Fernando Alonso has F1 title in his own hands

Fernando Alonso has the championship lead on his side as he aims to clinch the Formula One (F1) world title in a historic finale Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

But in a season of roller-coaster rides for all the stars, Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton are also in the frame.

It is the first time in F1 history that four drivers are in the title race ahead of the season-ender.

A simple engine failure in Alonso's Ferrari could for instance open the door for the others, he may be shunted off the track by another driver, make a mistake himself or have yet another negative experience with the safety car as has happened already three times this season.

However, Alonso has a third career title in his own hands as championship leader. He has amassed 246 points from 18 of 19 races, with Webber on 238, Vettel on 231 and Hamilton on 222.

Under the current system, the top 10 drivers get points in a 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 format.

Alonso has done his maths and says 'I just need to finish second. It does not matter who wins in Abu Dhabi if I finish second'.

The Spaniard can also afford third place if Webber does not win, and fourth or fifth if Webber and Vettel do not win.

Webber will secure the trophy if he wins and Alonso comes no better than third. A team order of sorts may be used if Vettel leads from Webber and Alonso in the final lap, as Ferrari also ordered Felipe Massa to let Alonso pass for victory at the German GP.

Massa determined to make amends in Korea

A resolute Felipe Massa has vowed to do all that he can to support Ferrari - and his team mate Fernando Alonso - in their title fights, as the 2010 season enters its final stages. Massa has struggled recently, crashing out on the first lap in Japan and finishing the preceding Singapore race in eighth, but he’s hopeful he can bounce back in Korea.

“I have been at home in Brazil for about a week and I made good use of my time, getting as well prepared as possible for the final trio of races,” the Brazilian told his official Ferrari blog. “They are going to be very important for me on a personal level to fight back after the disappointing outcome of the last two races. However, more importantly, I will be trying to bring home a significant number of the points to help the Scuderia in its fight for both championships.

“Firstly we need to qualify well on Saturday and after that, in the race, I want to be in the middle of the battle for the drivers' championship, fighting with the five drivers who are chasing the title, which is the best thing I can do to help Ferrari's and Fernando's aspirations. I know that everyone in the team, at the track and the factory is completely pumped up for the challenge of these last three races and I am equally keen to give them my best shot.”

Although Korea’s newly-built Yeongam circuit is very much an unknown quantity, Massa believes the track could suit the Italian team’s F10.

Ferrari face fate at FIA hearing on team orders charge

Ferrari were fined $100,000 (£65,100) for appearing to give Felipe Massa a coded message to allow Fernando Alonso through to win the German Grand Prix.

The case was subsequently referred to the World Motor Sport Council.

But Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is confident the council will not impose with further sanctions.

"We're sure the World Council will understand our position," he said.

Ferrari have been charged with breaking two sections of F1's rulebook after Massa moved over to let Alonso pass him on lap 49 of the 67-lap race at Hockenheim on 25 July.

One is article 39.1 of the regulations, which states that "team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited".

The other is article 151.c, which says "any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition, or to the interests of motorsport generally" can be punished.

Massa was told by his Ferrari race engineer, Rob Smedley, over the team radio: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understand?"

The Brazilian responded by letting Alonso through after Turn Six moments later.

Following the move, Smedley added: "Good lad. Just stick with it now. Sorry."

The incident provoked a widespread backlash against Ferrari, with some teams saying the incident damaged the sport's credibility.

Domenicali explained after the race that the team had only wanted to keep Massa aware of the latest race developments and that Ferrari didn't give him explicit instructions.

"And because we have already seen in the past that certain situations could not give the best result for the team, that was the information that we wanted to give and we leave the drivers to understand and take notice of it in order to make sure that the team in terms of the result is the best," he said.

The fine Ferrari were given in Germany was the maximum the stewards were allowed to impose immediately after the race.

for more news : Ferrari face fate at FIA hearing

Alonso: Monza crucial for team morale

Fernando Alonso has denied that the Italian Grand Prix is a 'make or break' race for Ferrari's title ambitions, but admitted that the championship would be a pretty remote prospect if he had another bad result at the Monza.

After a disastrous Belgian Grand Prix - which saw Alonso qualify only 10th, get pushed into a spin by Rubens Barrichello on the first lap, make an incorrect tyre choice in the changing weather, and then crash out in the late rain shower - the Spaniard is now 41 points adrift of the championship leader Lewis Hamilton with only six races to go.

With the team's home race at the Monza next on the calendar, Alonso conceded that the Italian event would be crucial in both the points and morale terms.

"There is no denying that the Monza race will be very important," he wrote in his blog for the Ferrari website.

"At our home circuit we will have to do everything to avoid losing any more points: a good result here would be a great boost. If things go badly, it won't be over but it would be a hard knock for the team morale."

He is adamant that all is not yet lost for Ferrari this season and that a change of luck could make a massive difference.

"I have always said - and I repeat it now – that in the course of the season, good luck and bad luck tend to balance one another out, so let's hope that from now on it's payback time," said Alonso.

"The first 'final' went badly, but there are still six to go. Going into these seven races, I had said that whoever did the best job in them would take the title: clearly, there are now three of us who need to make up for ground lost in Spa.

"With this points system and the way races swing one way or another, I am convinced we still have a significant chance. There are 150 points up for grabs, enough to turn the situation around. We must remain calm and concentrate, to try and make up the difference as soon as possible."

Alonso 'excited but calm' ahead of Spa

Fernando Alonso looks to impress as the F1 season resumes in Belgium

Fernando Alonso insists that he is both excited but calm ahead of the resumption of the 2010 F1 season this weekend at the Spain.

The Spaniard heads to the Belgian Grand Prix on the back of a pair of top two finishes in the races prior to the summer break, which has brought him right back into the mix in the fight for the 2010 crown.

With just 20 points to leader Mark Webber, Alonso heads to Belgium this weekend looking to narrow that gap even further and the double champion said he was excited about the weekend ahead.

“I really want to get back on track, but in a positive sense, without any feeling of the anxiety, but in a very calm way,” the Ferrari driver said. “I am happy that the return to racing means going to two particularly special venues which host the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. The Belgian track is possibly the most appealing of the entire season, while Monza will be something special for me, given that it will be my race debut as a Ferrari driver in front of the Italian crowd, in addition to the circuit itself having played such an important role in the history of motor sport.

“I have a good feeling following on from the positive results obtained in Germany and Hungary. As the saying goes, we have to keep the momentum and that should be our aim in Spa, to ensure we carry on the way we started just before the holidays. The Hockenheim and the Budapest results were important not just in terms of the classification in both championships, but also for the confidence it has given us. We have to keep pushing on this way.”

Ferrari was advised to let Kubica through

Ferrari was told three times that Fernando Alonso should have let the Robert Kubica through during the British Grand Prix, according to the FIA race director Charlie Whiting.

Alonso was given a drive-through at the Silverstone after overtaking Renault's Kubica by going off track.

The penalty, which Ferrari felt was too harsh, and ruined Alonso's chances of a good result, the Spaniard finishing down in 14th position.

Although the penalty was given nine laps after Alonso passed the Kubica, Whiting said Ferrari was advised to let the Kubica through immediately, but that the team decided against it.

"We told Ferrari three times that in my opinion they should have given the position back to Kubica," Whiting was quoted as saying by Autosprint magazine.

"And we told them that immediately, right after the overtaking in manoeuvre. On the radio, I suggested to them that if they have exchange position again, there would be no need for the stewards to intervene.

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso Díaz (born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari along with Felipe Massa.

On 25 September 2005, he has won the Formula One World Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record of being the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion (this record was subsequently broken by Lewis Hamilton). After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became one of the youngest double Champion. In 2007, he became the second F1 driver, after Michael Schumacher, to score at least 100 points for three consecutive seasons. Nicknamed El Nano, a typical pseudonym for Fernando in Asturias, his place of birth, Alonso acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. In Formula One, he is often referred to as "the most complete driver on the grid".

Current team	Ferrari
Car #	8
Races	149 (148 starts)
Championships	2 (2005, 2006)
Wins	22
Podiums	56
Career points	675
Pole positions	18
Fastest laps	14
First race	2001 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last win	2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last race	2010 European Grand Prix
2009 position	9th (26 points)