Alonso vows to fight to the end for F1 crown

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and stretched his Formula 1 championship lead over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to 13 points with three races remaining. But the Spaniard was defiant after his hard-earned second place in a slower car and remains determined to keep the psychological pressure on the reigning champion to the end.

“It is not easy at the moment to fight the Red Bull but we will never give up,” Alonso said in a podium interview in front of the cheering crowd who had turned out to watch the second Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.

“Well done to Red Bull and Sebastian but we want to be happy and enjoy it in Brazil [the last race]. It is not only here. I am sure we will do it.”

Red Bull and Vettel’s form are ominously good — this victory from pole position to match last year’s performance here was the German’s fourth in a row — and the 25-year-old world champion now has 240 points to 227 for Alonso. But if the experienced Spaniard can stay on his tail over the coming races, one mistake by Vettel or a mechanical problem could still see Alonso win his career third championship thanks to the system of 25 points for a win. Two more straight wins for Vettel in Abu Dhabi and Austin, Texas would leave him in a safe position going to São Paulo’s Interlagos circuit.

While Vettel was blazing a trail out in the lead on the hazy circuit outside New Delhi, Alonso was forced to battle through the field having started down in fifth on the grid. He overtook the two McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the first four laps and then drove down the second Red Bull of Mark Webber. Alonso made his sole tire stop on lap 29, a lap before Webber, and was right on the Red Bull’s tail when it emerged from the pit lane. Webber, however, held Alonso off until the Australian began to report Kers problems on lap 45, and on lap 48 the Ferrari swept by into second place, grabbing an extra three points that could be crucial at the end of the season.