Why the F1 2012 title was Alonso's to lose..

18:10pm.
I've just experienced the most intense race for a long while and it delivered prehaps the most important conclusion of all..Sebastian Vettel is the 3 time World Champion. Going into the race it looked as if Vettel had the championship under his belt, Alonso would have to at least be on the podium for a chance of beating the German.

Like most things in Formula 1, nothing can be taken for granted. The first lap had yet to be completed and Vettel found himself at the back of the pack. A knock from Senna had sent the Red Bull tumbling down the order, leaving Alonso a glimer of hope. However, as Vettel has shown on many occasions, he does not give up without a fight and by the time the chequered flag fell after 71 laps of pure world class racing, Vettel, somehow, managed to retain his World Championship.

Huge credit must go to Fernando Alonso for his efforts, both in the race and the season. He came 2nd to Jenson Button after starting 7th on the grid, resulting in him being only 3 points behind the Red Bull after all the racing had been completed.

 But should the Spaniard have won the title much earlier in the season?

Halfway through and it seemed that Alonso was out of reach for everyone. Startling performances throughout the season ensured he was regarded as the driver of the season, obtaining fantastic results with only the third fastest car on the grid. However, accidents which were no fault of his own led to DNF's, allowing the ever present Vettel to keep pushing until he was able to overtake Alonso at the final hurdle.

When I look back at this season, I see Fernando Alonso as my F1 2012 World Champion. He did things that no one thought was possible. he led for the majority of the season and only lacked the pace when it really counted. I have huge respect for the driver and I look forward to see what he brings to the 2013 season.

On the topic of next year, whilst we are yet to see the updates on the cars, I have my top 6 predictions already:

1. FERNANDO ALONSO
2. JENSON BUTTON.
3. SEBASTIAN VETTEL.
4. SERGIO PEREZ.
5. LEWIS HAMILTON.
6. MARK WEBBER

Thank you for reading this, and I'll see you at Melbourne!