Alonso leads F1 after triumph at Yeongam
YEONGAM: Fernando Alonso of Ferrari turned a 14-point deficit into 11-point lead on Sunday when he won the Korean Grand Prix amid chaos and stoppages.
Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain celebrates on the podium after winning the Korean Grand Prix. Courtesy: AP
Yeongam track debuted with the longest race in the history of Formula One as continuous downpour stopped the race on more than one occasion and after a wait spanning 48 minutes the race finally kicked off.
After winning the Korean GP, Alonso has taken his lead to 11 points and with two more races to go this year and a maximum of 50 points on offering under the new F1 scoring system, the Spaniard finds himself in a good position.
A general view shows spectators and racing teams gathered around the rain-drenched starting grid of the South Korean Formula One Grand Prix. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES
This was Alonso’s fifth win of the year and now leads Mark Webber of Red Bulls by 11 points going into the final two races of the season.
Webber had a nightmare of a race in South Korea as he crashed in the initial moments, after which, Red Bulls hopes were confined to Sebastian Vettel, but he too succumbed to an engine failure with nine laps into the end of the race while leading. Red Bulls were left with a lot to rue in South Korea.
Lewis Hamilton of McLaren took the chance to steal the second position, just 14.9 seconds behind Alonso, and grabbed the third championship position with 210 points, only 21 points behind the leader Alonso. The third position was won by Alonso’s team mate Felipe Massa of Brazil.
Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain sprays champagne on the podium after winning the Korean Grand Prix. Courtesy: AP
Vettel got fourth position and now has 206 championship points while reigning champion Jenson Button of McLaren finished 12th, 42 points behind the championship leader, almost out of the championship title equation.
The official winning time for Alonso was clocked at two hours 48 minutes 20.810 seconds and the winner was ecstatic. “This is the best race of the year for the team,” he said. “But nothing has changed really. We all know the new points system. Anything can happen”, he added.
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GREAT STUFF FERNANDO.