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Alonso scotches Red Bull cheat rumours

Fernando Alonso says Red Bull's engine noise has been markedly different all season © Getty Images

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Fernando Alonso has dismissed any notion that Sebastian Vettel's superiority could be due to anything illegal on his Red Bull.

Following Vettel's dominance in the Singapore Grand Prix, former team owner Giancarlo Minardi speculated on his website that Vettel's engine sounded different on the exit of Turn 3, while Lewis Hamilton added on Thursday that "the last time I was able to put the pedal down that quickly was in 2007 when we had traction control".

However, Alonso says he pays no attention to such comments and doesn't feel like he's competing against a driver in anything other than legal machinery.

"I think this engine noise difference has been all year there with Red Bull," Alonso said. "It's true that maybe in Singapore it's more obvious because it's a street circuit and people can watch in the corners but if you go to a winter test already in Barcelona we were in the corners following the test session and the Red Bull is a different sound.

"So they are using something different compared to other teams but something that is completely OK because they pass all the checks every race on Saturday and Sunday. So they are completely OK and it's up to us to do a better job and to maximise the potential, so I've not really got any bad feelings about that or any strange feeling.

"Inside the car you try to maximise the car, it's true that when you find a Red Bull you see they are faster than you in the corners but it's also happened sometimes with other cars and we don't say anything like Mercedes was pole position and winning easily in Hungary and you have the same feeling. But as I said, all the things are good and it's up to us to do a better job."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.