Mat Coch writes:

Fourth place was the best Fernando Alonso could have achieved in Singapore, admitted the Spaniard. Having won the race twice before, the 2011 event was the first time he'd not finished on the podium, yet despite running third for a time, he eventually ended the race off the dais.

"Fourth I think is the maximum we could do," Alonso told reporters after the race. "At one point we were third, but then Webber overtook us. We knew that sooner or later in normal conditions they should be in front of us because they are much quicker."

The Ferrari driver lost out when the Safety Car was called in the wake of Michael Schumacher's dramatic retirement, allowing Mark Webber to close. "We had six seconds advantage before the safety car and he closed that gap," explained the Spaniard. "On the restart he was one metre behind us, so he took advantage from there and maybe we lost the podium on the restart. But it's the way it is. If it's not in that moment, five laps later I think Mark had the possibility to overtake me."

With the drivers title all but settled, and Ferrari a distant third in the Constructors' Championship, Alonso suggested the team would now shift its focus entirely to the 2012 car. "The Drivers' Championship obviously is gone, and the Constructors Championship is also extremely difficult," he conceded, "so we are in a point that from behind there is no threat, in front there is very difficult opportunities for us to catch up."

The remainder of 2011 will therefore likely be treated as an extended test session as the Italian marque begins to develop next year's car. "For sure there will be some tests for the 2012 car because with very little testing in February we have to use the last five races to try some experimental things."

Alonso is currently third in the drivers' championship, one point behind McLaren's Jenson Button and 125 points behind leader Vettel. With five races remaining, and a maximum of 125 points up for grabs, the result effectively ends any chance Alonso had of winning the title for a third time.