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Alonso's 'amazing talent' took fight to Vettel - Domenicali
Stefano Domenicali says it was Fernando Alonso's "amazing talent" which meant he was Sebastian Vettel's nearest challenger this season.
Alonso took the 2012 championship down to the final race of the season in Brazil last year, and although he couldn't repeat that performance he was still the only driver who could have stopped Vettel winning this year's title in India. Domenicali said Ferrari is used to challenging at the front but had only been able to get near Vettel thanks to Alonso.
"We are well aware what it's like to rack up win after win, season after season, because only a few years back, we did just that and we know how much confidence comes from winning," Domenicali told the official Ferrari website. "Taking a world title is very satisfying, doing it several times is an achievement, but it's also a good thing to always be up there, fighting for the very top places, as Ferrari has done pretty much all the time for over fifteen years, barring a handful of exceptions.
"This year, we were unable to give our drivers a car good enough to fight with Vettel on equal terms, apart from at the very beginning of the season. Thanks to Fernando and his amazing talent, we managed to worry the world champion elect more than the others, but unfortunately, our efforts were not enough to fight all the way to the very end."
Domenicali said the remaining races would be critical in helping Ferrari challenge Red Bull next season.
"Now, it's important to try and end this season in the best way possible. These are crucial weeks that we have ahead of us to the end of the year, because the work we are doing in preparation for 2014 is vital if we want to be the team that puts an end to this Red Bull dominance, just as we and Fernando have been their main rivals over the past four seasons."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
