A furious Webber suggested immediately after the Japan race that the Frenchman
might need another “holiday”, or ban, labelling his driving “embarrassing”
and branding him “a first-lap nutcase”.
Championship leader Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, believes the title race is
still wide open going into Korea, warning Lewis Hamilton remains a threat.
Alonso saw his lead over the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel slashed to just four
points in Japan after the Spaniard was forced out moments after the start
with a puncture, leading some to suggest it is now a two-horse race.
With five grand prix to go, Alonso has 194 points, Vettel 190, Kimi Raikkonen
157 and Hamilton 152.
Alonso confessed at today’s presser he did not know how far Hamilton was
behind. And when told it was more than 40 points – there are 25 points for a
race win – he said: “It’s more difficult but it’s not over.
“For sure the chance is a little bit lower, but the form of McLaren and Lewis
before Suzuka means they still have a possibility.”
And despite having Vettel breathing hard down his neck, Alonso believes there
is no reason to panic.
“We all need some points this weekend,” he said. “It’s the same for everyone.
We’ve been pushing from the first week and nothing changes now. We need to
keep doing the same things.
“I remain confident we will be competitive. We’ve been more or less
competitive the last eight or 10 races. We’ve not been the fastest, but we
are in position.”
Vettel, who has stormed into contention after victory in the last two races –
Singapore and Suzuka – echoed Alonso’s sentiments.
“We should be reasonably competitive here,” said the German. “But this year
has been very unpredictable. We will try our best to get a very strong
result.
“It’s been fairly up and down for all of us. We’ve seen this year a lot of
cars that can surprise.
“There’s more than one or two cars that can win. It’s been the story of the
championship, it’s been up and down and things can change quickly.”