• Brazilian Grand Prix

Alonso deserved title - Domenicali

Fernando Alonso missed out on the title by three points © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Brazilian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso
• |
• Stefano Domenicali

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes Fernando Alonso deserved the championship this year and admitted losing it at the last race "hurts a lot".

Alonso missed out on the championship by three points after a manic season finale in Brazil in which the destiny of the title ebbed and flowed throughout the race. Alonso finished second saying he was proud of the efforts of his team this year.

"We are proud of him and we are very disappointed because I think that the one that deserved the championship was really him," Domenicali said. "It's a shame, because after such a long season that we really fight in those conditions, we finish race 20 being second and three points off. That hurts a lot but that's the way it is. Sometimes it's a sign of the destiny that you can really appreciate what is the direction of the wind, because after seeing the outcome of the first lap we felt maybe. But for sure we will have to do a better job next year."

Domenicali said he felt 2012 was Alonso's strongest season to date as he took the championship to the final round without having the fastest car.

"I think that he did his best season and I said that before the grand prix," Domenicali added. "Not only from a technical point of view, because that is something you expect from a world champion like him, but also from the way that he was working with the team and always with the team. For me, that's something we have the privilege to have and unfortunately in the last three years we have lost twice at the last race. We need to make sure that starting next year we don't leave it until the last race to win."

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