How Fernando Alonso mind games triggered Mark Webber’s South Korea 2010 crash

There are very few racing minds sharper than that of the two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso.

Never one to shy away from a psychological battle, Alonso recalled how he got inside the head of 2010 title rival Mark Webber at the Korean Grand Prix, planting a thought in his mind about the track conditions. Webber would later crash out of the race.

Wily young fox Fernando Alonso struck on Mark Webber

In 2010, Formula 1 contested its very first Korean Grand Prix, held around the Korea International Circuit. It was Round 17 of 19, and saw a victorious Alonso move to the top of the Drivers’ Championship.

Alonso has revealed how he got inside the mind of rival Webber that day, making him think the wet track conditions were worse than in reality, his subsequent crash giving Alonso a huge boost in his title quest.

After three laps behind the Safety Car to start the Grand Prix, the red flag was shown with extreme amounts of standing water making the track unsafe.

The racing action would get underway, but come lap 19, then championship leader Webber hit the wall, his Red Bull coming back across the track and collecting Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes in the process.

Alonso went on to win, after Sebastian Vettel’s engine blew in the sister Red Bull. Alonso moved 11 points clear of Webber at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, and it was job done for the Spaniard, who it turns out had been playing some mind games with Webber during the red flag delay.

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“I remember once, South Korea in 2010, it was a red flag in the middle of the race. It was very wet, aquaplaning everywhere,” said Alonso.

“We stopped on the grid and it was Mark Webber first. I was second.

“I came to the grid and I spoke with him. ‘The track is really bad, you know, this aquaplaning. It will be a disaster if we restart the race now.’ And I knew that the race was about to restart soon.

“He said that, entering his mind, that the track was worse than what actually it was. And he crashed after the restart.

“I was trying to use every single thing that was in my pocket, you know, in that day to really win a race or keep the championship alive a little bit longer.”

Vettel would ultimately have the last laugh, winning his first of four consecutive Drivers’ titles in 2010.

As for the Korean Grand Prix, Formula 1 continued to go racing there until 2013, after which it dropped off the calendar.

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