F1: 3 times Fernando Alonso surprisingly fell short of a Championship win

#1 2012 F1 Season (Position: 2nd)

Alonso came up short again in 2012

The dominance of Red Bull was somewhat scary heading into the 2012 F1 season, and after a disappointing outing last time out, Ferrari had something to prove.

Fernando Alonso has always been a fighter, and some of that fighting spirit was on display throughout the course of the season. Taking a below-par car to the limit on several occasions, it was clear that the Spaniard wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet.

After playing hot potato for the Championship lead, Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Raikkonen all looked to have an opportunity of consolidating their lead at the top in a bizarre season that saw seven different winners in the first seven races of the campaign.

But it was soon a two-horse race and Vettel may have been fortunate to see his closest competitor crash out through no fault of his own at the Belgian GP and the Japanese GP, crucially ensuring that the German went into the final race with a thirteen-point lead.

In the ultimate race however, drama was aplenty and Alonso, who needed to win at all costs, conceded the race to Jenson Button while Vettel finished sixth, just enough to clinch another title and bring sorrow to the many Alonso fans in attendance in Brazil.