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2013 car will be better - Alonso

Fernando Alonso expects a stronger challenge from his team-mate Felipe Massa this year © Ferrari

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• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Fernando Alonso is sure Ferrari will start the season with a stronger car than in 2012, pointing to the Toyota wind tunnel as "a small advantage".

The F2012 was well off the pace at the start of last season, with Ferrari struggling to get the exhausts working effectively and also encountering issues correlating wind tunnel results with those on the track. Alonso pointed to those early problems as the reason he lost the world championship last year but believes Ferrari is better placed this season.

"I'm confident I can start the season with a better car than the one we had in the first few months of last year,"Alonso said. "It was actually in the early races that we lost decisive points, when we had a car that was only good enough for seventh, as was the case in China or ninth in Bahrain. The fact we are working with just one wind tunnel, the Toyota one in Cologne, could be a small advantage."

Alonso added that it wasn't just the car that was likely to be stronger, but also his team-mate Felipe Massa, who he expects to be closer in 2013.

"I have always said that Felipe was one of the best drivers around and I still remember that some people smiled when I said this last year. He and I have always helped one another, day by day and I expect him to always be very close to me in terms of performance: what was not normal was the difference between us over the past two years, but now I don't think that will be the case. That will be a very positive factor for me and especially for the team."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.