“Why?” the Austrian asked rhetorically when he was questioned about his reasons to pick Alonso for the 2010 title. “Because he has twice been champion, and not by chance. He is the best driver today,” he added for Osterreich newspaper.
“When you assess together a driver's speed, intelligence, ability to take risks efficiently to score maximum points always, he is simply the best,” continued the 61-year old Austrian, who admitted however that the two-time world champion will have a tough time competing against the extraordinary consistence showed by Red Bull's Mark Webber this year.
Nevertheless, Lauda insisted that the only factor that would prevent Alonso from winning the championship this season would be a “clearly superior” car from one of his rivals, namely Webber. But even so, with Ferrari now confirming their total support for the Spaniard in the title fight, having a teammate like Felipe Massa to help you out and take some points from your rivals every once in a while will undoubtedly play an important role.
“They (Ferrari) will do everything possible to bridge the gap separating them from Red Bull,” further noted Lauda, emphasizing Massa's role in the title fight, despite his being outside of the battle for the championship.
The four drivers Alonso is fighting against for the 2010 crown are teammates and all equal chanced for the title, which means they will take points off each other race after race. Webber is currently leading from Alonso (11 points behind), while Hamilton sits in 3rd place, 9 points less than the Ferrari-an. Finally, Sebastian Vettel is 4th, one point behind the Brit, but only 4 ahead of reigning world champion Jenson Button.
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