Vettel is not afraid for Alonso

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel on Wednesday insisted he would not be "afraid" to race against Fernando Alonso in the same team.

Even before Luca di Montezemolo named the German as an ideal Ferrari driver of the future, Vettel was strongly linked with a 2014 switch to the famous Italian squad.

He would not comment on the reports when asked by Germany's Auto Bild.

But Vettel did say: "I'm not afraid to go against Fernando in the same team, as in the end it's good for the team if it has two good drivers, which means it's also good for me because the challenge is all the greater.

"But the most important thing is that I'm very happy with Red Bull, and not at all thinking about leaving," he insisted.

Vettel, currently 39 points behing the Spaniard with seven races to go, named Ferrari's Alonso as the favourite for 2012 glory.

"His car is not as bad as everyone always says -- only at the start of the season was he not really able to compete.

"In the end he has always been there in all conditions, and very reliable, which for me is why the Alonso-Ferrari package has been so far the strongest," said the defending champion.

Vettel insisted he is also still in the running.

"Of course it's always better if you have a points lead," he said, "but the approach doesn't change. You always want to get the best out of yourself and the team.

"If you were making more of an effort as the hunter, that's not a good sign because it means that you were not working hard enough beforehand.

"The goal is to win all the races and see what happens," added Vettel.

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