Motor Racing: Alonso confident of third win in Singapore GP

SINGAPORE: Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is currently the man at the top of the 2012 Formula One drivers standings with 179 points.

Giving the Spaniard added acceleration ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix is his stellar record at the Marina Bay circuit — two wins in the last four years.

Three wins so far this season has given the Ferrari driver a comfortable 37 point lead ahead of his nearest rival, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren—Mercedes.

And the timing could not have been better for him to extend his lead, what with his past outings in Singapore. Champion at the inaugural race in 2008 and another win two years later, makes him one of the favourites to take the chequered flag on Sunday.

The Spaniard added that there is slightly less pressure on him compared to his rivals because of the points gap with the rest of the field.

He said: "Yes, (there’s) lots of preparations going on for this weekend. We have some new parts in the car that we will introduce in this race, hopefully they will work okay and give us more performance.

"(There are) four or five drivers fighting for the title. I am the only one with a little advantage, so maybe I can afford a mistake or problem in this one race. The others if they have a problem, it becomes more difficult (for them)."

—CNA/ac