‘Red Bull remain the team to beat’

Fernando Alonso may be leading the World title race, however, Jaime Alguersuari reckons Red Bull are still in the “best position” to win…

Fernando Alonso may be leading the World title race, however, Jaime Alguersuari reckons Red Bull are still in the “best position” to win.

Eight races into this year’s Championship, Alonso become the first repeat winner of the season when he took the chequered flag at the European Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver’s victory in Valencia meant he took the lead in the Drivers’ Championship and by a comfortable margin of 20 points over Mark Webber as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton both retired from the grand prix.

But despite his cushion in the title race, former Toro Rosso driver turned BBC commentator Alguersuari believes Red Bull still hold the advantage.

“Alonso’s win, together with retirements for Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, has put him in a good position in the Championship, but there is a long way to go yet,” the Spaniard wrote in his BBC column.

“Red Bull produced a fantastic development for their car in Valencia, modifying the rear aerodynamics, and it was pretty obvious from Vettel’s pace all weekend that they now have the most competitive car.

“This year is not just about winning races – as Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber have shown by being first and second in the championship at this stage.

“It is about being there at the correct time, maximising what you can get out of a given weekend and, if you can’t win, it’s better to come third or fourth and get some points than risk too much.

“Red Bull now have a good performance difference between them and their competitors, and they can recover the gap.

“The Championship is long and anything can happen, but Red Bull look like they are in the best position at the moment.”