F1: Ferrari chief hails ‘extraordinary’ Fernando Alonso

05:24 04/12/2013
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  • Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has hailed Fernando Alonso as “extraordinary” following his emotional European Grand Prix victory.

    The Spanish driver was reduced to tears after securing his 19th Formula One win, a triumph he suggested was the best of his career.

    On home soil, Alonso took the overwhelming acclaim of the crowd as he stood first on his Ferrari and then on the podium. Even the marshals could not help but bow down and offer thanks to their hero on a near-perfect day for Alonso as title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel failed to finish.

    With Alonso becoming the first driver to win two races this year, and with a 20-point cushion over the chasing pack, Di Montezemolo was delighted.

    “This is Ferrari at its very best, the one everyone wants to see,” he said. “Fernando was extraordinary, and it’s hard to find words to describe his race which has shown the spirit of a team that never gives up.

    “The championship is long, every race is unpredictable and there is still so much to do. But this win is a real adrenaline rush to encourage even more of a push.”

    Alonso said: “I feel very proud to be a Spanish sportsman at this moment, and winning in Spain is probably the best victory I have ever felt in terms of emotions. Nothing maybe compares to this one.”

    But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is fully expecting Alonso’s title charge this season to eventually hit a bump in the road. Horner was left trying to extract the positives from a weekend in which Red Bull undoubtedly had the best car, only to suffer pain in Spain.

    On Saturday it was Mark Webber who was put through the wringer, qualifying 19th due to brakes and hydraulics issues that afflicted his car in final practice.

    Then, in the race itself, as Horner concedes, Vettel “was in a class of his own”, leading by 20 seconds when a safety car came into play. Within two laps of that, Vettel’s car incurred its first mechanical failure for 29 races – and he is now an imposing 26 points behind Alonso in the drivers’ championship standings.

    “Fernando has done a tremendous job, scoring in every single race, but statistics say he has to have one bad weekend in 20,” added Horner. “It will hopefully balance itself out over the course of the season.”

     

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