Getty Images Losing the championship at the final race in two of the past three seasons may be enough for some drivers to enter a new year still reeling from the result, but Fernando Alonso insists that he is only motivated by his recent title heartache.
“I feel privileged to fight for the world championship two times in three years. Very few people have the opportunity to fight for a world championship.
“We lost two times in the three years in the last race and we want to have the opportunity to fight again for the world championship, hopefully again this year and hopefully to change the result. This is maybe some extra motivation for me and the team.”
Since joining Ferrari in 2010, Alonso has produced some of his best performances in the sport, and he claimed three wins last season on his way to second place in the championship. Having lost out to Sebastian Vettel by just three points, Alonso pointed to the beginning of last season as the stumbling block in his title challenge as he hopes to have a better start in 2013.
“It will be difficult to start any worse. The winter has been much better than last year. We need to start on the right foot and hopefully score some good results for the championship.”
The double world champion also admitted that he did not have a clear idea of the pecking order, but he was hopeful that Ferrari would be in the mix for the win on Sunday.
“No one knows who can win this race at the moment. I expect the five top teams to have a little advantage and not have many surprises in the first races. It’s very close and very difficult to choose one favorite. It’s very difficult and dangerous to make any conclusion.”
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Updates from the FIA International Tribunal on Mercedes’ test
Jun 20, 2013, 8:13 AM EDT
AP
We’ll provide updates from the FIA International Tribunal hearing regarding the legality of Mercedes’ tire test with 2013-spec Pirelli rubber and its 2013 chassis, the W04, after the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. 8 a.m. ET: As of 8 a.m. ET, the FIA and Mercedes have presented their cases in the FIA Tribunal to determine the…
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Tracy Krohn’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race week got off to a rough start with this accident Wednesday at the Esses at Circuit de la Sarthe. The American lost control of his trademark “Krohn green” No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 Italia, which competes in the GTE Am class, and went through the gravel…
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Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is next up in the 2013 series of INDYCAR 36 shows on NBC Sports Network, produced by IMS Productions. The crew followed Dixon at Texas two weeks ago, and it will air on Thursday night, June 20, at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Texas offers more downtime than most events…
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It’s “scandal eve” in Formula One, as the results of Mercedes’ secret tire test at Barcelona will be revealed at an FIA Tribunal on Thursday. With “Tiregate” first and foremost on the minds of the F1 paddock, it’s nice that it’s been a few years since such a political scandal has emerged. We take a…
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This weekend marks the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious races worldwide. Here’s a few tidbits on what has made it what it is, and what to expect for this year’s running on June 22-23. A further resource guide with race times, schedules and a spotters guide,…
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AP
Patrick Dempsey is back at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. That sentence is enough to make the entire French countryside swoon. The actor’s racing career has really taken off in the last five years since his initial appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2009. He raced a GT2-class Ferrari F430 to…
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One week after he tragically was killed in a dirt track racing crash in New Jersey, the motorsports world said goodbye to Jason Leffler on Wednesday. An overflow crowd packed Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, N.C., for Leffler’s funeral service. About 600 miles to the north, Indianapolis Motor Speedway paid tribute to Leffler by illuminating…
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NASCAR and Formula One have embraced social media. But IndyCar is struggling to keep up with its motorsports counterparts. In a Wednesday story on IBJ.com, Indianapolis Business Journal sports reporter Anthony Schoettle gives a social media breakdown that shows IndyCar is trailing in the Twitter world. “In terms of Twitter followers, NASCAR is king, with…
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BMX rider gives new meaning to passing (over) a Red Bull F1 car
Jun 19, 2013, 1:40 PM EDT
Danny MacAskill isn’t a household name in the world of motorsports, but he’s a star when it comes to doing outlandish stunts on his BMX bicycle. The Island of Skye (part of Great Britain) native can do things on two wheels that most people can’t do on four wheels — or even two legs, for…
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For the second year in a row, the Iowa Corn Indy 250 field will be determined by a series of heat races. Wanting to make some changes to their usual oval qualifying format – and perhaps nodding to the state of Iowa’s strong heritage of short-track racing – INDYCAR instituted the heat format last season…
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Reuters
On the surface, Tuesday’s announcement by International Speedway Corp., promising a palatial $400 million makeover of Daytona International Speedway sounded great. But the fact the track will have 46,000 less seats once the project is completed in 2016 — a decrease of more than 30,000 from its current capacity of 147,000 — has caused at…
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As NASCAR’s Nationwide Series prepares for its fourth go-round on the challenging and twisting 4.05-mile, 14-turn road course at Road America in central Wisconsin this Saturday, a report Wednesday suggests that Indy cars may soon return there, perhaps as early as next season. SpeedTV.com’s Robin Miller reported that the open-wheel series is considering hosting a…
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NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace was wise to mimic Richmond International Raceway when it came time for him to help design the Iowa Speedway in the early 2000s. Like RIR, Iowa is a short track that “thinks” like a superspeedway and boasts a decent amount of banking that enables drivers to embrace that mentality as well.…
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Alex Kennedy attempts Sprint Cup debut, will drive Jason Leffler’s car
Jun 19, 2013, 10:23 AM EDT
There may be a new name on the 43-car starting grid of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway. That is if New Mexico native Alex Kennedy manages to qualify the No. 19 MediaMaster/Dream Factory Toyota on the twisting 12-turn, 1.99-mile road course. Driving for Humphrey Smith Racing, Kennedy, 21, hopes to…
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As the IZOD IndyCar Series returned to the NBC Sports Network for this past weekend’s Milwaukee IndyFest, so too did we check in with our resident NBCSN driver analyst Townsend Bell for his take on the 250-lapper at the historic Milwaukee Mile. Since Bell’s last “Ten with Townsend” after Brazil, he’s finished fourth in the GT…
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Brian Vickers to attempt grueling dual road-course weekend
Jun 18, 2013, 8:58 PM EDT
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Brian Vickers loves to race, any time, anywhere. He also loves to travel. He’ll get more than his share of both this weekend, as he’s the only driver who will attempt to race in Saturday’s Nationwide Series Johnsonville Sausage 200 (no, we’re not making that name up) at Road America and then double up by…
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Nationwide Series crew member Ryan Hess suspended for second time in 10 months
Jun 18, 2013, 7:37 PM EDT
Nationwide Series crew member Ryan Hess has been suspended by NASCAR for the second time in 10 months for failing a random drug test, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday. In a brief statement, NASCAR said: “Ryan Hess, a crew member in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning…
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Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards have apparently toned down their post-race rhetoric against each other following Biffle’s win Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. “We’re going to sit down and talk about it, just expectations, what can you do to help another competitor,” Biffle said during NASCAR’s weekly media teleconference call on Tuesday. “I’ve backed up…
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Boston fanfest set to promote NHRA drag racing’s first-ever race in New Hampshire
Jun 18, 2013, 5:52 PM EDT
When New Hampshire Dragway opened its doors in 1966, its goal was to eventually play host to a National Hot Rod Association national event. It may have taken nearly 50 years to fulfill that goal, but drag racing fans wanting to see the sport’s biggest stars will finally get that opportunity in this weekend’s inaugural…
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Daytona International Speedway to get major facelift, eliminate 46,000 seats
Jun 18, 2013, 4:43 PM EDT
Illustration courtesy of Daytona International Speedway.
Big changes are on the way for NASCAR’s most famous racetrack, Daytona International Speedway, with the most significant facelift since the track opened 54 years ago in 1959. Home of the season-opening Daytona 500 and the early July Coke Zero 400, the track will undergo a multi-phase update that will break ground July 5, the…
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Video: Hunter-Reay celebrates win in Milwaukee
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Video: Highlights: Hunter-Reay wins Milwaukee Mile again
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Video: Andretti Autosports dominates
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Video: Andretti makes it look easy in Milwaukee
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Video: Indy Car Series: Fast forward Texas
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Video: A recap of Pagenaud's first career IndyCar victory
