Sebastian Vettel has had some major rivals on the Formula 1 grid, but one rivalry that stands out is with Fernando Alonso. The German fought great battles on the track with the two-time world champion. And the Spaniard’s comeback to the sport in the 2021 season made Vettel nostalgic for their struggles.
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The four-time world champion may not have fought for the world title, but he did have an epic battle with Alonso for the overtake prize during the season.
Sebastian Vettel opens up about his struggles with Alonso in 2021
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The two drivers had great title fights, but this season was different. Alonso and Vettel had been battling for the most overtakes in a season and in the end it was the Aston Martin driver who came out on top.
Vettel said of his struggles with Fernando: “It’s been a long year, a lot of overtaking manoeuvres. Of course we had some qualifying sessions that didn’t go to our liking and had to work our way up the race, sometimes more [successfully] than at other times.”
Formula One F1 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 3, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel during practice REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
“I enjoyed it. The midfield was very tight and obviously struggling with Fernando [Alonso] is special. It’s been quite a while since we fought and some memories came back and the last time we really fought was for the championship. It was a lot of fun but obviously next year we want to be a little higher up the grid and fight for… bigger trophies,” concluded Vettel.
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What did Sebastian ask for after winning the Overtake Award?
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The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was perhaps the most dramatic race the F1 community has witnessed in recent years. When the checkered flag fell, it was Max Verstappen who was crowned world champion. He wasn’t the only one to take home an award on the day, however, as Vettel managed to bag the award for most overtakes of the season.
When he was in Parc Ferme, he asked his colleagues on the team radio about the award. When his race engineer told him he’d won, Vettel jokingly asked, “What’s the prize? A million gummy bears. Ok thanks guys.”
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Do you think Vettel will be able to achieve the most overtaking maneuvers next season? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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