Two-time champion Fernando Alonso is sure he can still beat Sebastian Vettel and land his third Formula One drivers’ title this year.
Red Bull’s Vettel has turned a 39-point deficit into a lead of six points over the Spaniard from the past three races, but Alonso believes he and Ferrari can turn that round.
Alonso has finished third twice and has retired once while German defending champion Vettel has reeled off three straight wins.
But Alonso insisted on Thursday: “My situation is quite good. Actually it’s the second best situation for a driver.
“With four races to go, we have nearly the same points as Vettel and have all the possibilities open for the championship. We are in the situation that we wanted, fighting for the championship until the end.
“It’s true that in the last few races, Red Bull has been very strong and quick, but we have seen all year that there have been ups and downs for everybody,” Alonso said.
“So we need to improve our situation and our level of competitiveness and try to catch them.
“As for my motivation, it is better than ever. And not just me, the whole team is very motivated – everyone in the team wants this championship.
“We have struggled all year with our car, especially in the first part of the season and now – with four races to go – we are going on full attack for the last month with everyone in the team so focused.”
Alonso, who led the championship from the European to the Korean grands prix, says the key to winning the title will be four trouble-free races.
“At the moment, we have seen that Red Bull maybe has the fastest car, especially on Saturday,” he said. “They will try and make the most of this strong point and we will try to use our strong points.
“It is a matter of pushing everything to the limits now: the car development, the strategy and the approach to the weekends, but that is no different in fact to what we have been doing all year.
“We were leading the championship up until Korea thanks to our consistency and through avoiding making mistakes. We have produced 16 perfect races and now we must produce another four and, if we do that, we will be very close to winning the championship.”
