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When Fernando Alonso met the media this afternoon in the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality unit, the journalists were quick to open old wounds by asking him about last year’s race here in Abu Dhabi. “I still believe this was not the place where we lost the championship,” he began. “We were not competitive and finished seventh when maybe we could have been fifth, but if you look at the 2010 season as a whole there were examples like Silverstone or Valencia where we were heading for the podium and scored two zeros. That is where we lost the championship.”
Twelve months later, the motivation is still there. “Once again I will be targeting the podium,” said the Spaniard. “I have 72 podiums so far, which means 72 trophies at home, which is not bad. They come from all the circuits on the calendar apart from Abu Dhabi. So there is only one trophy missing at home and I hope that this year I can add the one from Abu Dhabi.” Fernando admitted that maybe last year’s race would have ended differently if DRS had been available and he has high hopes for it this weekend. “The DRS is quite a high challenge here, because in the past this was one of the most difficult tracks for overtaking. It is now time to prove that it works and if it does, it will make this a better race. I am pretty confident it will work and we should have a much better race than last year.”
As for these final two rounds of the championship, Fernando feels their real value will only be seen in 2012. “We will continue to use the Friday practice as a test session aimed at next year, trying to collect as much data as possible for the guys in Maranello. More important than evaluating new components is the work of checking the correlation between what we see on the race track with what we see from the wind tunnel. This means we can work with confidence through December and January, knowing that all the data we have in the tunnel is real. We need to get the most out of ourselves this winter and arrive in March with the best Ferrari possible. It is much more important to learn for the new car: better to get half a tenth of a second for next year than to be second in this Drivers’ championship. But I can see how hard the engineers and mechanics are working to get me to second place, with the whole team being really motivated, so for them I will be trying my best this weekend.” Source: Ferrari.com
Sebastian Vettel has received yet another accolade since becoming Formula 1 World Champion when he received the Mario Andretti Trophy from the American motorsport legend himself.
The Mario Andretti Trophy, presented by Speed to their Performer of the Year, goes to the racer who puts a premium on winning races, shines on sport’s biggest stages and does it all with a touch of sportsmanship and class.
Vettel, at 23, became the youngest ever F1 World Champion after his victory in the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Andretti said, “I follow F1 very closely and knew of Sebastian’s plight last season. At one point, he was almost out of the championship running and few people would have bet on him. But Sebastian didn’t give up. He fought until the end and he got it done.”
“I watched him with respect and admiration — greatly appreciating what he was doing. He was at the top of his game. It took concentration that was all-consuming. It took fierce determination and tenacity,” said the American motorsport icon.
The 1978 F1 World Champion added, “At the world class level, it truly is mind over muscle, mind over competition, mind over everything. That’s why nobody deserves this trophy more than him. He is a perfect example of what this award is about. It’s about someone who perseveres.”
Andretti concluded, “Someone who fights until the last lap of the season. Even when the odds are against you, you believe in your heart you can get it done. That’s a real champion. That’s the spirit of this award and I can’t wait to present it to Sebastian because I truly believe he deserves it.”
Former Mario Andretti Trophy winners and runner-ups:
• 2006 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR & Nicky Hayden, MotoGP
• 2007 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR & Donny Schatz, World of Outlaws
• 2008 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR & Tony Schumacher, NHRA
• 2009 – Tony Schumacher, NHRA & Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
Source: YallaF1
Lewis Hamilton will receive the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini trophy next weekend.
The Trofeo Lorenzo Bandini is an ongoing tribute to the leading Italian driver of his period, who burned to death in an accident at Monaco in 1967. Last year's recipient was Sebastian Vettel, when he drove the 12 kilometres from Faenza to Bandini's nearby hometown of Brisighella at the wheel of a Toro Rosso.
A year earlier, winner Robert Kubica turned up at the ceremony in a BMW-Sauber, but in 2010 Hamilton's mount will be a more sedate Mercedes road car.
"The list reads like a who's who of Formula One talent, and I'm very honoured to be joining that group," said Hamilton.
Previous winners include Felipe Massa, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli and Jacques Villeneuve.
Source: ESPN F1
