VETTEL: Fighting Alonso again is special, and the memories are back

Sebastian Vettel did find some fun from a tough 2021 season, playing against his old rival Fernando Alonso.

When Alonso returned to the Alpine Alps, the two veterans of F1 resumed the battle. He's a typical midfield driver, as is Vettel, and the duo often find themselves at the centre of the line, with the initial goal of the weekend Grand Prix being in the top ten in qualifying.

As a result, the Spaniard often finds himself next to the Aston Martin driver on Sundays, who first competed with Vettel for the world title 11 years ago.

In 2010, when Vettel and Alonso played for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively, Vettel won the championship. In two of the next three seasons, Vettel and Alonso finished first and second respectively in the drivers' standings. In the 2021 season, each of them received a podium, with Vettel cancelled after the P2 race in Hungary because the car's remaining fuel did not meet the rules.

Vettel said: "I really like it, the competition in midfield is fierce and obviously the match against Fernando is special. We've been playing each other for a long time, some memories are back and our last real fight was for the championship. It's fun, but it's clear that our goal is to take it to the next level and challenge for better results. ”

Vettel is the first winner of the new overtaking award in F1, he has overtaken the most in 22 races this season, but he sees it as a double-edged sword as it means his car's position in the starting zone doesn't match the car's true speed.

He said: "It's been a long year, there's been a lot of overtaking and obviously there are some qualifying sessions that don't go the way we do and we have to make progress in the race. ”