Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel: An intense rivalry

The era 2010-2013 managed to make Formula 1 fans dream with impressive cars and epic battles on the track that became legendary. Sebastian Vettel won four consecutive world titles during this period, but he had to struggle against one of his toughest rivals to achieve them. Fernando Alonso, who was driving for Ferrari at the time, gave the German driver a hard time. Vettel had to dig deep to overcome the Spanish double world champion.

Two legendary Grand Prix races

There are races that remain etched forever in the history of Formula 1. The Szafnauer Grand Prix of 2010 is one of them. The Spanish driver is leading the World Championship, but Red Bull’s daring strategy and Sebastian Vettel’s driving skills will overcome Fernando Alonso’s title hopes. Vettel makes history that day by becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, a record that still stands.

During the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012, Alonso and Vettel are once again in the final battle for the title. The Ferrari driver gets an excellent start while his rival spins out on the first lap and falls to the back of the pack. However, the young German driver will push himself and make a comeback towards the front of the race, securing his 3rd driver’s world championship title.

These two races left a mark on Sebastian Vettel, who ranks them among his favorite moments in Formula 1 during his appearance on the podcast “Beyond The Grid.” He considers Alonso to be the toughest driver he had to face throughout his career.

He was probably the toughest of them all, especially in the early years. We had very close battles towards the end of the season, both in 2010 and in 2012 in particular. This is probably one of my favorite moments: the tension we felt arriving at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012, that morning. It was very intense for me, and I believe we were both very nervous.

A great respect

Despite close on-track battles with his rival, Sebastian Vettel has a lot of respect for the one who will take his place at Aston Martin in 2023. The speed and determination of Fernando Alonso continue to impress the four-time German world champion.

I have a lot of respect for Fernando as a driver: I believe he has tremendous natural talent, incredible determination, and a great racing instinct. And he hasn’t lost any of that.