Fernando Alonso praises 'fantastic' Mercedes Formula 1 team
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has praised the job done by Mercedes in the first three races of the 2014 Formula 1 season, describing the team as "fantastic"

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have dominated the year's opening three grands prix, while Alonso's Ferrari team has struggled for speed.
The Spaniard finished a distant ninth in last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, while Hamilton and Rosberg pulled away at a rate of two seconds per lap in the closing stages as they battled for victory.
Alonso's Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen described racing the Mercedes-engined cars as like being in "a different class" in Bahrain, and Alonso conceded the German manufacturer has simply done a better job with the new regulations than its rivals.
"Mercedes has been fantastic. They are doing a better job than anyone else and Nico and Lewis are driving fantastic, doing zero mistakes," Alonso said.
"We have had some difficult conditions with rain in qualifying, but they are doing zero mistakes, fighting but clean.
"At the moment it's not possible to catch them in this first part of the championship, but we saw Brawn GP dominate in the first part of the championship [in 2009] and they struggled a bit at the end of the year."
The double world champion insisted Ferrari was still capable of recovering, despite its poor start to the year.
"We have everything in our hands, it's up to us to do better than we are doing now," said Alonso.
After three races, Ferrari is fifth in the constructors' championship, 78 points behind table-topping Mercedes.
Alonso is fourth in the drivers' standings, trailing leader Rosberg by 35 points.

Previous article
Williams duo say rear tyre degradation hurt Bahrain GP chances
Next article
Red Bull F1 team focused on 'damage limitation' for now

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Fernando Alonso |
Teams | Mercedes |
Author | Ben Anderson |
Fernando Alonso praises 'fantastic' Mercedes Formula 1 team
Trending
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
Why the demise of F1's hypocritical spending habit is cause for celebration
For too long, F1's richest teams have justified being able to spend as much as they want because that's the way they've always conducted their business. STUART CODLING says that's no reason not to kick a bad habit
The double whammy that is defining Vettel’s F1 fate
It's been a tough start to Sebastian Vettel's Aston Martin F1 career, with a lack of pre-season testing mileage followed by an incident-packed Bahrain GP. But two key underlying factors mean a turnaround is not guaranteed
The diva that stole a march on F1’s wide-bodied opposition
In 2017 new F1 technical regulations were supposed to add drama - and peg Mercedes back. STUART CODLING looks at the car which, while troubled, set the stage for the wide-bodied Formula 1 era
The themes to watch in F1’s Imola return
Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. BEN ANDERSON looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak