Fernando Alonso

Alonso crashes out of Japanese Grand Prix

Suzuka: Ferrari's Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix seconds after the start on Sunday. The Spaniard, who led Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by 29 points with five races remaining after Suzuka, had started in sixth place and was sent spinning into the gravel at the first corner after contact with Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus. Germany's Nico Rosberg also retired his Mercedes while Australian Mark...  

Alonso hoping for brighter Suzuka Sunday

Suzuka: Ferrari's Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso cursed his luck on Saturday after qualifying only sixth for the Japanese Grand Prix while closest title rival Sebastian Vettel put his Red Bull on pole. The Spaniard's final quick lap was wrecked after Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus spun off in the final seconds of qualifying to bring out the yellow warning flags. That forced everyone to slow and left Vettel the unchallenged...  

Special victory delights sluggish Sebastian Vettel

Singapore: Thankfully for world champion Sebastian Vettel the Singapore Grand Prix is a marathon and not a sprint as the German overcame a self-perceived lack of pace in his Red Bull to claim the two-hour night race. A poor final qualifying session meant Vettel started Sunday's race in third place, but he slipped past Pastor Maldonado's Williams by Turn 2 before benefiting from the gearbox failure of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren...  

Alonso hopes to keep Hamilton in his mirrors

Singapore: Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso will focus his attention on nearest rival Lewis Hamilton at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix as the Spaniard knows it is impossible to watch everyone. Ferrari's Alonso leads Hamilton by 37 points with seven rounds remaining but the Briton has hauled himself into contention by winning two of the last three races to loom large in the Spaniard's wing mirrors. McLaren's Hamilton sits...  

Hamilton demands more consistency in title push

Singapore: McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is keen to take a leaf out of Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso's book by improving his consistency in the final seven races of the season to bolster his title chances. The 2008 world champion sits 37 points behind the Spaniard in second place in the drivers' standings and although both men have won three races apiece, it is the Ferrari's ability to pick up...  

Alonso says Italian GP was a 'perfect Sunday'

Monza, Italy: Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished only third in the Italian Grand Prix but the Formula One leader declared it a "perfect Sunday" drive in the park, after extending his overall lead against the odds. Red Bull's reigning champion Sebastian Vettel, the Spaniard's closest rival before the start, retired along with his Australian team-mate Mark Webber. So too did McLaren's Jenson Button, winner at Spa where Alonso crashed out at...  

Alonso's bad luck carries over to Monza

Monza, Italy: Fernando Alonso cursed his bad luck after a mechanical failure denied the Formula One championship leader a possible pole position at Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix on Saturday. Alonso, who was shunted out of last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix at the start, qualified in 10th place after a problem with his car's rear anti-roll bar left him with no chance of a competitive lap. The Spaniard, 24 points...  

Hamilton fastest in final practice at Italian GP

Monza, Italy: Lewis Hamilton had the fastest time in the final practice session at the Italian Grand Prix, edging out championship leader Fernando Alonso by just one thousandth of a second. As speculation about his future and a possible switch to Mercedes continued, Hamilton posted a time of 1 minute, 24.578 seconds in perfect conditions at Monza on Saturday. The McLaren driver also topped Friday's second practice. Alonso put Friday's...  

Hamilton fastest in 2nd practice at Italian GP

Monza, Italy: Lewis Hamilton had the fastest time in Friday's second practice session at the Italian Grand Prix, as championship leader Fernando Alonso endured more problems with his Ferrari. Hamilton posted a time of 1 minute 25.290 seconds, just 0.038 seconds faster than McLaren team-mate Jenson Button. Alonso was third, 0.058 seconds behind Hamilton, but struggled with his car in both sessions. After a suspected engine failure six minutes from...  

Schumacher fastest in 1st practice at Italian GP

Monza, Italy: Michael Schumacher had the fastest time in the first practice session at the Italian Grand Prix in glorious conditions at Monza on Friday. Schumacher posted a time of 1 minute 25.422 seconds in his Mercedes, edging Jenson Button by 0.301 seconds. Nico Rosberg was third. Championship leader Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest. The Ferrari driver had a technical problem six minutes from the end of the session. Alonso...  

Alonso crash renews focus on F1 safety concerns

Spa-Francorchamps: The Belgian Grand Prix crash that got Frenchman Romain Grosjean banned for a race has stoked ongoing debate about cockpit safety in Formula One without providing any clearer solution to the problem. Grosjean's Lotus lifted into the air and skimmed across the front of championship leader Fernando Alonso's Ferrari in the first corner pile-up, wrecking his car but fortunately missing the Spaniard's head. The incident, blamed squarely on Grosjean's...  

Brilliant Button takes Belgian Grand Prix

Spa, Belgium: Jenson Button coasted to his second victory of the season at the crash-marred Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, with Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton forced out after a spectacular pileup at the start. It was Button's first victory at Spa and the 14th of the British driver's career " and probably one of the easiest as he led from start to finish, oblivious to...  

Mark Webber handed five-place penalty for Spa

Belgium: Formula One title contender Mark Webber will have a five-place penalty on the starting grid for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix after an unscheduled gearbox change, his Red Bull team said. The Australian is second overall in the championship and 40 points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with nine races remaining. The penalty will be a boost for his Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel, the reigning champion who won from...  

F1 title favourite? Not me, says leader Fernando Alonso

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium: Fernando Alonso shrugged off the mantle of Formula One favourite on Thursday despite a 40-point cushion in the championship and being only a race away from a record-equalling 24 successive scoring finishes. The favourite of the bookmakers, and many paddock regulars, refused to see the situation through their betting eyes as the travelling circus returned from its August break for the Belgian Grand Prix. With nine races remaining,...  

Alonso terms Hamilton, Vettel as main rivals

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has termed McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel as his main rival for Driver's world championship this season. "Hamilton and Vettel are the drivers we have focused on since the beginning. They are the biggest challengers, but all of the teams are close," Alonso told Brazil's Totalrace. "Hopefully, they will fight among themselves and not one of them will dominate." Alonso also said the difference...  

Happy with my last four or five seasons: Alonso

Ferrari cannot afford to make any mistakes in the second half of the Formula One season, championship leader Fernando Alonso warned on Thursday. Despite being 34 points clear of Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber after three wins in the opening 10 races, the Spaniard told reporters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that there was still little between the top teams. Although he is certain to lead into the summer break...