25/01/2014
NEWS STORY
Looking ahead to 2014, his fifth season with Ferrari, Fernando Alonso is hoping to mimic the success of Michael Schumacher who won his third title in his fifth season with the marque.
The German's two previous (back-to-back) titles came with Benetton, ironically the team that was to become Renault, the team with which the Spaniard won his back-to -back titles.
However, on joining Ferrari in 1996 it was to be four very difficult seasons for the German before it all finally came together. Alonso, is hoping to mimic the seven-time champ's achievement.
"In his fifth year, Schumacher won the title with Ferrari. I'm in my fifth year so hopefully I can repeat some of the success he had," he says in a video marking the launch of his 2014 car.
"In the last four years we had some opportunities, especially 2010 and 2012, we were very, very close to winning the championship," he continues. "This year we will try again and hopefully we will be there, and we will win.
Looking ahead to the new season and its massive regulation changes, he says: "In 2014, F1 will change a lot with the new regulations, that will take also some implications on the driving style. So definitely I'm looking forward to discover this new Formula One."
Briefly touching on what many believe could be one of the main talking points of the new season, he says: "I think Kimi and me as a team we should be quite strong, on paper, because we have had some success in the past. But you need to rediscover every year, we start from zero.
"If we do well, we will have a very strong team and we can deliver some good results for Ferrari."
Check out the F14 T gallery, here.