Greater Noida: When you know that you cannot stop Sebastian Vettel from winning the Formula One drivers' championship, the best thing is not to get frustrated and give simply enjoy yourself, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said on Thursday.
That's exactly the strategy that the two-time world champion Alonso is planning to adopt for the remainder of the season. The Spaniard had twice before finished second to Vettel, who is on the verge of becoming the youngest quadruple F1 world champion, in 2010 and 2012.
Asked if he still could delay Vettel's coronation, Alonso said there was no stopping the Red Bull driver from winning the title this season.
"I am not thinking about this possibility too much. Hopefully, in remaining races I will try to get podiums, enjoy the podium ceremony, some champagne, the trophy. It does not matter if he wins here or in Abu Dhabi, it's his problem, it depends on him as to which is the best country to celebrate," Alonso, who won titles in 2005 and 2006, said.
"It's a matter of time when he wins and I think he will win all the remaining four races and he has the potential. We will try to be as close to him as possible for the podium," he added.
Alonso accepts Vettel's domination but refused to be drawn into the debate about whether the 26-year-old is modern-time great.
"I don't know. This is decided by you guys, you have more information. It is also down to the fans, they have been watching for so many years. They can support one or other driver, it also depends which country you are from. We need to see what he does in future because there's some time. There are different opinions and it happens in all sports...tennis, football," he said.
Asked if we are living in Vettel era, Alonso shot back saying his time would certainly come again.
"I am still 32, so it's not the last year of my career, I am sure I will have more opportunities and I would like to win more championships. In the last 3-4 years, I have finished second three times, which is obviously sad in a way because you are so close in fight for the championship. But I am proud that I have had best races in the last three-four years, When I go to bed, I am extremely proud," he said.
Alonso also said even though the drivers' title is more or less decided, he was never short on motivation.
"Motivation is always high, we are fighting for the world championship. If I lose I don't like, so, in F1 Grand Prix, motivation is always very high. For the rest of the year we will try to help the team getting the second position in the championship, get as many points as possible and podiums that will be the theme," he said.
The Spaniard also said that he has a good chance to finish the season in Sau Paulo.
"I guess Brazil will be an opportunity, Ferrari has been strong there. Rain is a possibility there, so we have a chance," he said.
Asked about Ferrari's struggle in qualifying when pole position is decided, Alonso said, "The last pole position in dry conditions was in 2010. Pole position these days is purely performance of the car, hopefully we can do it next year."
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