A championship in five races, as if the previous 15 hadn't existed. With only a 4-point lead in the standings, Fernando Alonso heads into next Sunday's Korean GP with only one certainty: from now on, calculations, administration, tactics will no longer be needed. Above all because the pursuer is called Vettel, who is not incidentally the reigning double world champion and leads the Red Bull back from the same double world championship in the past two seasons. As well as a single-seater today in better shape, thanks to a technical comeback following a summer of almost a performance crisis.
A real final round. Absorbed the many early season exploits, Formula 1 2012 has skimmed away the occasional protagonists and the results caused by fate more than by the values in the field. Forget the Mercedes and Williams capable of isolated trebles in the spring, once the enthusiasm for the Lotuses that have repeatedly appeared to be the real surprise of the season (although they have always missed the appointment with the victory) has been disposed of, the World Championship is now narrowing down to the real protagonists. That is Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, in strict order of classification but also of overall technical value. With a distinction: this value, increased for each one in steps of three-four races, as logic dictates if you want to compete for the title, has so far gone on in waves. To stay with the summer, in July the great leap in quality of the single-seaters from Maranello took center stage; September was almost in the single color McLaren and now it really seems that the scepter is back in the hands of Red Bull which was in bad shape only at Monza, a month ago. It's not a matter of chance: it's the extreme competitiveness of F.1, combined with the impossibility of always progressing, that motivates this intermittent pace.
And here we are at theme number 1 of this season finale. Of this World Championship now restricted to just five races with the two main contenders, Alonso and Vettel, separated by the trifle of 4 points. That is practically equal. In summary: if this year's alternating pace, in terms of technical growth, continues, then now is Ferrari's turn. If he succeeds, he will guarantee Alonso the necessary energy for the final rush. Otherwise, the Prancing Horse rider's fate will be sealed.
In India, in three weeks, Ferrari will bring important developments to the track. Developments aimed at the final sprint for the title, at the package of characteristics of the last four GPs: India, precisely, Abu Dhabi, the race on the unknown circuit of Austin in Texas, and the last season of the season on the well-known Interlagos in San Paolo in Brazil. It will work. It has to work. Honestly, you can't ask for more from the Alonso in 2012: 13 times in the points in 15 races, the only zeros in the box motivated by two rear-end collisions suffered – Belgium and Japan, on Sunday – at the first corner. Without which unfortunate episodes, and given his average performance this year, the Spaniard would have at least 30 more points in his pocket today. And today we would be reading the cards at the championship finale with very different tones.
