never thought to be in that privileged list.
“So in a way happy for all these things. For sure in the year there were some good moments, some bad moments. Maybe the best was Monza, maybe the worst was Monaco, without being able to go in qualifying. I will remember 2010 very well, despite the final result. I think we fought until the last race, maybe with the third quickest car, because we are third in the constructors’ championship.
“So I’m very proud of this, with the job with the team, how we approached the last part of the year. We had engine problems in the first part so we were very limited with engines from race four onwards, and we managed to fight for the championship until the last lap in the last race. So overall I think we did our best.”
He admitted his frustration at losing, although he steered clear of criticising the team for its strategy choice.
“Obviously a sad feeling half an hour after the race, but nothing we can do now. The race didn’t go as we wanted, the start we really hoped the McLarens would overtake Vettel, that would clear things a little bit. But this time Button started very well but not Hamilton.
“The start was not bad. I felt good. Distance wise, we checked now, and it was good. So it was a good start for us. But obviously much better for Button.
“We needed the fourth position at that point. Obviously there was a safety car, so Rosberg and Petrov made a decision to stop, that also was a little bit unexpected. And then Webber stopped very early as well. Then we found ourselves… we had to protect either from Webber or Rosberg. We decided to cover Webber, to exit the pits in front of him, and that in the end was not the right thing maybe.
“But it’s always very easy to see the strategy after the race. In a way nothing we can do or we can change. Someone did a better job than us because they have more points than at the end of the championship, so we congratulate them and next year we try.”
Adam Cooper F1 
‘In front of Fangio’ my *r*e, Fred.
Exhibit 1. 1955-2003 = WDCx5 Fangio’s Era.
Exhibit 2. 2003 until further notice, probably well into the next century and even beyond = WDCx7 (or more) Schumacher’s Era.
He’s talking about race wins and the fact is he is year by year rising up the table. And he mentioned those names in a respectful way, although that doesn’t make up for what he did to Petrov
Big Girl’s Blouse can’t fool true Grand Prix Motor Racing fans who enjoy unimpaired hearing, happen to speak Spanish most fluently and have resided in Spain over the last ten years.
Clue: Before the camera and for the benefit of their utterly ignorant hooliganish fans, nearly a decade of irrational, viciously envious talk by him, PdlR and that awful Lobato about “el enemigo” (MS), “los tramposos” (FERRARI, JT, LdM, RB), and so on.
Resolved: LdM’s worse decision ever.
Sorry, but Alonso’s a good talker isn’t he..? Any idiot could’ve seen it was Vettel they needed to cover. He just didn’t do the job today – he should’ve never been stuck behind Petrov, and was a bad sportsman to boot. So, the King Of Spain turned up with his country’s blessing to support a bad example of a Spaniard and a man, so even he should be ashamed. The Ferrari team blew it in such a big way with that pit stop call, no excuses. Domenicalli and his ‘strategists’ should be fired immediately, and I wonder how Massa is feeling right now. It beggars belief how much money Ferrari have been spending on flying a team full of idiots around the world..
I fully agree that Alonso was a jerk, and deserves to be called on it.
I just wish people didn’t find it necessary to bring nationality into it…. it’s got nothing to do with it.
If one of your countrymen does something bad, does that implicate your nation and you? Don’t think so.
Just going along those discussion lines leads to ugly jingoism and racism – I’m *not* saying that’s what you intended, but wish people would think a little more before making these kinds of comments.
Another season in the books and, unfortunately, a very anticlimactic finish because of events early in the race.
It was a gripping, suspenseful championship year, not because the racing was spectacular but because it remained so close all year. With the main title antagonists all bunched at the front of the grid the stage was set for a gripping conclusion. Three drivers had a realistic shot at the title and a fourth had an outside chance.
The safety car period threw a bit of a spanner into the works, but it was the horrendous strategy calls by Red Bull and Ferrari that turned the race into a complete bore-fest.
We had a track where overtaking is impossible. There were some cars that started on hard tires, and more cars that pitted early for hards. The pitstops of Webber, Massa, and Alonso placed those drivers behind slower cars that they never had a chance of getting past and that weren’t going to pit anytime soon, if at all. The only question that remained was that of a possible mechanical failure ending Vettel’s race and handing the crown to Fernando. What is god’s name were the team bosses thinking?
Those calls turned the entire race into a pointless, boring procession. It robbed the viewing public and the sport of the kind of frenetic final round that would have made it a race and a year to remember.
On the positive side, the broadcaster did another great job and it was a treat to see the post race celebration. It was a treat to see a new team, risen from the ashes of Jaguar, take both titles.
I had to notice that Mark Webber was conspicuously absent from the Red Bull garage party. I can’t help but feel, and I think Mark might feel the same way, that he missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to become world champion and also that the team preferred it the way it came out. Maybe even helped it to happen. One wonders if he’s going to want to return there next season.
Taking nothing from Vettel, he’s a dominant force in that car, won the last two races, and as a result created his own destiny. He’ll do it again.
“Michael Schumacher was never one for statistics…”
Not sure if that was supposed to be a dig at Alonso or not, but I like drivers that are aware of the history of the sport.
After finishing 1-2 with Rubens once Michael wondered, “have Ferrari ever had a 1-2 before?” which shows how little history he knew.
Shame Alonso had to get angry with Petrov on the slowing down lap but Vettel was a worthy winner – without the Korean engine failure he would have won the last four races.
Alonso showed very poor sportsmanship during the slowing down lap, he should not blame V. Petrov for losing the world championship.
Vettel deserves to win, so did Webber, maybe next year.
How in the world could FA think that Petrov should have let him pass is beyond belief! It is racing, and VP was racing for position. If you follow Alonso’s logic, if you come up on a car, no matter who it is “MAKE WAY FOR THE WOULD BE KING, BOY”. Petrov did what he should as a RACING DRIVER, end of story. Getting flipped off by FA, no worries, mate.