Sebastian Vettel says he relished battles with Fernando Alonso

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he relished his on-track battles in 2021, despite the disappointment of not being able to challenge for podiums and top five finishes on a regular basis. For the German, battling with his old rival Fernando Alonso was “special” and reminded him of his Red Bull days when he was fighting for the championship.

Speaking about his first season with Aston Martin in a post-season interview with Express, the four-time F1 world champion said:

“I did enjoy it. The midfield was very tight, and obviously, fighting with Fernando is special. It’s been quite a while [that] we’ve been fighting, and some memories came back, and the last time we properly had a fight was for the championship."

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Sebastian Vettel said:

“It was good fun but obviously, we are aiming to be a bit further up the grid next year and challenging for bigger trophies.”

Sebastian Vettel also revealed that he was disappointed with the way his first season with the British squad turned out. After an acrimonious split with Ferrari, the four-time champion was hoping to bounce back with strong results in 2021.

However, Aston Martin dropped down the pecking order last season courtesy of regulation changes governing the floor, ruining Vettel’s hopes of fighting at the sharp end of the grid again.

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How Sebastian Vettel denied Fernando Alonso his third F1 title

In 2010, nearly four years after his last championship victory, Fernando Alonso was comfortably leading the standings heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. However, a pit strategy miscalculation led to him getting stuck behind a slower car at a circuit that was notoriously difficult to overtake at.

Meanwhile, an upstart from Germany, Sebastian Vettel, who had never led the standings until then, took the lead and went on to win the race, and with it, his first championship.

Over the next three years, the young German went on to rack up three more titles, all the while denying a supremely determined Alonso from clinching a third F1 World Drivers Championship.

While more than four drivers were in contention for the 2010 title, the subsequent seasons were two-way fights between Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

Apart from 2013, when Red Bull had a performance advantage, Alonso ensured that he remained in the thick of it, despite Ferrari’s lack of performance. Their last titanic battle for the championship came at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Heading into the race, Alonso trailed Vettel by 12 points and needed to win the race for a chance at the title. Meanwhile, Vettel was nudged into a spin at the start and ended up dead last by Lap 2.

Fortunately for the German, his car was undamaged, and he was able to scythe his way back up through the pack to end up sixth, which was enough to maintain the championship lead. Alonso’s last chance at the championship had vaporized despite his best efforts.

A year later, the Spaniard left the Scuderia, having failed to bring a championship trophy to Maranello. Ironically, Vettel, who spent four years denying Ferrari the championship until then, was Alonso’s replacement.