Alonso keeps cool as title race heats up

SUZUKA – Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso said yesterday composure will be the key in the closing stages of the Formula One season.

The two-time world champion, who has won the last two races in Italy and Singapore and is 11 points behind championship leader Mark Webber, says the title will be won by the driver who scores points in difficult races.’We have seen this year that people that win two races or have two or three podiums in a row, can then have some bad performances,’ Alonso said ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.’No-one had six or seven races on a good level consistently, for different reasons, so we need to be prepared for those moments and not panic, and score as many points as possible in every race. Sometimes it will be the podium, sometimes it will be fifth position.’The 29-year-old, in his first year with Ferrari, says his championship quest has been made more difficult this season by the number of drivers still in contention for the title with four races remaining.Just 25 points – the equivalent of one race win – separates Webber from McLaren’s Jenson Button in fifth place.In his title-winning years of 2005 and 2006, Alonso had only one rival for the title – McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen in 2005 and Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher a year later – in the final stages of the season.’It’s different because you have to control more drivers and more teams in case of strategy,’ he said.’When you’re driving (against) one other driver only, it’s easier. Now with five, it’s difficult to control all of them. It’s difficult for the engineers and the strategy people, but as drivers, all we can do is best as you can every time you are in the car.’Alonso played down the potential advantage of having teammate Felipe Massa, who is out of the championship race in sixth place and 74 points behind Webber, acting as his rear-gunner over the last races.Massa was controversially asked by Ferrari to move aside and allow Alonso to win the German Grand Prix in July, a move that prompted the FIA, the sport’s governing body, to fine the team US$100 000.While that win, and two others in the four races since, have seen the Spaniard vault back into championship contention, he does not believe that Massa will play a significant part in his push for a third world title.’The important thing is to be competitive (each) weekend, and it’s not crucial to have both cars competitive or not,’ he said.’In Monza, Felipe was third, which was good because it took points from (Sebastian) Vettel and (Mark) Webber. In Singapore, Felipe had a problem with the car last Saturday and started last, and we won the race the same and scored 25 points (each time)’. – Nampa-AFP