Ferrari once called some of their fans ‘a bunch of idiots’ on social media after Fernando Alonso heartbreak

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Fernando Alonso led the Formula 1 world championship by eight points heading into the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Mark Webber was second, with Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel third.

Ferrari driver Alonso qualified third, with Vettel on pole and Webber fifth. If that result held, he would have been the champion.

Alonso only needed to finish in the top five if Vettel won. But an early pit stop demoted him down the order, and he infamously became stuck behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.

In the pre-DRS era, Alonso couldn’t find a way through between lap 18 and 55, eventually crossing the line seventh. With Webber following him home, Vettel’s victory was enough to snatch the title in remarkable fashion.

Ferrari hit out at their fans for turning on the team after 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Ferrari haven’t come this close to winning the world championship at any point in their 17-year title drought. Alonso narrowly missed out to Vettel again in 2012, but he was behind going into the finale in Brazil.

Similarly, Alonso is still waiting for his third world championship, nearly two decades since his last. He’s now likely to retire without one, surely making the events of Abu Dhabi one of his biggest regrets.

Given the circumstances, it was inevitable that Ferrari came under fire from a section of their fans online. In a series of tweets, they emphatically hit back at the criticism.

They wrote: “What is annoying is that there are people who is [sic] ready to be close to you when you win and all of a sudden…  is there to say that you are a bunch of idiots. The true fans are not like this, they support and cheer in the bad and in the good times.

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“Anyway, we have to be proud of what has been done this season, congratulations to the winner. We keep our heads up.”

The following year, Vettel and Red Bull were an unstoppable combination. They won 11 out of 19 races, with Alonso finishing fourth in the standings after a solitary race win.

Martin Brundle rebuked Fernando Alonso for his post-race gesture at Vitaly Petrov

After the race, Alonso pulled alongside Petrov and gesticulated at the Russian driver from his cockpit. It was a move that angered Martin Brundle.

“This is Alonso blaming Petrov for losing him the world title,” Brundle seethed. “Get real, son.”

“That’s it Vitaly, excellent,” Renault engineer Mark Slade said over the radio. “Fantastic job there, absolutely brilliant. Very, very well done.

• READ MORE: He called Fernando Alonso a pay driver, then stopped him winning the F1 world championship

“You were P6. Fernando Alonso P7 – I think you know that. Very, very well done. That was an excellent drive Vitaly, inch-perfect all the way. Very, very good.”

Petrov would remain on the grid for another two years. He stayed with Renault as they became Lotus for 2011, and then dropped to backmarkers Caterham.