Fernando Alonso Has Heartening Words of Appreciation for Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel’s golden days of F1, which occurred during his phase with Red Bull, saw him lift four championship trophies, one after the other. However, it wasn’t as easy as it looked, as his dominant phase also spurred a rivalry with Fernando Alonso, who was then at Ferrari.

The duo engaged in several on-track antics, most of them offering fans nail-biting moments. There were heated arguments on the team radio, blame games, peaking aggressions against each other, and visible frustrations. Such was the intensity, as both Alonso and Vettel managed to electrify their rivalry.

But despite the intense battling in the early 2010s, Alonso revealed that he considers it a “privilege” to race on the grid alongside his then-rival, Vettel.

What did Fernando Alonso say?

As reported by Soy Motor, the Spaniard reckoned that the name, Vettel, will follow him throughout his career, which he felt is a huge privilege.

“It is not only what you see on Sundays, there are many things that happen on Fridays and Saturdays … and I consider it a privilege to share the track with most of the drivers in F1, but especially with guys like Seb,” he said.

“There are some names that go hand in hand with your career and Seb will be one of them. It is something that will come with me, or with us, forever.” (Translated via Google Translate)

2012 was one of the best years of the Vettel-Alonso duel. The battle for the title was swinging like a pendulum, and neither had an advantage over the other. And it all came down to the final showdown at Sao Paulo.

By the end of lap 1, Vettel was in the last with a damaged exhaust, and it looked like Alonso was all set to claim his third F1 title. But then arrived the German’s heroics. From last on the grid, Vettel fought his way through the pack to finish P6, leaving him three points ahead of Alonso in the championship, and stealing the title at the very last moment.

A lot of respect between us: Alonso on Sebastian Vettel

The Alpine driver reckoned that there is always mutual respect between himself and Vettel. “Honestly, there is a lot of respect between us,” he said. “We have fought hard at times on the track. And we have also fought for some championships.

“All of them fell on Seb’s side, from 2010 to 2013. But still, I think we show this respect when we meet on the track,” he added.

Vettel and Alonso are some of the remaining F1 drivers of the previous era, and their departure from the sport is due in the coming years. However, before bowing out, can Vettel and Alonso fight one last time for the championship title amidst the forthcoming era? Well, let’s hope so.

Watch Story: Biggest Pitlane Mishaps Featuring Hamilton, Raikkonen & Verstappen