Amazing Alonso !

[pino]

You're simply the best ! :up: :D

[donKey jote]

amazing Alonso :D :D :D
Forza Ferrari
Forza Perez !!!

[Garry Walker]

I think the star of the race was clearly Perez. Sauber had the win in their hand and they let it go. But of course, Good drive by Alonso too.

[F1boat]

He was awesome! Fantastic!

[Hawkmoon]

The car is still horrible and Perez would have had him but for that mistake. However, a win is win and you take them any way you can get them. Forza Ferrari!

[P3ws]

What is so amazing to get lucky with weather conditions?
It is racing, maybe next time someone else gets that luck.
This has happened before and will happen again.
Im not surprised.

[Hawkmoon]

What is so amazing to get lucky with weather conditions?
It is racing, maybe next time someone else gets that luck.
This has happened before and will happen again.
Im not surprised.

If it was just wet weather luck Hamilton would have passed him when the track dried out. Not only didn't Hamilton do that but he couldn't even run with the Ferrari and the Sauber. Make no mistake, that was a great drive from Alonso and perhaps a better one from Perez.

[aryan]

What is so amazing to get lucky with weather conditions?
It is racing, maybe next time someone else gets that luck.
This has happened before and will happen again.
Im not surprised.

There is no such thing as luck in motor racing. You make your own luck.

Also making the right choice at every stop is not lucky. It's what seperates great drivers from the rest.

I'm neither an Alonso fan, nor a Ferrari one, but I bow to Alonso today. He was simply supreme

[jens]

Alonso was sensational. And Ferrari was surprisingly competitive especially on full tanks in the first half of the race. McLaren and RBR didn't even get close during the race. Wow, hard to believe what I have witnessed!

Humble pie for me as I didn't think it would be possible to set the pace of the race with that car.

[Tazio]

Well done Ferrari, and Alonso!!

[pino]

.... But of course, Good drive by Alonso too.

I never expected to read that from you, wish others in here were as fair as you :up:

[steveaki13]

Great drive for Fernando. Well Done

[fandango]

A really special drive from Alonso. Pérez was brilliant too, and I think it was his team that put him off with that radio call to be careful. Of course, he shouldn't have let it put him off, but anyway...

[Garry Walker]

I never expected to read that from you, wish others in here were as fair as you :up:

I have always thought Alonso is a great driver, there are just too many sides in his personality that are unacceptable for me to accept.

[pino]

We are here to judge him as a driver not to judge his personality ;)

[Tazio]

Say whatever you want to say about him .He is a fast driver,very wide rear end when ho wants it! but just as importanatly, he is a rather clever fellow.

[Garry Walker]

We are here to judge him as a driver not to judge his personality ;)
:D I think we both know it doesn't work like that. But then again, I find Schumi a totally dull and boring person outside the racetrack as well.

[jas123f1]

Sure, Alonso was the best man today (he won) - with help of his driving and his team strategy and of course little bit luck, but anyway I will remember today's race due to Perez - what an incredible race.

[BDunnell]

:D I think we both know it doesn't work like that. But then again, I find Schumi a totally dull and boring person outside the racetrack as well.

I'm sure he is, but without knowing him personally I would suggest it's rather hard to come to such a view based purely on media appearances.

Anyway, that was a quite brilliant drive from Alonso today — one of the best I've ever seen. And credit also must go to the Ferrari team for their incredible pit stops. How anyone can consider this an incompetent outfit after such a display of pit work I can't understand.

[Priorat]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?

[The Black Knight]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?

I saw it in testing in Barcelona and it looked Awful and completely unplanted compared to the McLaren's and RBR's. I have no doubt the only reason that car won today is because of the driver dragging every ounce of performance from it.

[N. Jones]

You're simply the best ! :up: :D

He's always been amazing but I'd still give driver of the day to Perez.

[The Black Knight]

There's no doubt in my mind after his performances over the last three years in Ferrari that Alonso walks clearly with the greats. He's up there with Ayrton, Schuey and Prost in my opinion. He has conceived me more in the last three years than he did over his championship winning seasons.

Perez still gets driver of the race though.

[Priorat]

Winter testing means nothing. He obviously did a very good job and is one of the best out there, but when the race was dry today, Alonso still set good times so this car is not that bad. Wake up, nobody wins in a bad car these days.

[jens]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?

Well, it is true that the conditions suited the car for whatever reason. Already in winter testing it was said that F2012 has a narrow performance window, which means that sometimes it can be really fast. But not consistently.

[N4D13]

Winter testing means nothing. He obviously did a very good job and is one of the best out there, but when the race was dry today, Alonso still set good times so this car is not that bad. Wake up, nobody wins in a bad car these days.
Did Alonso really set fast times on slicks? I could have sworn Pérez was cutting down on his lead at about a full second per lap - it didn't seem to me that Alonso was what you could have called mightily fast on the dry.

[pino]

.... How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?

Domenicali said that to ital tv Rai Uno just after the race ;)

[donKey jote]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?
Once again it seems when Alonso does badly, you are nowhere to be seen, and when he does he and his fans are donkeys.
The car was unexpectedly good in certain conditions today, albeit only in Alonso's hands.
In fact, Priorat, the only fault I could find in Alonso today was that he is Spanish and he has publicly said he supports Real Madrid. ;) :p

[Zico]

Great race by Fernando today, when I saw it was going to rain I was expecting a few upsets but I certainly wasn't expecting that.. yes, he was quite fortunate that the conditions and circumstances played into his hands but he really grabbed hold of the opportunity and made the most of it.. great job.

[odykas]

Alonso is the most complete driver in F1.
Today he drove a brilliant race without making a single mistake.
The team was also there to assist him: strategy, pitstops and ... public relations :p :

[Big Ben]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?

Your are spot on ;) . It's nothing but a scam. They actually faked some bad testing and qualies because they knew the car was so good they would win anyway... so why not put on some little show for the average fan. You know how it is these days... it's all about the show. I even heard they put cement in Alonso's tires in testing so they could be sure he doesn´t blow all the records by mistake.

[odykas]

he has publicly said he supports Real Madrid. ;) :p

That's a serious fault though :( :p :

[donKey jote]

I know :mad:

[DexDexter]

Alonso drove a fantastic race. The only negative thing about it is that Domenicali gets to keep his job a while longer.

[steveaki13]

That's a serious fault though :( :p :

Should he not get some kind of grid penalty in China for this???? ;)

[Priorat]

Once again it seems when Alonso does badly, you are nowhere to be seen, and when he does he and his fans are donkeys.
The car was unexpectedly good in certain conditions today, albeit only in Alonso's hands.
In fact, Priorat, the only fault I could find in Alonso today was that he is Spanish and he has publicly said he supports Real Madrid. ;) :p

Thank you for remind me why did stop to post any coment about Alonso

[F1boat]

Alonso does well Priorat, he is not a deity, but his car right now is far from the best. He is a clever man and knows how to win as an underdog against the might efforts of McLaren in 2005, Ferrari in 2006 and Red Bull in 2010 (he almost won in that year). He had troubles only when he faced internal struggle from Dennis and Hamilton in 2007 (I believe that not everything was fair in the team in that year, even if only psychologically).

[Mia 01]

I´m not his biggest fan, but I admit that he is one of the best drivers in F1.

Other teams who write off Ferrari as a threat to WDC is foulish. If Ferraris B-spec car is any good Fernando will be up there and competing for the WDC.

[Garry Walker]

Once again it seems that when Alonso wins, all the merit goes to the driver, and when he doesn't win is because the car is crap. How are all of you so sure that this car is not good?
Yeah, that seems to be the case. Not that he isn't a fanstastic driver, but if you have a 1 second per lap slower can, no one can win, no one.

[CNR]

Fernando Alonso Receives His Own Ferrari FF (http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/03/29/fernando-alonso-receives-his-own-ferrari-ff/)

The two-time world champion was also gifted a brand-spanking new Ferrari FF (http://www.gtspirit.com/tag/ferrari-ff) as a reward for his success this weekend. The FF has a 6.3 liter V12 engine making 651hp at 8,000rpm with a maximum torque of 504lb-ft at 6,000rpm with 368lb-ft available from 1,000rpm.

i wonder what sort of payment sauber f1 got

[P3ws]

Yeah, that seems to be the case. Not that he isn't a fanstastic driver, but if you have a 1 second per lap slower can, no one can win, no one.

Nah, The Ferrari must be 1.6 sec slower per lap since FA extracts .6 of a sec more a than any driver, from any car, any day, any time and in any weather. :D

[Knock-on]

Fernando Alonso Receives His Own Ferrari FF (http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/03/29/fernando-alonso-receives-his-own-ferrari-ff/)


i wonder what sort of payment sauber f1 got

Plenty of nice shiney new engines next year ;)

[F1boat]

Great, he deserves it!

[airshifter]

I remember the day when Alonso was considered one of the wet weather aces. These days several are very good and probably just as skilled in the wet. But Alonso put up a fantastic drive in the changing conditions. I do wish Perez hadn't had his small off so he could have caught up to apply some pressure. Even with the ground he was making up it would have been really hard to get past Alonso.

As for the car though, I have to agree with the others that say the Ferrari can't be all that bad. Plenty of on board shots (including fast qually laps) have shown that quite a few of the cars this year are much more twitchy and less stable than cars from past years. And even Alonso can't make a pig of a car win a race.

[kfzmeister]

The fact that some of you are scratching your heads and speculating about how good the F2012 is, is testament to how good Zo really is!!!
He better hope to collect some decent points and a better/ revised car for Spain, otherwise it's over for Ferrari in 2012. Did i hear that China might be a wet-race?? :D
If China is a dry weekend, unfortunately we'll really see how bad the Ferrari is and at the same time how good the Lotus/ Kimi really is. I predict a Kimi podium (and fastest lap!) :D

He is the best in the world.

[pino]

Second best.

Second to who?

[Bagwan]

Second to who?

Jacques .

[EuroTroll]

Jacques .

You know, for a moment there I thought you were serious, Bagwan. :laugh:

[pino]

The best of course.

And who's that ? :rolleyes: :p :

[Mark]

Damon Hill

[EuroTroll]

Damon Hill

You know, for a moment there I thought you were serious, Mark. :p :

[pino]

No more beers for you today henners :p :

[steveaki13]

Alonso truely is one of the greats.

Every time he appears to be losing his edge or drifting along without desire, he pops up with a mind blowing drive.

[kfzmeister]

Alonso truely is one of the greats.

Every time he appears to be losing his edge or drifting along without desire, he pops up with a mind blowing drive.

Give the man a god-damned car to drive!!!

[CavallinoRampante]

This circuit isn't good for Ferrari, they loose too much in the straights, but they do seem to have made the car a bit better, more consistent, at least.
tomorrow in the race it will be better, especially with full tanks. Ferrari made the mistake of using up all their soft tyres by Q3 , so Alonso had to run with used softs. That cost him .8 s.
Had he been able to keep his cool in Q1 like Vettel did, and stayed in the 14th place, he'd have had a fresh set of tyres, and since he got 35.9 s in Q2, he could have gotten the same or 35.8 with the rubbered in track in Q3... The car with Alonso is worth between 5-7 on the grid. It isn't THAT bad, considering the car gets better in the race.
Overall Alonso's best lap was .3 s slower than Hamilton's best lap. I say that shows the car has improved.
The quali is much tighter with lots of cars in a few tenths... The race is another matter .... I expect a strong race tomorrow from him, and actually hope it doesn't rain. I don't like lotteries.

If you look at the times in Q2, Ferrari is the car that gained the most from using softs, 1 full second difference between hard tires and soft tires...They still have problems warming up tires... that explains why they are more competitive with a full load and why they are ****e at the end with light loads.

That also explains why with slightly wet tracks and intermediates they are so strong. The other cars overheat the intermediate tires on a drying track much faster than Ferrari.

[Dave B]

Second best.

Would you say I'm the best priest, Mrs Doyle?

D'you know what, Father, I think you might be the second best priest.

[Tazio]

Tied with Seb for the most wdc points, not a particularly great race, Maldonado seemed to be on or just over FA's pace, and was never really challenged by Fred. Ferrari is at the bottom of a group in total elapsed times (being fast) with Lotus, Mercedes, Sauber, Red Bull McLaren and Williams. FA has it in first Massa has punched his own ticket with this result, even if the car is a dog.

Hail Caesar Teodosio II
http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20061029elpepudep_3/XLCO/Ies/Fernando_Alonso_recibe_calor_Oviedo.jpg

[A FONDO]

the most consistent driver in all races so far has a well-deserved lead in the overalls :cool:

what a "cup"

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/550962_372338782825318_317116895014174_1064789_203 4221248_n.jpg

[pino]

Leading the championship with such a car...says all about his skills. Yes once again amazing Alonso :up:

[F1boat]

Yes, he is amazing... I hope that he wins the WDC...

[steveaki13]

I think now, Alonso is a leading contender for the championship.

If the whole season is like the early races it will need a driver to stand out and be consistant determined and skillfull.

Alonso is one of the very best and he has the ability to stand out from the miriad of winners this season

[Tazio]

Of course Alonso is an amazing driver, but Ferrari will have to continue to improve the car, and more so than the competition. I don't think he can win the championship with its current relative competitiveness to the other front runners.

[N. Jones]

Yes, he is amazing... I hope that he wins the WDC...

I have this sneaky feeling that Alonso is going to win the championship because he will be the most consistent out of the chaos.

Just a feeling.... no other facts to back it up...

[aryan]

Never been a fan of his, but hats off to Alonso. I have huge respect for what he is doing in that Ferrari. He is a top racer.

[Hawkmoon]

I'm ecstatic at Alonso's position in the championship, what Ferrari fan wouldn't be? I'd be reluctant to trade him for any other driver on the grid, Vettel and Hamilton included but I think his position in the WDC is, at least in part, due to the strange way this championship has started. Six different winners from six races is, to state the obvious, very unusual and has meant that nobody has scored big points in multiple rounds. Alonso's consistency has allowed him take the lead in the championship but in a normal season he probably wouldn't be close. The car simply isn't up to it at the moment and although he has driven brilliantly times he can't rely on five or six other drivers sharing the wins all season long. Unless the F2012 gets quicker I fear that Alonso won't feature in the title race come season end.

[F1boat]

I think that Ferrari is much improved since the first race and it is getting better and better.

[Firstgear]

I'm ecstatic at Alonso's position in the championship, what Ferrari fan wouldn't be? I'd be reluctant to trade him for any other driver on the grid, Vettel and Hamilton included but I think his position in the WDC is, at least in part, due to the strange way this championship has started. Six different winners from six races is, to state the obvious, very unusual and has meant that nobody has scored big points in multiple rounds. Alonso's consistency has allowed him take the lead in the championship but in a normal season he probably wouldn't be close. The car simply isn't up to it at the moment and although he has driven brilliantly times he can't rely on five or six other drivers sharing the wins all season long. Unless the F2012 gets quicker I fear that Alonso won't feature in the title race come season end.
I agree. If yesterday's race was close to the end of season with Alonso & Vettel tied for points, RBR would have found a way to get Vettel ahead of Webber. But for now, the teams are letting the faster driver of the day take maximum points, whether he's high or low in the standings, so Alonso's consistency is really helping keep him up there. I expect this to change later in the season when favorites emerge. Alonso & Rosberg might be given consideration already, given the points gap to their teammates, but the other top teams will have to wait a while yet, before making the step to back one driver over the other, if they want a chance at the WDC. Once the teams make this descision, Alonso's consistency probably will no longer be enough, unless his car gets significantly better.

[kfzmeister]

On most occasions, the stars have all lined up for a guy to win the championship. The only "star" that needs to slot in is a better car (especially qualifying). The man can't put a foot wrong.
I really don't expect it to happen this year, but i'll be damned. Please, Formula one Gods, let Ferrari figure out the car details!!!

[jens]

Ferrari has certainly improved. We don't know, how will the tyres influence future races, but if Ferrari can be consistently as good as they have been in the last two races (podium material), then Alonso is certainly a contender. In fact, it would demand a rival team (RBR/McLaren) to find consistency very quickly by themselves, because consistently podiuming Alonso will be hard to match.

[Garry Walker]

Leading the championship with such a car...says all about his skills. Yes once again amazing Alonso :up:

Well, he has been quite great, but let's be honest, Ferrari has been much better than many expected and at malaysia was at least the 2nd best car. It has not been an awful car at all.

[Hawkmoon]

Well, he has been quite great, but let's be honest, Ferrari has been much better than many expected and at malaysia was at least the 2nd best car. It has not been an awful car at all.

The car isn't awful but neither is it great. There have been times this year when the Ferrari was probably the fifth best car behind McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus. At other times, as you say, it's been closer to the front. I think it's this very fact, the inconsistency of teams from race to race, that has allowed Alonso to get to to top of the table. As soon as one team finds a way to perform at every race the championship will settle down. If that team isn't Ferrari then I don't think Alonso will be able to overcome his car's shortcomings.

[airshifter]

Well done at Monaco for Fernando.

Though I still maintain the Ferrari isn't at crap as some make it to be. With Monaco being considered a "drivers track" Felipe finished only 12 seconds behind him. Based on the "6/10ths" claims he should have cleared much more than that.

The above in no way, shape, or form intended to be a knock on Alonso, simply my point of view on the car.

He better keep at it though, as the Red Bulls are right there waiting for a bad race out of Fred.

[Zico]

Well done at Monaco for Fernando.

Though I still maintain the Ferrari isn't at crap as some make it to be. With Monaco being considered a "drivers track" Felipe finished only 12 seconds behind him. Based on the "6/10ths" claims he should have cleared much more than that.

The above in no way, shape, or form intended to be a knock on Alonso, simply my point of view on the car.


I dont think the 12 seconds was a true representaion, Mark was just controlling the pace at the front and bunching everyone up.

The Pirelli's have everything to do with what we have seen this year.. I was paying close attention to Red Bull monitoring Marks slip angles ensuring he kept within the parameters and it made me realise just how much the drivers must have to hold back and pace themselves. It seems F1 is no longer about the quickest drivers/fastest cars, for me the tipping point or equilibrium between pace and endurance has moved too far in the wrong direction.

It seems that this years WDC winner will not necesarilly have had the quickest car he will just have managed his tyres very well, had good race savy ie; known when to push and when not to, had the best race strategist.. all that combined with a bit of luck and at the moment it looks as though Fernando has more of these attributes than the rest of the field.

Fernando you are an amazing driver.. keep it up!

[N4D13]

Though I still maintain the Ferrari isn't at crap as some make it to be. With Monaco being considered a "drivers track" Felipe finished only 12 seconds behind him. Based on the "6/10ths" claims he should have cleared much more than that.
A quick point - the six tenths claims were about how much Fernando's input could improve a car. It doesn't mean that he would be six tenths faster than anyone else.

Not that I have the smallest intention of bringing that argument alive, anyway...

[kfzmeister]

A quick point - the six tenths claims were about how much Fernando's input could improve a car. It doesn't mean that he would be six tenths faster than anyone else.

Not that I have the smallest intention of bringing that argument alive, anyway...

Can you think of someone else that can seriously extract 6/10ths out of the F2012. Keep in mind that the car doesn't need much more for him to put it on pole!

[Big Ben]

A quick point - the six tenths claims were about how much Fernando's input could improve a car. It doesn't mean that he would be six tenths faster than anyone else.

Not that I have the smallest intention of bringing that argument alive, anyway...

Don't bother. He knows how it was it's just that it didn't serve his purpose remembering it right.

[SGWilko]

both sides of the fence.

Why is it never a wall? ;)

[pino]

From 11th row to top podium...nuff said :D

[donKey jote]

hehe I was looking for this thread too :up:

http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif

[donKey jote]

Great drive by Fred :)
Lots of luck involved but kept out of trouble and was able to capitalize. Great to see.
the only luck was Vettel, udderwise :up: ;)

[Ranger]

His greatest ever win, surely?

[donKey jote]

must be up there with his best :)

[pino]

If not the greatest ... one of the greatest for sure :eek: :up:

[N4D13]

This is obviously Alonso's best weekend ever. Not only did he score two goals against France last night, but he's also won the European GP today. He clearly is the most complete driver on the grid.

[Garry Walker]

I don't think this was a particulary awesome victory, he has had much better ones. Today he seemed to be in the right place at the right time. His crew did wonderful pitstops which got him out in front of Kimi and Hamilton, he overtook Grosjean and that was it pretty much.
Very good drive, but nothing special IMO.

[christophulus]

Hasn't been one of my favourite drivers, but the guy is just pure class. He's dragging that Ferrari around far quicker than anyone else could, great drive today.

[donKey jote]

A McLaren jack failure helped him jump Lewis remember, so there was another significant element of luck in his positioning. I'm not taking anything away from him, he deserved the win :)
Yes, but I also remember seeing Ham go backwards towards the end, without the jack :)

[donKey jote]

He clearly is the most complete driver on the grid.
So sayeth also Nicki Lauda on RTL just a few seconds ago :D

[steveaki13]

Great drive by Fernando once again showed him composure, talent and general class and becomes first driver to win 2 races.

[donKey jote]

Hmmm thats abit below the belt. I congratulate your driver, you put mine down. Thanks.

eh? :confused:

[donKey jote]

Perhaps I took this wrong? Apologies if I did.
I assumed you were talking about him being caught and crashed into.

no, sorry if it came across like that. I meant his tyres going and being passed by kimi, => Alo would have taken him anyway. All good :)

[pino]

I don't think this was a particulary awesome victory, he has had much better ones. Today he seemed to be in the right place at the right time. His crew did wonderful pitstops which got him out in front of Kimi and Hamilton, he overtook Grosjean and that was it pretty much.
Very good drive, but nothing special IMO.

You are joking Garry...aren't you ? :s

He started on 11th row made loads of great passes, and for you was nothing special ? :crazy:

[Garry Walker]

You are joking Garry...aren't you ? :s

He started on 11th row made loads of great passes, and for you was nothing special ? :crazy:

I am quite serious.
Alonso had a great start, was helped by Hamilton holding up everyone, got past Kimi and Hamilton due to faster pitstops (as usual, Ferrari is the best team in that regard). and then Bieber retired. So yes, somehow the win came to him. He has had much more impressive drives.
He didn't really overtake that many people. Only hulkenberg and then Grosjean after SC left the track (I am not counting passing those people on different strategies, who were much slower than him).

[Dave B]

Even if Alonso had "only" converted his terrible qualifying to a podium it would still have been an impressive drive. Maybe one could argue that Vettel and Grosjean's retirements were lucky, but that doesn't take away from his performance today - and believe me that's painful for me to say!

[A FONDO]

Amazing Alonso! Finally the drive we've been used to watch! Tremendous pushing, pressurizing the oppponents and overtaking at this tricky track! Finally he and his engineer realized 1 less pit stop strategy is not the way!

[donKey jote]

Amazing Alonso! [...] tricky track!

Spanish tricky-tracka ;) :erm: :arrows: :andrea: :p

[52Paddy]

I can see where Garry is coming from actually. It was a solid drive, there's no doubt about that. But I just didn't find it breathtakingly impressive. If I was to say it was one of his best, then it's purely because of, on paper, he moved from 11th to 1st (and count in situations with SV and RG, the fact it was a home race and the fact that Spain won some football thing recently). The strategy was solid. His tyre management was solid. He controlled the race solidly and made a couple of passes on track. Personally, I found Grosjean more exciting to watch and much more 'racey' but, either way, a well deserved win after a trying race.

[jens]

I can see where Garry is coming from actually. It was a solid drive, there's no doubt about that. But I just didn't find it breathtakingly impressive.

I think it was pretty impressive. What comes to my mind is the moment, when Schumacher was leading a long train of cars. Alonso carved through the tight pack pretty quickly and efficiently, while others got stuck and some eventually crashed (Senna & Kobayashi). Also overtaking Grosjean after the safety car restart. Surely in Alonso's race in general there was some element of luck in play, but those moments I mentioned made his performance pretty special in my view.

[52Paddy]

I think it was pretty impressive. What comes to my mind is the moment, when Schumacher was leading a long train of cars. Alonso carved through the tight pack pretty quickly and efficiently, while others got stuck and some eventually crashed (Senna & Kobayashi). Also overtaking Grosjean after the safety car restart. Surely in Alonso's race in general there was some element of luck in play, but those moments I mentioned made his performance pretty special in my view.

Yes, impressive. But I guess it's a case of, I wouldn't have expected anything less from Alonso after Vettel was out of contention. But that is not to take away from an otherwise very good, solid drive.

[aryan]

Great drive by Alonso. What a win that was.

I am no fan of his, but he clearly is the most complete driver in F1. Might not be the fastest, might not be the flashiest, but he is the complete package. Well done.

[odykas]

hehe I was looking for this thread too :up:

http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif

That smilie goes to Frau Ilker, no? :p :

Btw, some great racing by Alonso (not just driving) ;)

[A FONDO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WusawkWX8E

[N4D13]

By the way, Alonso is just four races shy of tying Schumacher's record of most consecutive points finishes (24). Alonso's Valencia win was the 20th consecutive time he finished a race in the points.

Heidfeld's record of 41 consecutive finishes looks pretty far away, though... :p

[jens]

The last time Alonso retired from a race due to reliability issues was Malaysia 2010! So he is already having schumacheresque reliability, when we are trying to recall the German's Ferrari days. People may criticize Ferrari's (lack of) pace, especially in the early part of the season, but other aspects of the team/car are absolutely top-notch and this enables Alonso to shine.

Also it is important that F2012 is a consistently good car. By this I mean that since Barcelona Alonso has been in contention for podium in every single race [2nd in Spain, 3rd in Monaco, would have been 2nd in Canada without strategy miscalculation, and now a win (without attrition would still have been 2nd or 3rd)]. This shows that even if Ferrari lacks ultimate pace for winning/domination, they have a pretty efficient car without a significant weakness. Which you can't say about McLaren for instance, which tends to eat tyres in hot conditions.

[yodasarmpit]

I'm a big fan now, after he took the time to stop in front of me for a photo shoot :)

So glad Valencia 2012 was my debut GP.

http://www.brettdunsmore.co.uk/pics/alonso.jpg

[odykas]

The last time Alonso retired from a race due to reliability issues was Malaysia 2010!

The advantage of that donkey Ferrari. It can be slow sometimes but it's reliable as hell :p :

@yodasarmpit: Great photo :)

[Robinho]

no doubt it was a great win, and 11th to win is a fantastic result, but there was an huge element of fortune involved, the safety car brought Vettel and Grosjean back to him, Hamilton had his pit stop cock up which released Alonso and then Grosjean and Vettel not only lost their advantages, but also had mechanical failures. Alonso did a great job to be in the position to capitalise on others misfortune and made some great passes, but I'm not sure it was his best drive, maybe the most satisfying for him, but not his best.

MS went 12th to 3rd, Webber from the back to 4th and yet we're not dancing around for them, mostly because they also profited from retirements, safety car and the right tyres at the right time.

In terms of winning when Vettel and Hamilton failed to score, it was a magnificient win for him though ;)

[Roamy]

Just one of the great races. Marvelous

[zako85]

"Fernando Alonso has said that, while he has had better races from a racing point of view, few came close to matching the emotion of Sunday's European Grand Prix."


Alonso: Nothing compares to this | Page 1 | F1 News | Jun 2012 | Crash.Net (http://www.crash.net/f1/news/181187/1/alonso_nothing_compares_to_this.html)

[kfzmeister]

I think it was pretty impressive. What comes to my mind is the moment, when Schumacher was leading a long train of cars. Alonso carved through the tight pack pretty quickly and efficiently, while others got stuck and some eventually crashed (Senna & Kobayashi). Also overtaking Grosjean after the safety car restart. Surely in Alonso's race in general there was some element of luck in play, but those moments I mentioned made his performance pretty special in my view.

This!
Monster of a race for Alonso. The opposition better worry what he'll do if the car continues to get better.
Maybe RB and Lotus will tell Renault to build a watercooled alternator, like everyone else is using :)

[GravettFan99]

By the way, Alonso is just four races shy of tying Schumacher's record of most consecutive points finishes (24). Alonso's Valencia win was the 20th consecutive time he finished a race in the points.

Heidfeld's record of 41 consecutive finishes looks pretty far away, though... :p

I would love for him to take down another long-time standing Schumacher record, after all, he's my favorite driver! :) (Only because of Massa's recent flop in form, however. :( )

[A FONDO]

Amazing Alonso once again :champion:

[jens]

While I'm supporting Alonso's rivals more in the title fight, performances of the Spaniard should be really hurting. Then again I don't know any more, perhaps these flawless performances should be enjoyed instead. I have to say that while I was supporting Ferrari/Schumacher in late 90's, now I am finally starting to understand, how did the fans of Schumi's rivals feel at that time...

If Alonso wins his third WDC in 2012, then based on the season so far he fully deserves it and I couldn't say any negative word about it. Even any negative feeling would feel somewhat unjustified.

[Tazio]

This story ran a couple of days ago, and have to believe their is something to his statements about his health, and condition:


Fernando Alonso believes he is driving and training better than he ever has done previously in Formula 1.

The Spaniard, currently leading the 2012 world championship by 15 points, reckons his driving has improved as a result of experience and the lessons learned from past mistakes.

In addition, he says his physical condition is better than it ever has been, and that he is no longer experiencing the leg and shoulder pain he has suffered in silence in recent years.
"I think this year is my best condition in my career," he told reporters at Hockenheim. "You are a better driver every year because you improve from mistakes; you always learn constantly in Formula 1.
"Physically it's also my best season so far because in previous years, you didn't know, but all the leg and the shoulders



Fernando Alonso 'in best shape of his Formula 1 career' - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101278)

[donKey jote]

http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif

[pino]

Another great performance by Fernando :up:

[steveaki13]

This guy gets better. He drove all race keeping himself just ahead and didn't run wide like Seb, didn't lock wheels like Jenson.

He just didn't give them a sniff.


Brilliant. The 2012 Champion in waiting.

[F1boat]

A great drive, Alonso for me is by far the best driver this year. He is simply awesome.

[ArrowsFA1]

We knew Alonso was good but this season, competing against other world champions in competitive cars, he is showing that he's a cut above the rest.

[N4D13]

I know that it's too early to say this and that I'm going to sound like a rabid Alonso fan, but here it goes. Alonso is probably pulling off one of the best seasons a driver has ever. He's being supremely fast and he's practically doing no mistakes. Vettel did something like that last year, but he had a massive car advantage - meanwhile, Alonso has been performing excellently with a car which has hardly been the fastest - although it was much closer at the last races, of course. We still have half a season to go, but I don't think many drivers in history have managed to pull off such excellent performances so consistently.

[edv]

This guy gets better. He drove all race keeping himself just ahead and didn't run wide like Seb, didn't lock wheels like Jenson.

He just didn't give them a sniff.


Brilliant. The 2012 Champion in waiting.

^^This.
Gotta give props, even if you're not a fan.
Supreme and sublime.

[markabilly]

At first, I thought it was some lucky breaks......

but now it seems Fred has been sneaking up the WDC ladder......and now it looks like he might be sneaking off with it and gone!!! :burnout:


Ole donKey getting so excited about the Vettel pass on Button, he must be peeing his spanish kilts

[markabilly]

No Henners, not the car---rumor has it that donKey been sneaking special pirelli tires to fred...

One thing for sure,


http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif

donKey's old lady is getting better lookin than what I remember

wonder why she don't shake for me........

[gloomyDAY]

Stop winning! I can't believe I wasted my entire morning to see Eyebrowman win another race. :p

[Tazio]

Stop winning! I can't believe I wasted my entire morning to see Eyebrowman win another race. :p Deal with it! ;) :wave:

[kfzmeister]

And all you ferries disrespectfully referring to him as Fred will know his real name again by November. Buahahaha.... :rotflmao:

[Roamy]

I just hope he gets his just rewards - a WDC

[mstillhere]

While I'm supporting Alonso's rivals more in the title fight, performances of the Spaniard should be really hurting. Then again I don't know any more, perhaps these flawless performances should be enjoyed instead. I have to say that while I was supporting Ferrari/Schumacher in late 90's, now I am finally starting to understand, how did the fans of Schumi's rivals feel at that time...

If Alonso wins his third WDC in 2012, then based on the season so far he fully deserves it and I couldn't say any negative word about it. Even any negative feeling would feel somewhat unjustified.

It should be said that not all Ferrari fans support their drivers also. They only support the Ferrrari team. I, for one, I only support the team, although MS is not your usual driver.

[mstillhere]

And let's forget he is not driving the best car on the track.

[mstillhere]

We knew Alonso was good but this season, competing against other world champions in competitive cars, he is showing that he's a cut above the rest.

And let's forget he is not driving the best car on the track.

[F1boat]

Yes, Ferrari develop their car nicely and I think that maybe their decision to go radical with their new car was the correct one. The new Ferrari obviously can and is developed rapidly, while the old one was consistent, but remained firmly behind Red Bull and McLaren. However, I think that yesterday McLaren had the fastest car, so the victory of Alonso is still very impressive. I hope that Ferrari can develop better than McLaren in the remaining series. Alonso, I think, never enjoyed dominant car and I think that he deserves it.

[The Black Knight]

Well, Alonso just continues to impress me more and more. What a drive again yesterday. Drive of the race by a mile. Didn't bottle under pressure from either Button or Vettel. A truly great driver from a truly great driver.

It is official, I now regard Alonso as one of the all time greats. He didn't impress me for a while, especially during his McLaren stint, but he has come back true to form and shown that he is just world class time and time again. I think he still needs to win this championship to cement the fact that he is a true all-time great but the way he has driven the last two years is just phenomenal. I'm a Hamilton fan but so far, with the way he has driven, Alonso deserves this years championship and I hope he gets it.

[airshifter]

Alonso remains brilliant race after race while all others in contention for the WDC seem to struggle with consistency. It looks like he is creeping up on another WDC, and with his performances this year I'd think it would be hard to find anyone thinking he isn't earning it.

[Tazio]

And all you ferries disrespectfully referring to him as Fred will know his real name again by November. Buahahaha.... :rotflmao:

I might consider that a personal insult if you had any clue how to spell :dozey: :rotflmao:
Saaaanap FTW

[wedge]

Yes, Ferrari develop their car nicely and I think that maybe their decision to go radical with their new car was the correct one. The new Ferrari obviously can and is developed rapidly, while the old one was consistent, but remained firmly behind Red Bull and McLaren. However, I think that yesterday McLaren had the fastest car, so the victory of Alonso is still very impressive. I hope that Ferrari can develop better than McLaren in the remaining series. Alonso, I think, never enjoyed dominant car and I think that he deserves it.

I don't know. Certainly the tyres and the banning of EBDs has equalised the field.

Gary Anderson made an interesting point: "you learn a lot more from a bad car than a good one, and they have had to do some serious work to bring it to where it is now."

Ferrari have been methodically improving their car over the year, McLaren have dropped the ball in development for Valencia & Silverstone but its swings and roundabouts.

Ferrari & Alonso have averaged out as the all round package. McLarens Achilles heel rain/mixed conditions, not to mention countless pit errors; RBR have had their moments with optimising/updating their car and both their drivers are taking points off each other which has helped Alonso and Hamilton.

[Tazio]

I don't know. Certainly the tyres and the banning of EBDs has equalised the field.

Gary Anderson made an interesting point: "you learn a lot more from a bad car than a good one, and they have had to do some serious work to bring it to where it is now."

Ferrari have been methodically improving their car over the year, McLaren have dropped the ball in development for Valencia & Silverstone but its swings and roundabouts.

Ferrari & Alonso have averaged out as the all round package. McLarens Achilles heel rain/mixed conditions, not to mention countless pit errors; RBR have had their moments with optimising/updating their car and both their drivers are taking points off each other which has helped Alonso and Hamilton. It's too bad that Ioan doesn't post on this forum anymore, but then again maybe it's not. He loved to bash Ferrari's strategy, and overall execution of a top flight F1 operation from a technical and mechanical aspect. I guess when he left butt hurt he took the Muppets with him, because Ferrari has hardly put a foot wrong this entire season and seem to be extremely reliable without any KERS, engine, gearbox, or almost any mechanical issues, AFAIK :wave:

[steveaki13]

Poor Ioan, St.D, Tamb and many other lost friends. Memories

[kfzmeister]

I think arguably he is driving the best car on the track at this point in the season. .

Nonsense! McLaren, Red Bull and Lotus are faster cars. Everybody says it. You're just watching the magic of Alonso unravel in front of your eyes!!! :D

[Tazio]

Nonsense! McLaren, Red Bull and Lotus are faster cars. Everybody says it. You're just watching the magic of Alonso unravel in front of your eyes!!! :D Good you and I agree on something :dozey: Fred.. I mean Fernando Alonso Díaz has a habit of being very subjective when talking about his team, his driving, and his car. I would go as far as to say that he is painfully honest in this arena. Although he is having a great season, and his driving is practically flawless, as he said after the German GP, and contrary to what some members on the forum are contending, the F2012 is not as fast as the RB8, the MP4-27 or possibly even the RS27 in ultimate pace. I guess it depends on your definition of "fastest car". What Ferrari does have is a car that is head and shoulders above the rest of the field in reliability of all systems, plus it seems to be fairly well suited to
a variety of temperature windows in regard to its use of tires. Vettel had KERS issues from the halfway point of the race in Germany yet still maintained a menacing pace, and inexplicably (to me) a McLaren was told to conserve fuel yet again. This has become a theme with them, and it is a dodgy strategy IMO. Webber was just sloppy and had a bad race. I seriously doubt that Ferrari could have won the last two races without the good fortune of having taken the pole in inclement weather conditions. IMO the
F2012 is still about .15 down on the RB and .05-.1 behind McLaren in ultimate pace in dry conditions on a circuit like Hockenheim, and if The Boss would have put his rig where Button put his, I think he would have been hard to beat in Germany. It's hard to tell where McLaren really are because they haven't had much dry running since their latest developments, but my guess is they have a slight edge on Ferrari in ultimate pace. Having said all that perhaps Ferrari will bring upgrades that truly do bring them level with RB, and McLaren. If so that is bad news for the rest of the field because this guy Fred....He is a rather clever fellow, and Pat Frye impresses me as someone I wouldn't want to be in a high stakes poker match with because he is a real cool shark, and the hire (or should I say steal) of the decade for Ferrari. With a low profile he is the straw that stirs the drink. JMHO

[Garry Walker]

. However, I think that yesterday McLaren had the fastest car.

LOL!!! Yeah, sure.

[kfzmeister]

Well, Alonso just continues to impress me more and more. What a drive again yesterday. Drive of the race by a mile. Didn't bottle under pressure from either Button or Vettel. A truly great driver from a truly great driver.


"Lo so che non e facile, ma cercate di stare tranquilli. Qui e tutto a posto."

Alonso to Andrea when told that Vettel and Button are approaching fast on lap 62!

:D

[kfzmeister]

The Boss would have put his rig where Button put his, I think he would have been hard to beat in Germany.

Who's The Boss? Ali G.?

And about you and i agreeing on something. I really don't keep score :(

[Tazio]

And about you and i agreeing on something. I really don't keep score :(

If not you wouldn't have mentioned anything about it! :laugh:

[ArrowsFA1]

Alonso's Ferrari race engineer says Spaniard stands among best in F1 history - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101489)

[wedge]

However, I think that yesterday McLaren had the fastest car


LOL!!! Yeah, sure.

Had Hamilton not pick up a puncture and sustain car damage it may well have been true.

[Robinho]

Whilst I'm pretty sure Alonso is driving amazingly at the moment, its very difficult to judge "how" good he is doing. Certainly in the early part of the season the car was a dog, at least in qually, but tended to improve in races, and Alonso got every bit out of it, but;

Is the Ferrari now the best (or equal to the best) and therefore Alonso is "only" doing what should be possible?
Is Massa's woeful showing Massa being poor and therefore making Alonso look incredible or is Alonso being incedible and making Massa look poor?

I'm inclined to think that Alonso is in the form of his life, but I think Massa's form is making him seem even better, and the other teams efforts to trip themselves up at every hurdle is helping - none of Alonso's victories have been particularly dominant, but he is the consistent factor (even in the early season) with different adversaries each time.

It is, however, very difficult to argue against him being the driver of the season so far, and equally hard to assert that the Ferrari is not now the car to beat

[pino]

No doubt that amazing Alonso is amazing :p : but I believe all this is a combination of his great talent and the big improvement of whole Ferrari Team starting from the many useless Italian pizza bakers (as ioan describes them) in the Team...well done Ferrari :up:

[Tazio]

No doubt that amazing Alonso is amazing :p : but I believe all this is a combination of his great talent and the big improvement of whole Ferrari Team starting from the many useless Italian pizza bakers (as ioan describes them) in the Team...well done Ferrari :up: :up: Snap :D

[Big Ben]

I would say that at the moment Alonso and Ferrari are the best combo out there... geeez.. I'm a freakin' genius, right? :laugh: ... How much is due to the driver and how much is the car, who can tell? If that car is not the best it's not too far either. Only Schumi can win in a Minardi. All the others need a really fast, reliable car.

If you look back at Alonso's titles you can hardly say he won them in a dominant car. He spent most of those winning seasons in a defending position grabbing every point possible. And this year he's doing just that... making the most of it, exactly what a top driver is expected to do.... so yeah... best combo as I've said. Those who don't like the driver can praise the car and those who love the driver and don't care for the team can hype Alonso...

[odykas]

. Only Schumi can win in a Minardi


Sure he can... if he's allowed to cheat! http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_1641.gif

[F1boat]

Sure he can... if he's allowed to cheat! http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_1641.gif

cucumber!

[donKey jote]

If you look back at Alonso's titles you can hardly say he won them in a dominant car. He spent most of those winning seasons in a defending position grabbing every point possible.
I disagree... Renault/Michelin were the dominant car. He spent most of those seasons in a defensive position as Fiarrari didn't like the situation and kept "clarifying" the tyres, the masss-dampers, etc to try and stop Schumi from retiring ;) :laugh: :andrea:

[Tazio]

I disagree... Renault/Michelin were the dominant car. He spent most of those seasons in a defensive position as Fiarrari didn't like the situation and kept "clarifying" the tyres, the masss-dampers, etc to try and stop Schumi from retiring Except 2005 there really wasn't a red pubic hair between the performance of McLaren, and Renault. In fact McLaren developed the faster car, however their achilles heel was the pizza delivery boys posing as Mechanic at Mercedes, and McLaren, leaving Montoya with busted up rigs and Kimi with engines ablaze. :p : :s tareup:

Edit: Maybe you can tell me why Rafa pulled out of the Olympics because his nebulous excuse is lame, and I suspect his autism has got him on the verge of a nervous breakdown, ;) not a great 24 hours for Spain. First The USA put a severe beat down on the Gasol Bro's in Barcelona, and I won't mention the match with Japan because I know your boyz only play hard enough to
get out of group :bandit: "We will always have Paris and Scuderia Alonso" :s tareup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-E2H1ChJM

[kfzmeister]

Alonso now 40 points clear of second man in the standings Webber. :eek:

[F1boat]

This isn't as much as it sounds...

[N4D13]

Alonso is in a much better position than we'd think. When he's good, it's because he's good, but when he's bad, it's because the car is a dog. :P

[kfzmeister]

This isn't as much as it sounds...

It sure is when you're the best at maximizing points every race. :)

[F1boat]

Yes, but the car is still not good enough. I hope that you are right, however, I'd be very happy if he wins his 3rd championship.

[jens]

Alonso is in a much better position than we'd think. When he's good, it's because he's good, but when he's bad, it's because the car is a dog. :P

Well, it helps if you beat your team-mate on every single occasion. Then nobody can blame you for having an off-day. :)

[tfp]

Whilst I'm pretty sure Alonso is driving amazingly at the moment, its very difficult to judge "how" good he is doing. Certainly in the early part of the season the car was a dog, at least in qually, but tended to improve in races, and Alonso got every bit out of it, but;

Is the Ferrari now the best (or equal to the best) and therefore Alonso is "only" doing what should be possible?
Is Massa's woeful showing Massa being poor and therefore making Alonso look incredible or is Alonso being incedible and making Massa look poor?

I'm inclined to think that Alonso is in the form of his life, but I think Massa's form is making him seem even better, and the other teams efforts to trip themselves up at every hurdle is helping - none of Alonso's victories have been particularly dominant, but he is the consistent factor (even in the early season) with different adversaries each time.

It is, however, very difficult to argue against him being the driver of the season so far, and equally hard to assert that the Ferrari is not now the car to beat

I agree word for word. Its difficult to gauge how well he is doing, but its plain to see his team mate is struggling a lot. this makes Alonso look good, and when he wins, he has won in a car thats a dog(apparently...), and when he has managed a top ten finish, hes maximised the cars performance(?). I am sure the Ferrari isnt nearly as bad as what many believe, what Fred is doing IMO isnt out of the reach of the rest of the front running drivers competing today.

[Hawkmoon]

This isn't as much as it sounds...

I agree. The Ferrari was considerably slower than the Lotus, McLaren and Red Bull in Hungary and probably not much quicker than the Williams. The only reason Alonso increased his championship lead is because McLaren and Red Bull had brain farts in regards to the strategies of Button and Webber respectively. Without that Alonso finishes 7th and Webber cuts his points lead.

Ferrari are going to need to improve the F2012 quite a bit if Alonso is to take the title. Sure he has a 40 point lead but there are 225 points on offer. The only thing in Alonso's favour at the moment is that nobody else has consistently been able to score big points. Sooner or later Red Bull and McLaren are going to make a call on which driver they want to back for the title and if the Ferrari isn't on par then Alonso will be a sitting duck, not matter how well he is driving.

[Tazio]

Alonso is in a much better position than we'd think. When he's good, it's because he's good, but when he's bad, it's because the car is a dog. :P

[quote="Jens"]Well, it helps if you beat your team-mate on every single occasion. Then nobody can blame you for having an off-day. ]
When was the last time Fred had a bad race or a truly off day? Hasn't he scored points in something like 23 straights races :confused: ;) :beer:

[F1boat]

I agree. The Ferrari was considerably slower than the Lotus, McLaren and Red Bull in Hungary and probably not much quicker than the Williams. The only reason Alonso increased his championship lead is because McLaren and Red Bull had brain farts in regards to the strategies of Button and Webber respectively. Without that Alonso finishes 7th and Webber cuts his points lead.

Ferrari are going to need to improve the F2012 quite a bit if Alonso is to take the title. Sure he has a 40 point lead but there are 225 points on offer. The only thing in Alonso's favour at the moment is that nobody else has consistently been able to score big points. Sooner or later Red Bull and McLaren are going to make a call on which driver they want to back for the title and if the Ferrari isn't on par then Alonso will be a sitting duck, not matter how well he is driving.

The good things is that the car can be improved, I thing. Maybe they haven't explored its full potential yet. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

[N4D13]

Well, that's it for Alonso's record of most consecutive races finished in the points. He managed to do 23, which is just one race shy of Schumacher's streak - 24.

[donKey jote]

^dislike :p

[pino]

Another amazing performance ! :up:

[Mark]

Yes, but it looks like it's too late to beat Red Bull unless they have something special planned - or Vettel has some bad luck.

[pino]

Well lets hope for lady Fortuna then ;)

[The Black Knight]

If anyone deserves this years title it is Alonso. He's being made look better than he is by an incredibly poor team mate but he has been, without doubt, the best driver in F1 this year.

[steveaki13]

If anyone deserves this years title it is Alonso. He's being made look better than he is by an incredibly poor team mate but he has been, without doubt, the best driver in F1 this year.

I agree.

I think it would be sad to think that his performance this year may be forgotten if he doesn't win it and instead it will be remembered with Sebs dominance late in the season.

I think Fernando this year has driven one of the best seasons anyone could in that car against two reaally strong teams. Its the sort of driving that will be remembered by us avid fans for a long time to come, but may be forgotten in the wider history of F1. If he doesn't win it.

[The Black Knight]

I agree.

I think it would be sad to think that his performance this year may be forgotten if he doesn't win it and instead it will be remembered with Sebs dominance late in the season.

I think Fernando this year has driven one of the best seasons anyone could in that car against two reaally strong teams. Its the sort of driving that will be remembered by us avid fans for a long time to come, but may be forgotten in the wider history of F1. If he doesn't win it.

Maybe, though people still remember Schumacher's great drives in 98 and 97. In fact, I read an article, think it was posted here somewhere, of an Indian fan whom was speaking about it, even though he wasn't a regular F1 follower himself. History will tell the story but the fans will remember. I guess that's the way with all sports :)

[steveaki13]

I just wish Hamilton had had better luck and Red Bull hadn't found DDRS. I could have seen this title fight being a 3 way scrap into the last round. Which would have seen it as maybe the most epic season finale ever.

I know thats a lot of ifs, but it could have happened. Maybe next season.

[Tazio]

I think 2012 will be remembered as a season where the best package prevailed. The F2012? :confused: OK, I'll agree with that.

[kfzmeister]

If anyone deserves this years title it is Alonso. He's being made look better than he is by an incredibly poor team mate but he has been, without doubt, the best driver in F1 this year.

Lol, it must pain you to admit he's the best. You might as well say "He looks a lot better than he really is by consistently lapping Nahrain Karthikeyan in an incredibly slow HRT. ;)

[The Black Knight]

Lol, it must pain you to admit he's the best. You might as well say "He looks a lot better than he really is by consistently lapping Nahrain Karthikeyan in an incredibly slow HRT. ;)

It doesn't pain me in the slightest. I used to be a big fan of Alonso back in 2005 and 2006 until he acted like a little b*tch at McLaren. He has redeemed himself now though and really proven his worth. I appreciate and respect all great drivers and over the last two years, ever since the Silverstone GP in 2010 really, Alonso has proven what a great driver he is in every single race and I have no problem admitting how good he is. Massa is very poor though and he is making Alonso look like Superman, which is not far from the truth to be fair, and I really feel it is a bad decision by Ferrari to keep Massa on for an extra year.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Well there's no doubt that Alonso has been driving brilliantly this year, but he still isn't a very good team player. When he came up with all the 'I have to fight Newey' claptrap last week, it made me cringe. True as it may be, it is problematic for two reasons:

a) It shows the lack of respect for his opponents. Saying 'he won because his car is better' makes you look like a sore loser. Sure Vettel didn't really put in spectacular drives, but he didn't have to. If the roles were reversed and Alonso would have the dominant car, he would've employed the same 'only as fast a neccessary' method, especially with those comedy tires.
b) Praising the opposition's designer publically also implies 'ours is ****'. Not very team player-ish. He should discuss those things with the team behind closed doors.

[N4D13]

Well there's no doubt that Alonso has been driving brilliantly this year, but he still isn't a very good team player. When he came up with all the 'I have to fight Newey' claptrap last week, it made me cringe. True as it may be, it is problematic for two reasons:

a) It shows the lack of respect for his opponents. Saying 'he won because his car is better' makes you look like a sore loser. Sure Vettel didn't really put in spectacular drives, but he didn't have to. If the roles were reversed and Alonso would have the dominant car, he would've employed the same 'only as fast a neccessary' method, especially with those comedy tires.
b) Praising the opposition's designer publically also implies 'ours is ****'. Not very team player-ish. He should discuss those things with the team behind closed doors.
Well, it's not like that was his most brilliant quote, but it's OK for me. You can't expect everyone to talk PR all the time - and Alonso has a habit of speaking his mind. After driving the way he's done during this season, I think he has earned the right to say what he thinks - and even if it wasn't the nicest thing to say, he might have a point or two there. I don't think Ferrari will be really upset by this, since they are the first ones to admit that their car isn't as good as they'd need.

[The Black Knight]

Well there's no doubt that Alonso has been driving brilliantly this year, but he still isn't a very good team player. When he came up with all the 'I have to fight Newey' claptrap last week, it made me cringe. True as it may be, it is problematic for two reasons:

a) It shows the lack of respect for his opponents. Saying 'he won because his car is better' makes you look like a sore loser. Sure Vettel didn't really put in spectacular drives, but he didn't have to. If the roles were reversed and Alonso would have the dominant car, he would've employed the same 'only as fast a neccessary' method, especially with those comedy tires.
b) Praising the opposition's designer publically also implies 'ours is ****'. Not very team player-ish. He should discuss those things with the team behind closed doors.

I don't see the issue with what he said, it is pretty accurate to the truth and Ferrari openly admit their car isn't up to the others level. Alonso believes himself to be the best, and you need to have that self belief to drive like he has this year. And more importantly, not alone does he believe he is the best, but along with Hamilton he actually is the best.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I don't see the issue with what he said, it is pretty accurate to the truth and Ferrari openly admit their car isn't up to the others level. Alonso believes himself to be the best, and you need to have that self belief to drive like he has this year. And more importantly, not alone does he believe he is the best, but along with Hamilton he actually is the best.

As a driver, he's undeniably the best, but being a best driver does not yet make a champion. He doesn't really build the team as he needs, the way Schumacher did. The harshest thing you'd hear back in the day was: "We aren't where we want to be" or "We need to work on reliability". Everything else would have been said behind closed doors. I doubt Alonso stays with the team until late in the evening, talking to the engineers and mechanics. That was Schumachers usual MO. When he wore scarlet, the team was HIS. That's were Alonso needs to put in more work. Being the #1 driver doesn't end with "Felippe, Fernando is faster than you." or with having a say in the selection of team mate.

[The Black Knight]

As a driver, he's undeniably the best, but being a best driver does not yet make a champion. He doesn't really build the team as he needs, the way Schumacher did. The harshest thing you'd hear back in the day was: "We aren't where we want to be" or "We need to work on reliability". Everything else would have been said behind closed doors. I doubt Alonso stays with the team until late in the evening, talking to the engineers and mechanics. That was Schumachers usual MO. When he wore scarlet, the team was HIS. That's were Alonso needs to put in more work. Being the #1 driver doesn't end with "Felippe, Fernando is faster than you." or with having a say in the selection of team mate.

Opposed to Austria 2002 which was far worse than Germany 2010?

Just because Schumacher had his success in a certain way doesn't mean that Alonso has to be a carbon copy of him. Each driver is unique and different. I remember Schumacher being very vocal back in the day condemning Good Year tire's in 1998. Alonso isn't criticizing his Engineers, he is simply saying we aren't where we want to be. Ferrari agree. I fail to see what your problem is with this?

And what if Schumacher didn't say say X, Y Z? Alonso is not Schumacher. He is speaking the truth and as long as Ferrari don't have an issue with this then there is no reason for him to stop.

You are incorrect about the team not being Alonso's. The team is very much his and this is very clear for all to see. In fact, Alonso has made Ferrari his far quicker than Schumacher did.

How do you know whether Alonso stays late into the night with his Engineers or not? In his first career Schumacher used to prepare for a race by going to his hotel room and being alone for the entire night to prepare for the race and make sure he was fully focused. He would stay behind with his Engineers if this was needed. Drivers will do what is optimal for them and the optimal for Alonso might not be what was optimal for Schumacher because they are not the same person.

Many roads lead to Rome.

[Tazio]

As a driver, he's undeniably the best, but being a best driver does not yet make a champion. He doesn't really build the team as he needs, the way Schumacher did. The harshest thing you'd hear back in the day was: "We aren't where we want to be" or "We need to work on reliability". Everything else would have been said behind closed doors. I doubt Alonso stays with the team until late in the evening, talking to the engineers and mechanics. That was Schumachers usual MO. When he wore scarlet, the team was HIS. That's were Alonso needs to put in more work. Being the #1 driver doesn't end with "Felippe, Fernando is faster than you." or with having a say in the selection of team mate. Oh this is rich, priceless indeed. Alonso is a tireless worker, has learned Italian so that his team’s technicians (and fans for that matter) have a better personal relationship, and has been able to have the team try to mold a car around him without the extra thousands of mile Mike got for in-season practice. His technical input is every bit as good as Mike's who refused to learn Italian even after being there as long as he was. Not requisite but a plus, and not that difficult for an extremely intelligent individual. Don't get me wrong, I had an inflated opinion of Mike during his tenure at the Scuderia, I didn’t know it was inflated until the mist cleared away. He was, and is one of the best drivers in F1 history. He however is nowhere near as clever as Alonso, and I dare say (without a completely fair way to compare them) that Fred is a much more malleable talent, and could drive flat out for three stints with refueling and tire changes, as brilliantly as MS, yet has had to, and has succeeded at playing the long game as F1 is with today’s tire and fuel regs. Nice try with the Massa bit, who always had an incredible amount of raw speed, probably as much or more than FA, but unlike with Brawn and co. Alonso prooved it on the track race after race. Schumacher had it said behind closed doors, and played coy about. Once again a great driver that I greatly admired, but definitely not a significant cut above Alonso, in fact it is probably slightly the other way around, but these kinds of comparisons are hardly to the point

[N4D13]

A quick few points:

- Schumacher spent four years in Ferrari before winning his first championship with them.
- In Schumacher's era, Ferrari had the engineering dream team. These days, it's Red Bull who do.

That said, I still agree with The Black Knight. Neither are Alonso and Schumacher the same, nor is Ferrari the same team that it was ten or fifteen years ago. What used to work then might not be as useful today or might even be a hinderance.

Edit: Giacomo, Alonso knew Italian even before driving in Formula 1, so that point is moot. He used to race in Italy in lower categories, and that's how he got to know the language. Remember is argument with Massa after winning in the Nürburgring in 2007?

[dj_bytedisaster]

A quick few points:

- Schumacher spent four years in Ferrari before winning his first championship with them.
- In Schumacher's era, Ferrari had the engineering dream team. These days, it's Red Bull who do.


That's true, but you have to keep in mind where they came from. Ferrari in early 1996 was the laughing stock of F1 with their biblically bad pit stops and engines that blew up on the formation lap. And, while not 100% sure, Schumacher had a fair shot on making it in 1999, considering that Ferrari's #2 was in contention until the last race.

The fact that Ferrari had the engineering dream team to begin with is in no small part due to the influence of Schumacher. It was him, who urged them to hire Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne. This is what I meant with 'building the team around him'.
I agree with the doctor that Alonso has a few more restrictions that Schumacher had not back in the day, namely unlimited testing.

About Schumacher's very public criticism of Goodyear - well, that's not the same as criticizing the team, is it? Goodyear was a supplier, who didn't get the job done. The '98 Ferrari was a brilliant piece of machinery, but got beaten the cr*p out of by teams on Bridgestones.
I doubt that the designer feel overly motivatedm when they are criticized publically. No doubt, is he right and even though the team agrees with him, it is still better, not to say it out loud. If a football team loses the game, because the goalie had a bad day - why don't players say 'Our goalie didn't do a good job today'? Simple - he knows it himself, he doesn't need to get it rubbed in publically. That's a discussion to be had in the changing room or on the training ground.

[Tazio]

A quick few points:

- Schumacher spent four years in Ferrari before winning his first championship with them.
- In Schumacher's era, Ferrari had the engineering dream team. These days, it's Red Bull who do.

That said, I still agree with The Black Knight. Neither are Alonso and Schumacher the same, nor is Ferrari the same team that it was ten or fifteen years ago. What used to work then might not be as useful today or might even be a hinderance.

Edit: Giacomo, Alonso knew Italian even before driving in Formula 1, so that point is moot. He used to race in Italy in lower categories, and that's how he got to know the language. Remember is argument with Massa after winning in the Nürburgring in 2007?I dont think it is a moot point, because it still helped Alonso's comunication with Ferrari. And it distanced Mike from some members of the Ferrari team, arguably.

[dj_bytedisaster]

In the Schumacher era Ferrari was predominantly english speaking. And Michael does speak Italian, too. Most likely not nearly as good as Fernando, though.

[Tazio]

Not nearly as well as Alonso, not even enough to carry on a protracted converstion, and in the engine department the predominat principal components were Italians.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I don't think the driver is too much involved in engine development (except for drivability issues). The main points of interaction are race engineer, chief mechanic, designer, etc. And they were all english speakers at the time.

[Tazio]

He drove for an Italian team in an Italy, He had thousands of hours working on engine maps and modes, It would have been advantages to have a clear understanding of that language. I followed Ferrari very closely during Mike's tenure, young fella ;)

[dj_bytedisaster]

Which is why you have a Ligier avatar, dottore ;) Just kidding. Of course he could have been closer to some people if he had spoken better Italian and probably the fans would have warmed up to him a dman sight faster, too. But on the other hand Ferrari became the dominant force because it had some of its 'Italian-ness' removed.
That's not meant to be insulting. Pre-Schumacher Ferrari was more mlike dolce vita, in the Hayday of the Schumacher era it was more like Vorsprung durch Technik.

Today they have a good mixture between those two, I think.

[Malbec]

The fact that Ferrari had the engineering dream team to begin with is in no small part due to the influence of Schumacher. It was him, who urged them to hire Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne. This is what I meant with 'building the team around him'.

Thats a case of the tail wagging the dog I'm afraid.

Ferrari knew for more than a decade where its weaknesses were before they recruited Schumi, Brawn or Byrne. Essentially they wanted to plug into the pool of talent and expertise developing in Britain that extends down the engineering ladder, shared by the British based teams.

They tried unsuccesfully twice with Barnard from the late 80s, investing in two very expensive design offices in the UK while the engine continued to be developed in Italy. Finally LdM made the move to invest only in Maranello and bringing the best of British to Italy rather than establishing an Italian outpost in Britain.

Bringing Schumacher to Ferrari was only one part, as you say bringing Brawn/Byrne and many other unnamed junior British engineers to Italy was another.

While the Schumacher Myth relies heavily on him convincing Ferrari to bring Brawn/Byrne with him in reality the decision to build up this cadre of top expertise was made even before he was signed up.

As for Schumacher vs Alonso I think the gap is extremely small between the two (talking about the German in his heyday of course), so much so that the difference is negligible. Both are/were extremely complete drivers and about the best of their era. Alonso is definitely the most complete driver of today.

[dj_bytedisaster]

As for Schumacher vs Alonso I think the gap is extremely small between the two (talking about the German in his heyday of course), so much so that the difference is negligible. Both are/were extremely complete drivers and about the best of their era. Alonso is definitely the most complete driver of today.

That's true. And I think that's what makes the difference between Hamilton and Alonso. And it might well be the reason behind Hamiltons switch to Merc. Hamilton is 'property' of the team - they call the shots and keep the trophies, while Alonso is an integral part of the team. I wouldn't be surprised if some of Massa's downturn is also attributable to the fact that the Ferrari is bespoke for Alonso's driving style. At leas it was like that in the Schumacher days. Schmacher wanted a tailhappy car, so he got an oversized kart. I remember Eddie Irvine being quite miffed sometimes, because he didn't like the oversteery nature of the car.

[Tazio]

Which is why you have a Ligier avatar, dottore ;) Just kidding. Of course he could have been closer to some people if he had spoken better Italian and probably the fans would have warmed up to him a dman sight faster, too. But on the other hand Ferrari became the dominant force because it had some of its 'Italian-ness' removed.
That's not meant to be insulting. Pre-Schumacher Ferrari was more mlike dolce vita, in the Hayday of the Schumacher era it was more like Vorsprung durch Technik.

Today they have a good mixture between those two, I think.Thank you for the sensible comments. It certainly is not insulting to me because I'm an American. I don't speak Spanish or Italian, and my nom de guerre is a reference to a character in a Nathanial Hawthorne short story, an area of expertise, as I specialized in "The American Romantics” while pursuing my English Lit degree. The avatar is for luck because my usual one of galaxy M2 has let me down.

[Malbec]

That's true. And I think that's what makes the difference between Hamilton and Alonso. And it might well be the reason behind Hamiltons switch to Merc. Hamilton is 'property' of the team - they call the shots and keep the trophies, while Alonso is an integral part of the team.

Hamilton is 'property' of the team because thats how McLaren runs things. The same was true of Alonso when he drove for them, the fact that the team keeps the trophies is standard McLaren practice and has been from long before Lewis ever came along.

I wouldn't confuse the fact that Alonso seems happy with Ferrari for him being an integral part of the team. Ferrari is notoriously brutal and forced Schumacher's exit in 2006, when Alonso ceases to be useful for them the same will happen again.


I wouldn't be surprised if some of Massa's downturn is also attributable to the fact that the Ferrari is bespoke for Alonso's driving style. At leas it was like that in the Schumacher days. Schmacher wanted a tailhappy car, so he got an oversized kart. I remember Eddie Irvine being quite miffed sometimes, because he didn't like the oversteery nature of the car.

Alonso's Ferrari is bespoke for Alonso. Massa's Ferrari is bespoke for Massa. The press like to claim that a car is designed around a particular driver but setup windows are pretty wide and a car can be set up to an individual driver's preference quite easily. I think Massa's downturn is due to his lack of confidence with the tyres.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Hamilton is 'property' of the team because thats how McLaren runs things. The same was true of Alonso when he drove for them, the fact that the team keeps the trophies is standard McLaren practice and has been from long before Lewis ever came along.

I know. That's why I said that I think his switch to Merc despite their lackluster performance is in no small part to get out of that envirnment.


I wouldn't confuse the fact that Alonso seems happy with Ferrari for him being an integral part of the team. Ferrari is notoriously brutal and forced Schumacher's exit in 2006, when Alonso ceases to be useful for them the same will happen again.

I don't think they forced him out. In fact they would have kept him, but Schumacher knew that would mean the departure of Massa. He could've been ruthless enough to do that, but - at least that's his own version he put forward in German TV - he saw no good reason for an almost 38 year old to push a young driver out of the team.


Alonso's Ferrari is bespoke for Alonso. Massa's Ferrari is bespoke for Massa. The press like to claim that a car is designed around a particular driver but setup windows are pretty wide and a car can be set up to an individual driver's preference quite easily. I think Massa's downturn is due to his lack of confidence with the tyres.

I don't know if that changed since the 90's, but I remember seeing a Brawn interview in 1997, in which he said that the basic design of the car (wheelbase being one of the things mentioned) was geared more towards Michaels preference. Yes, they could counterbalance a lot with the setup to make it more palatable for Irvine, but it meant that for Michael it was easier to find a good setup, because the car's nature preferred his driving style to begin with, while Eddie had to dial out the oversteer first, so his setup was always a compromise.

[Donney]

According to the Spanish media, and probably this is biased, Alonso is a hard worker and stays long hours working with the engineers.

About the languages I admire anyone who learns a foreign language and is able to communicate like Alonso does, but if we are honest it is way easier for a Spaniard to learn proper Italian than it is for a German speaker.

[Malbec]

I don't think they forced him out. In fact they would have kept him, but Schumacher knew that would mean the departure of Massa. He could've been ruthless enough to do that, but - at least that's his own version he put forward in German TV - he saw no good reason for an almost 38 year old to push a young driver out of the team.

Interesting view. I thought the commonly held account was that LdM gave him an ultimatum, jump or be pushed aside for Kimi who would be treated as the future Ferrari no. 1. Michael could race alongside him or retire gracefully. That would explain his rather sudden decision to quit and his feelings since which were that F1 was still unfinished business.


I don't know if that changed since the 90's, but I remember seeing a Brawn interview in 1997, in which he said that the basic design of the car (wheelbase being one of the things mentioned) was geared more towards Michaels preference. Yes, they could counterbalance a lot with the setup to make it more palatable for Irvine, but it meant that for Michael it was easier to find a good setup, because the car's nature preferred his driving style to begin with, while Eddie had to dial out the oversteer first, so his setup was always a compromise.

I too heard that Ferrari went for longer wheelbases, not because it favours any particular driver but because it was helpful for increased aerodynamic efficiency. Conversely shorter wheelbases were more competitive for tight twisty tracks and I don't think it was a coincidence that Ferrari in its heyday was weaker at Monaco than other tracks. Incidentally longer wheelbases are more stable to drive too.

[Tazio]

According to the Spanish media, and probably this is biased, Alonso is a hard worker and stays long hours working with the engineers.

About the languages I admire anyone who learns a foreign language and is able to communicate like Alonso does, but if we are honest it is way easier for a Spaniard to learn proper Italian than it is for a German speaker.That might be true of linguists, but not for your average student. I understand That a lot of Mexicans make that mistake in JC's down here. Due to the Visgoths Spainish is much closer to latin than French, Portugae, and Italy, sentence construction is dis-similar between those language's

[kfzmeister]

I was always under the impression that Michael spoke fluent Italian. You guys sure you're not wrong about that?

[Garry Walker]

I was always under the impression that Michael spoke fluent Italian. You guys sure you're not wrong about that?
He doesn't

[kfzmeister]

He doesn't

But, he did in Disney's Cars. :laugh:

[donKey jote]

I was always under the impression that Michael spoke fluent Italian. You guys sure you're not wrong about that?

I also learned some Italian here in Germany, for example "Straßenpizza" :andrea:

[driveace]

An Italian friend of mine says that he has no problem with Spanish ,as that is where he lives now ,and there are lots of words that are very similar .So if that's the case why should Spanish Alonso struggle with Italian ? Much easier for a Spaniard,than for a German or a Brit !

[Tazio]

Prepositions

The list of prepositions, and their uses, is fairly similar in both languages. However:
Italian has both di and da, whereas Spanish only has de. Compare Il padre di Pietro with El padre de Pedro, and Il treno viene da Londra with El tren viene de Londres.
On the other hand, Spanish has both para and por, whereas Italian only has per. Compare Ti chiamo per sapere with Te llamo para saber, and Andiamo per strada with Andamos por la calle.
In some cases, where Italian uses 'di', Spanish does not need a preposition. Compare Spero di viaggiare with Espero viajar, Penso di poterlo fare with Pienso poderlo hacer and Ha deciso di sposarsi with Ha decidido casarse.
Similarly, there are cases where Spanish needs 'de' when Italian doesn't need a preposition. Compare sono sicuro che with estoy seguro de que.
There are other cases in which one language needs a preposition but the other does not. For example, compare siamo in cinque with somos cinco.
There are cases where each language requires a preposition, but not the same one. Examples: interessarsi di qualcosa/interesarse en algo, qualcosa da bere/algo para beber, penso a te/pienso en ti, per forza/a la fuerza.
Care must be taken with sentences beginning with 'I went to' or 'I live in'. In Italian we have Sono andato a Parigi, Sono andato in Francia, Vivo a Parigi, Vivo in Francia. In Spanish, we have Fui a París, Fui a Francia, Vivo en París, Vivo en Francia. (The Spanish system is similar to the English one.)
The Spanish sobre can mean either su (on) or sopra (above) depending on the context.
Spanish has the so-called 'personal a'. This means that, when a direct object is a person, the preposition 'a' has to be inserted. Compare Vedo Paulo with Veo a Pablo. Remember this only occurs with persons, so for example Leggo il libro becomes simply Leo el libro.
The 'personal a' causes some difficulties with object pronouns (see the next section).
Finally, in Italian there exist many expressions in which 'di' occurs before an infinitive, as in Penso di averlo fatto, Mi ha chiesto di venire, Dille di scrivermi. This construction can be used in Spanish only when the infinitive refers to the subject of the sentence. That is, one can say Pienso de haberlo hecho, but one would have to say Me pidió que viniera and Dile que me escriba.

Comparison of Italian and Spanish 6 (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/letchfoa/comparison/comparison6)

[pino]

Back to Alonso now thanks...

[F1boat]

Alonso was very good today, very quick and aggressive.

[fandango]

Alonso drove a great race today - but he lost. All that effort for just 3 (real) points must hurt, especially because it was due to Vettel driving so well.

[F1boat]

Poor Fernando, he was so close, but now it seems that he will lose the WDC after all. Although this season everything is possible.

[jens]

Alonso is fighting well and hard, particularly in races. But it looks like he needs one Vettel DNF from the last two races to pull off the title.

[F1boat]

By the way, I am very happy that these two will fight for the crown. The two double champions battling for their 3rd success which will put them up there with the legends. This is awesome.

[steveaki13]

I think this season we have seen who the 4 top drivers are in the World/F1.

Seb showed it today with his comeback, Lewis has shown it as he was in the title hunt with both Singapore & here looking like certain wins to add 50 points to his tally. Raikkonen showed today he still has it and all season he has kept his Lotus in the title hunt (albeit a distant hunt)

Today Alonso also showed again why he is in that class.

He raced again from 6th to 2nd with no fuss and that last 10 laps chasing Kimi was brilliant to watch. Fasest lap after Fastest Lap and sliding the car with 100% committment. He pushed so hard today.

Seb has driven brilliantly over the last 5 races, but for me Alonso all season has been class. They are pretty much equal this seaon.

Two great Champions. Whoever wins it will deserve it.

[Tazio]

Poor Fernando, he was so close, but now it seems that he will lose the WDC after all. Although this season everything is possible.Liar :laugh: ;)

[RearSlip]

Fernando was possessed today!
Even after he got loose on the last lap or so, he still managed to pick up something like 4 tenths before the finish.

[The Black Knight]

Alonso again was amazing today. He was throwing the car around for all of the race. It was a joy to be on board with him throughout on Sky interactive as it was with Hamilton before he withdrew from the race and Seb as well was fantastic to go on board with when finally got his act together just before the half way point.

But again, Alonso shows why he is top drawer. His teammate flouncing around mid pack and spinning his car, making a balls of things as usual, and Alonso out drives the car as usual. What a driver.

[F1boat]

Liar :laugh: ;)

No, no, I am not. I really like Alonso and Ferrari. I also happen to like Seb Vettel, especially after every Lewis fan began to bash his achievements. I also like Kimi very much - yesterday I wanted him to win and not Vettel (or Alonso). For the championship I will be very happy for either Seb or Alonso. I also would have been happy for Kimi. The one top driver which I dislike is Lewis Hamilton, although I respect his talent as a driver.

[Tazio]

No, no, I am not. I really like Alonso and Ferrari. I also happen to like Seb Vettel, especially after every Lewis fan began to bash his achievements. I also like Kimi very much - yesterday I wanted him to win and not Vettel (or Alonso). For the championship I will be very happy for either Seb or Alonso. I also would have been happy for Kimi. The one top driver which I dislike is Lewis Hamilton, although I respect his talent as a driver.We go Waaaay back don’t we? I thought you would realize that I was just trying to be funny in a juvenile way. I know where pretty much everybody on this forum sympathies lie.

[Jag_Warrior]

I can't stand Fernando Alonso. When he was with Renault (and Minardi), I liked him. But his actions while at McLaren soured me on him forever. But with that said, this guy is (IMO) the best all-out racer in F1 at the moment. Whether the car is good or bad, he always manages to get the best out of it and then some. I don't like him but I have to respect his talent. It's very much like my feelings about Prost - another driver I really didn't like, but had huge respect for. And yesterday, Alonso put in another stellar drive.

[Javi_racing]

The most amazing thing of Fernando imo, is his ability for making not mistakes. I think it is meritorious, cause he forces his car to the limit, being so aggressive always, each lap each time he is on the limit, I can't understand how he doesn't make more mistakes

Don't you agree? :P

[Tazio]

Absolutely Tamburello!! ;)

[steveaki13]

I do agree.

He races so hard and yet so often he has cars all over his back and yet he makes so few mistakes and keeps a perfect line.

Generally the least mistake prone I would have to say although Kimi often falls into that catergory as well

[The Black Knight]

BBC Sport - Gary Anderson Column: Vettel gives Red Bull pause for thought (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20210164)

In this article Gary Anderson gives the reasons for what he believes to be the root of Ferrari's lack of qualifying pace vs it's good race pace. Very interesting article.

[Tazio]

Good read! :up:

[F1boat]

This article is very interesting, thanks!