Keep your armour on Alonso, says Hill

The man who was bumped off by Schumi in 1994 warns Renault

LONDON: Former champion Damon Hill has warned Renault’s Fernando Alonso to watch out for Michael Schumacher, even if the German has publicly ruled out his chances of winning the Formula One title.

“Michael said he’s not thinking about the championship now, that’s baloney. He never gives up,” the Briton, champion with Williams in 1996, told the BBC on Monday. “I would keep my armour on if I were Alonso until after the last race.”

Schumacher is 10 points behind champion Alonso with one race, in Brazil next week, to come after he retired from Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix with a blown engine. The only way the German can take a record eighth title is if he wins at Interlagos — his last race before retirement — and Spaniard Alonso, winner at Suzuka, fails to score.

“Don’t ever write that guy off. It’s not over until it’s over,” said Hill, who had some epic battles with Schumacher in the 1990s, losing to him by one point after a collision in the final race of 1994.

“He’s going to go into that last race thinking: ‘Now, how can I win this and Alonso not score anything?’ That’s the way he’’s going to approach it. Otherwise he’s not Michael Schumacher.”