Alonso relishing tight battle for second in the championship

Fernando Alonso is in a four-way battle for second in the drivers' championship with Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton © Getty Images

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Fernando Alonso is determined to come out on top in the fight for second in the championship despite Ferrari's recent struggles.

After the Singapore Grand Prix it became mathematically impossible for Alonso to beat Sebastian Vettel in the title race this year and he has now set his sights on second place. Alonso is currently third in the championship, one point behind Jenson Button in second but ahead of Mark Webber (two points behind Alonso) and Lewis Hamilton (six points behind). However, Alonso admits his Ferrari is currently off the pace of Red Bull and McLaren and that second place in the championship will require a faultless performance.

"Even if it's true we are no longer even mathematically in the hunt for the drivers' title, there are still plenty of reasons to retain our motivation to tackle these last five races with the right attitude," he wrote in his blog on the Ferrari website. "First of all there's second place in the drivers' table. Given how the season has gone so far, with Vettel totally dominant, failing to get on the podium only once, being runner-up would really be a great result for me and for the team. There are four of us in the running, as I am up against Webber and the two McLaren guys and I reckon we will have to wait until Interlagos to find out who it will go to.

"Clearly, if one looks at the way recent races have gone, it will definitely not be easy, as my closest rivals seem to have that little bit extra in terms of car performance, but that does not mean it's a lost cause. We know we have to do everything perfectly if we want to reach our goal and we will be trying right to the very end."

And Alonso admitted second place in the constructors' championship for Ferrari would be even more difficult now that there is an 85-point gap to McLaren.

"Then, there's still second place in the constructors' championship, but this is a much harder target, because there's a significant gap to McLaren, but it's not impossible," he added. "In the end, myself and all the team just want to end a season that did not go the way we wanted in the best way possible. Taking at least one win would be the maximum, while the important thing is to always be in the fight for the podium places."

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