Alonso was mentally prepared to lose ??

Alonso lost the European Grand Prix all right, but it was the manner in which he lost that is quite perplexing. Quite obviously, Michael was in a class of his own - but Alonso didnt even try and put pressure on Michael once Michael got ahead at the pitstops.

When Michael came out ahead of Alonso after the second stop, the gap was about 4 seconds. In the next 2-3 laps, it had grown to around 8 seconds. Alonso readily settled for the second place.

Even after the race, he said it was a matter of when the Ferrari would overtake him, which clearly indicated that he was not even going to try for the race win. Indeed, he found himself under pressure from Massa late in the race !

It is quite a shame that Alonso should not even try for wins, and that too so early in the season, because he is a good driver and is capable of pulling off great moves (like the one in Suzuka last year). He is already thinking of protecting his lead in the championship, with just 5 races gone. He did the same last year when Kimi had a better car and was starting to win most races - just sit back and take the second place without any risks.

Quite a shame really.