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Fernando Alonso has said he will keep fighting for the F1 world title
Alonso will race for Ferrari at their home grand prix at Monza this weekend
The Spaniard is 102 points behind Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has vowed to keep fighting for the Formula One world championship ahead of the Italian marque’s home grand prix at Monza this weekend.
Two-time drivers’ champion Alonso is currently third in the 2011 standings, 102 points behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in first position with seven rounds of the season remaining.
Alonso, 30, will also be under pressure to deliver a positive result for the thousands of Ferrari fans who will be in attendance for Sunday’s race.
“The championship situation is even more difficult after Spa, in that there is one race less to go and the gap to the leaders has grown a bit more,” the Spaniard told Ferrari’s official web site.
“We have to be realistic but we will never give up. We did not give up in the past and we will not do it now. It is easy to maintain a high level of motivation, because we tackle every grand prix wanting and trying to win.”
As well as chasing the drivers’ title, former McLaren driver Alonso is eager to try and help Ferrari overhaul a 195-point deficit to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
“There is further motivation in the constructors’ championship,” Alonso said. “There are more possibilities and we will try and do well right up to the last moment.”
Alonso, who claimed the drivers’ crown in 2005 and 2006 while at Renault, experience his first Italian Grand Prix as a member of the Ferrari team in 2010.
“Pole, fastest lap and race win, but this time with Ferrari,” Alonso said of his victory last year. “I especially enjoyed being on the podium seeing about 20 thousand people in front of me on the track with Ferrari flags: a difficult image to forget.”
Sunday’s race will represent the last European grand prix of 2011, with the Formula One world tour moving onto Singapore later this month.
