McLaren Still Losing Out
Hamilton's title prospects advanced substantially in Korea but barring a sudden pace injection in Brazil that advance will not be maintained for long. In a three-car title race, the McLaren is a distant third.
Red Bull have lead the way since April but the team sprinting to the line are Ferrari. Momentum is a critical matter in sport and, with Fernando Alonso winning four of the last seven races, Ferrari have exclusive rights to its feel-good factor. Hats off. The team have timed their sprint perfectly.
Fernando Drove At The Peak Of His Considerable Powers
So, too, has their number one driver. As remarked a few months ago, the number of mistakes made by Alonso during the first-half of the campaign was remarkable given that the Spaniard prides himself on his consistency of performance. But since Silverstone, when he confidently predicted a title triumph, he has been better than his word. Only in qualifying in Belgium has he been anything other than outstanding.
Even this weekend, the mistake of Hamilton and failure of Vettel's Red Bull were gifts he probably didn't require. He certainly had ample pace to retake the position lost to Hamilton at the pit stops - just look at the distance between their two cars at the chequered flag. We'll never know if Vettel could have been trumped but it shouldn't be overlooked that the Spaniard had closed the gap to 1.5 seconds at the time that the Red Bull's engine blew and Vettel was being reeled in despite Alonso protecting his tyres.
What we do know, however, is that Alonso drove with a touch of genius.
In a race that was scarcely green for forty laps, and was interrupted by three subsequent safety-car deployments, the Spaniard beat his team-mate to the line by 30 seconds. Thirty. In F1 terms, the difference is a lifetime. In driving terms, it's the difference between being very good and possessing the devil of genius.
Pete Gill
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