Alonso mania grips Indian Grand Prix

Greater Noida - Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel may have won the second edition of the Indian Grand Prix, but Fernando Alonso was truly the crowd favourite here at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) on Sunday.

The Ferrari driver, regarded by many as the best Formula One driver currently on the grid, had lot of fans among the 65,000 that gathered here to view the penultimate Asian race of the calendar.

Alonso did well to come second, 9.4 seconds behind winner Sebastian Vettel in the 60-lap race.

“I am here only for Alonso. He is just superb in that car. I wish he wins the title this year even though the Red Bulls look stronger,” said V. Adithya, who has come all the way from Bangalore to watch the race.

Alonso now trails drivers’ championship leader Vettel by 13 points with three races remaining this season.

Though legendary driver Michael Schumacher also drew several fans, Alonso remained the clear favourite.

During the drivers’ parade before the race, the crowds went bonkers to get a glimpse of the two-time former World Champion.

When the Spaniard, who started in third position, overtook Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber on the back straight for second place, the crowd went into a frenzy, clapping and cheering for him and waving the Ferrari flag.

“That was the move of the race. Alonso has something special in him to relentlessly drive this well. Though he has not won the title since 2006, he is still the best you have on the circuit today,” said another racing fan, Rohit Madan, who had come from Chandigarh to see the race.