Arrogant and evil, but nice!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/3194271/Fernando-Alonso-Ill-help-Felipe-Massa-beat-Lewis-Hamilton-to-world-title-Formula-One.html

Fernando Alonso: I'll help Felipe Massa beat Lewis Hamilton to world title

By Simon Arron
Last Updated: 12:03PM BST 14 Oct 2008

"If I can help Massa, I will - no doubt," Alonso told Spanish sports newspaper AS.

Alonso and the Brazilian haven't always seen eye to eye. They banged wheels during the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix and clashed again later that year after the GP of Europe, where Alonso accused Massa of having deliberately driven into him during the final stages of a race the Spaniard won.

He later apologised for his remarks and claimed they had been made in the heat of the moment.

Their relationship is harmonious, however, compared to that between Alonso and Hamilton, who became bitter adversaries when they were McLaren team-mates last season - a situation that led to Alonso leaving just one season into a multi-year deal.

Although the two men enjoy a professional working relationship nowadays, Alonso rarely misses an opportunity to have a gentle dig at his British nemesis.

After last Sunday's Japanese GP, in which Alonso scored his second consecutive F1 victory, the top three were asked what they thought about the penalty Hamilton had been given for forcing Kimi Raikkonen wide at the first corner.

Robert Kubica and Raikkonen claimed they hadn't had a sufficiently good view to make a judgment, but Alonso grinned and said: "Yes, I agree with it."

He also passed comment on the number of errors both Hamilton and Massa have made this season. "They have dropped a lot of points," he said.

"The championship leader has 84 points after 16 races, but when I won the title in 2006 I had 82 after only nine."

Hamilton is presently five points clear of Massa in the title chase. It remains to be seen whether Alonso gets close enough to McLaren and Ferrari to challenge for victories during the campaign's final two races, in China and Brazil.

His wins in Singapore and Japan were down to luck - the timely intervention of a Safety Car - and rivals' errors respectively.

"I'm confident about the forthcoming races," he said. "But perhaps not about winning because we are still four tenths per lap behind Ferrari and McLaren."