page_title: Motor racing career of Fernando Alonso
section_title: 2012–2013
hierarchical_section_title: Motor racing career of Fernando Alonso / Ferrari (2010–2014) / 2012–2013
caption_attribution_description: English: Fernando Alonso, 2012 German Grand Prix race.
context_page_description: Fernando Alonso is a Spanish racing driver who was won two Formula One World Championships, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, the 24 Hours of Daytona once and the Euro Open by Nissan. He progressed from kart racing to car racing with the Euro Open by Nissan with the Campos Motorsport team in 1999, winning the series from Manuel Gião at his first attempt with six race victories and nine pole positions. Alonso progressed to the higher tier International Formula 3000 Championship in 2000 with Team Astromega. He finished fourth in the point standings with a second-place finish at the Hungaroring and a race victory at the season-ending race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
  He moved to Formula One in 2001 with the Minardi team on a loan agreement with Benetton. Alonso was moved to the Renault test team by his manager Flavio Briatore in 2002 and worked alongside the engineering department to help improve the form of race drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button. He was promoted to a race seat at Renault for 2003, becoming the youngest driver to win a pole position and a Grand Prix that year.
context_section_description: He stayed with Ferrari for 2012; Alonso had signed a three-year contract extension in May 2011 to remain at Ferrari until 2016. Ferrari worked to understand the F2012 and adapted his driving style to cope with a loss of rear aerodynamic downforce. Alonso stated he would enter the season with the championship in mind and forgot his performance from 2011: "I really believe in the skills we have here in Ferrari. We have to be optimistic. We have two months to get ready for the first race in Australia. We have to fight for this title, we have to get as many points as possible at every race."
  His main competition for the championship was Vettel; Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix and took points in the first eight rounds to hold a 20-point lead. He then took two pole positions in inclement weather in Britain and Germany and finished second and first respectively to extend his championship lead to 40 points. Thereafter collisions involving the Lotus cars of Romain Grosjean and Kimi Räikkönen in Belgium and Japan, an anti-roll bar failure during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix lost him a potential pole position and Vettel's improved performance eliminated Alonso's points lead; Alonso entered the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix 13 points behind Vettel. He needed to finish third and for Vettel not to score points to win his third title. Alonso finished second in the race as Vettel came sixth; Alonso finished runner-up for the second time in his career with 278 points.
  He remained with Ferrari for 2013. Alonso expressed confidence he could perform better due to the recruitment of aerodynamicists to Ferrari: "We can be faster or slower [than the others] but not 1.5 or two seconds off the pace, because it was a record what we had last year. It is maybe impossible to be worse than last year, so I am confident." The Ferrari F138 was designed aggressively and Alonso won in China and Spain. He consistently accumulated points thereafter; Alonso was slower than Vettel after a change of tyre compounds at the German Grand Prix and developmental frontal and rear bodywork components intended to improve his car's performance was ineffective. He was runner-up to Vettel for the third time in his career with 242 points.
  Alonso's relationship with Ferrari deteriorated midway through the year due to his perception the team could not construct a title-winning car. His manager Luis Garcia Abad called a secret meeting with Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner in Hungary in late July to discuss Alonso joining them as teammate to Vettel for 2013; the move did not materialise and Alonso told the press after the Hungarian Grand Prix he wanted "La macchina degli altri" (English: "Somebody else's car") as a birthday present, which led Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to reprimand him by telephone. The Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali was concerned Alonso would take a sabbatical in 2014; he had retained Alonso's teammate Massa for 2013 to keep him satisfied and re-signed Räikkönen to the team as insurance had Alonso left. Alonso talked to Horner and the Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey in Belgium in late August about joining the team. No agreement was reached.
caption: Alonso driving at the 2012 German Grand Prix.
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