Alonso: 'Will stay exciting until Abu Dhabi'

Fernando Alonso does not expect the battle between Alpine and McLaren to be decided until the final race of this season. He told Motorsportweek.com. The two teams are currently battling for fourth place in the constructors championship.

Max Verstappen has already secured the world title, and Red Bull can claim the constructors' title at the next race, but for the rest of the grid, the battle is by no means over. Right behind the vanguard, Alpine and McLaren have been going neck and neck for fourth place among constructors all season.

Alpine experienced a dramatic race in Singapore, with Alonso and Esteban Ocon both dropping out with technical defects, while McLaren finished fourth and fifth. In Japan, however, the proportions were reversed: Ocon finished fourth, Alonso seventh, and McLaren had to make do with just one point ahead of Norris in 10th place. Thus, the two teams have been alternating all season long in a battle marked by technical failures of Alpine and McLaren which can mainly only rely on one of the two drivers. Currently, Alpine has the upper hand with a 13-point lead.

Battle continues until the last race

Alonso expects the rivalry between the two teams to be decided only in the last race of the season, in Abu Dhabi. With four races to go, the Spaniard expects it to remain exciting until the finale.

"I think there will be weekends where we can score a few more points than them. Others, we will score less. But I think above all it will be very, very tight until Abu Dhabi."