What's up with Fred?

[Nem14]

Vettel says - "The speed was slow - maybe 150kph. Then he turned right into the wall. It looked strange."

Boullier says - ". . . the car wasn't particularly badly damaged . . ."

Then Alonso's manager says - "The crash was very hard,” he said. “We don’t have images but it was very hard . . . it was a serious impact."
“The car telemetry has stated that he was correcting from left to right. Fernando was hitting the brake and changing gears until the moment of impact.”

So how much slower than 150 kph does the telemetry say Fernando was going at impact?

McLaren has said - "(Alonso's) car ran wide at the entry to Turn 3 - which is a fast uphill right-hander - allowing it to run onto the Astroturf that lines the outside of the track."
A consequent loss of traction caused a degree of instability, spitting it back towards the inside of the circuit, where it regained traction and struck the wall side-on."

(Which also indicates the car likely slowed some amount before impact.)

"It was a significant lateral impact (how many g's is "significant"?), resulting in damage to the front upright and axle. After the initial impact, the car slid down the wall for about 15 seconds before coming to a halt.
All four wheels remained attached to the car,

but no damage was sustained by the bodywork or crash structure between the front and rear wheels.”

Is there an issue with the McLaren's cockpit surround?
Based on the information provided by McLaren and Alonso's manager, how is it Alonso's concussion is severe enough to warrant 3 nights in hospital.

Inquiring minds want to know, and what are we to think tomorrow if Alonso is not released from hospital?

[Tazio]

Fred is afraid to leave the hospital, because twelve gulz that have visited claim to be his McBabe, and he can't remember if it is any or all! :confused: :grenade: :spinhead:

[CNR]

http://www.speedcafe.com/2015/02/25/fernando-alonso-face-time-hospital/
"While the squad stated that their driver is making a “solid recovery”, Alonso’s manager says his driver stay in hospital is yet to be determined, which could see the 33-year-old miss the start of this week’s test.

“He will remain here the time that we need to be sure that everything is fine,” said Garcia Abad.

“The impact was quite hard and we want to be sure that everything is fine. I can’t say is it is one, two or three days more.
"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDfC6wGQrLA

[Bagwan]

So , Fred says he doesn't remember a thing about the whole affair .
That's not good .
"To be sure that everything is fine" indicates it it is all but "fine" .

A photographer is contradicting the "astroturf touch" , saying he was nowhere near as wide as Mac suggested .
He had him more in the middle of the track .

Normally , going wide indicates you have overcooked it , too fast to stay on .
But , Seb said he was slow , so that doesn't hold water .

So , look for another reason .
Believe Mac , saying no loss of aerodynamic pressure , and the wind is out the window as well .
No mechanical faults either , before the crash .

They stated that because he was steering , braking , and shifting gears before impact , he was conscious .
However , I read somewhere , a driver questioning why he would be trying to shift during the episode .

Seb said it was strange , with him steering straight into the wall .

After the impact , Mac heard a few garbled murmurs and then silence as he passed out .
He then had to be sedated before his helicopter ride .

Usually , if you are concussed lightly , they'll send you home at least the next day , especially with the kind of supervision that Fred could have .
So , in my mind , he's either showing some bad signs in his tests or mannerisms , enough to warrant more stay , or they are worried that his condition may have had something to do with the cause of the incident .


We know Fred is a good driver , and doesn't normally spear it into the wall .

He sure looked completely spaced in that "thumbs up" photo . I think I would have chosen to keep him in hospital if I had seen that photo .
Hell , I think I would have chosen to keep him in hospital just knowing that he chose to tweet that stunned photo in the first place .




I just hope he's ok .

[Doc Austin]

Thankfully he seems to be fine now: Alonso finally released from hospital (http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alonso-finally-released-from-hospital)

[kfzmeister]

It happens. Can we please stop with the conspiracy theories now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf0wz8ObcSo

[Triumph]

Gil De Ferran is suggesting that it was more serious if Alonso was kept in hospital for three days, so perhaps it was a more serious concussion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31627619

[AndyL]

Gary Hartstein, former F1 doctor, is on the conspiracy theory side as well; he says this on twitter:
Can’t speculate, but not a scintilla of doubt that at best we’ve been given the tiniest sliver of truth; at worst treated like we were fools

[Nem14]

Dr. Hartstein says what I feel in my gut about the statements McLaren has made.
McLaren is playing everyone for fools.

Today Ron Dennis said: "The G figures of the accident were significantly less in his helmet than they were in the car. Significantly less than half of the G figures in his accelerometers in his ears."

People get suspicious of a cover up/conspiracy when they try to apply logic, add up 1+2+3, and get 9 instead of 6.

[Mia 01]

He had some serious offs earlier years, this one could have carried him over the Cliff. We will see.

[N. Jones]

Alsono had a concussion. What's the problem here?

[anfield5]

Alsono had a concussion. What's the problem here?

I guess it shows that there is not much else happening, and nothing to really talk about.

[Robinho]

Concussions are nearly always different, from person to person and from event to event. You can get some nasty nausea and balance issues for weeks from the mildest of concussions, plus if you've suffered more than one the effects can be worse. A couple of days full recuperation is not much of a story at all

[CNR]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/26/fernando-alonso-miss-f1-opening-race-crash
"McLaren’s miseries continued here on Thursday when the team were unable to confirm that Fernando Alonso would take part in the opening Formula One race of the season, "

[Roamy]

Fred ain't driving that sh!tbox til they fix it - look for magnussen in Aussie

[AndyL]

Alsono had a concussion. What's the problem here?

According to Sky, Ron Dennis said yesterday that Alonso didn't have a concussion. When you hear all these contradictory statements it's hardly surprising that people think there's something more to this than we are being told.

[AndyL]

Here's the quote from James Allen's site:

“He’s not even concussed. The technical definition of a concussion is that you can see it in a scan. The possibility is that the change of direction happened so fast that actually it was like – it’s inappropriate to use the word – a whiplash of the brain. It didn’t actually touch anything. It didn’t bruise, it didn’t bleed.

“I’m not trying to conceal anything. I’m just telling you the facts: he is physically perfect. There is no concussion.”

[Tazio]

Fred ain't driving that sh!tbox til they fix it - look for magnussen in Aussie
Fred will drive in Oz dawg. Another solid week of recovery and he'll be all over it. McLaren will also be looking much better in two weeks!
Fred will drive in Oz!

[N4D13]

I honestly feel that this has been massively blown out of proportion. Journos and bloggers need something to write about and they're just grasping at about every straw they can here. So yeah, the guy spent three nights at the hospital instead of the usual one or two and doctors advised him not to be driving anytime soon, as we know that having two concussions in a row can have terrible effects. And on top of that, consider how extra cautious everyone is during testing, where you get red flags for every silly thing and the race drivers aren't always present. So what's the big deal with this?

[truefan72]

The one thing one can rely upon is the unnecessary secretive and covert nature of mclaren under ron dennis.
Instead of just coming out and letting folks know what is going on, he treats the information like it is a state secret.
There is no competitive advantage to be lost or gained by letting folks know how Alonso is doing and acknowledging well wisher and sympathy.
Instead, he has managed to alienate fans, journalists and anybody else interested in Fred's well being.

As to alonso himself, from all accounts, it was and odd accident with a significant impact 150kph or not.
As folks have said already concussions are an odd thing and vary in severity and lasting damage. He might have done more damage off the whiplash and recoil than the actual initial impact.
And it is a bit troubling that the effects seem to be ongoing to the point where his status for Australia is in doubt.
Hopefully he makes a full recovery.

[Tazio]

Fred will be full of piss, and vinegar in oz, that's a freakin' given! . probably from the 3rd ruw!

[BDunnell]

The one thing one can rely upon is the unnecessary secretive and cover tnature of mclaren under ron dennis.
Instead of just coming out and letting folks know what is going on, he treats the information like it is a state secret.
There is no competitive advantage to be lost or gained by letting folks know how Alonso is doing and acknowledging well wisher and sympathy.
Instead, he has managed to alienate fans, journalists and anybody else interested in Fred's well being.

About that Dennis, a man who outwardly displays many of the characteristics of a psychopath, doesn't care — you could bet your life on that.

[Bagwan]

It's being reported now that Nando aint gonna run in Oz .

Magnussen will sub in .

[Tazio]

Yep Alonso's out. :bigcry: Best not to risk a second concussion (so soon) in the McJalopy! :angel:

[jens]

It's being reported now that Nando aint gonna run in Oz .

Magnussen will sub in .

Wow, really?! So the accident was worse than I initially thought. We haven't had such a shunt for some time in winter testing now, so that somebody has to miss early race(s)... I can only remember JJ Lehto back in 1994.:D

On the bright side... if the McLaren-Honda is a dog, Alonso will save himself some frustration in driving that car. Like struggling in Ferrari in the last few years around P3 or P5 wasn't demoralizing enough. This year looks like could even be worse for him!

[AndyL]

Well I hope Alonso hits the ground running when he comes back in Malaysia. If Button starts beating him then the speculation about what's wrong with Fernando will go into overdrive.

[jens]

Well I hope Alonso hits the ground running when he comes back in Malaysia. If Button starts beating him then the speculation about what's wrong with Fernando will go into overdrive.

Reminds me 2010, when Massa came back after an injury. Or Räikkönen went to back-operation in late 2013 and wasn't the same in 2014...

There are always factors, which distract of a "good" team-mate comparison. Then again... in sports it is always so. Somebody can always argue he wasn't performing at his best. But that's the nature of the game. You can't always be in top form.

[Mark]

Here's the official announcement: http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/inside-the-mtc/fernando-alonso-a-medical-update/

Better safe than sorry. I know there's been a lot of development in Rugby about concussion protocol and that if you suffer it then it's a mandatory rest period, no arguments. Better that then risk further injury down the line.

[Nem14]

Yes. The medicos better understand concussion today.

But! The entire story still doesn't add up, and continues to reek like bovine excrement.

[Duncan]

However, Fernando’s doctors have recommended to him that, following the concussion he sustained in a testing accident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 22nd, for the time being he should seek to limit as far as is possible any environmental risk factors that could potentially result in his sustaining another concussion so soon after his previous one, so as to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome, as is normal medical procedure when treating athletes after concussions.

All of that makes complete sense. What doesn't make sense is why they couldn't figure that out until this morning. According to the statement, the decision is not based on any kind of new information.

[truefan72]

I really do hope that Alonso recovers full.
But from Vettel's description of the incident the whole thing is bizarre and almost as if Alonso had some sort of problem which led to him steering into the wall and subsequent impact.
Almost as if he had a physical problem within the cockpit, lost consciousness for a second or some other sort of neurological problem. Normally one would walk away from the incident and be ready to go a week later. But he genuinely seemed to struggle to find his balance and stay conscious after being helped out of the car and those are all troubling signs. Now with the latest news, it only confirms my suspicions that there may be more going on than meets the eye. The sport can ill afford to loose a major personality in this tough times.

[truefan72]

I really do hope that Alonso recovers full.
But from Vettel's description of the incident the whole thing is bizarre and almost as if Alonso had some sort of problem which led to him steering into the wall and subsequent impact.
Almost as if he had a physical problem within the cockpit, lost consciousness for a second or some other sort of neurological problem. Normally one would walk away from the incident and be ready to go a week later. But he genuinely seemed to struggle to find his balance and stay conscious after being helped out of the car and those are all troubling signs. Now with the latest news, it only confirms my suspicions that there may be more going on than meets the eye. The sport can ill afford to loose a major personality in this tough times.

[Silverbullet050]

How about this Alonso might have got Vertigo?

[Doc Austin]

F1: Alonso pulls out of Australian GP (http://www.racer.com/f1/item/113985-alonso-pulls-out-of-australian-gp)If the tests are true to form, both McLarens will probably blow up early on, so if Fred has to miss a race this isn't the worst he could have done.

Still, sad to see him have this kind of trouble. I read nelson Piquet suffered from disorientation, confusion and lack of balance for most of his 87 champiohnship year following a concussion at Imola. He could have probably very easily had another really nasty accident, so it's not going to hurt for Alonso to be cautious with this.

[longisland]

As a fan, I wish Fred a proper recovery before coming back. Consider the opener a DNS or DNF. It's a given the car will retire during a race judging from the tests. The only consolation is K Mag gets a second chance like Grosjean albeit only 1 race. It's the career defining for him & he needs to show how hungry he is.

[N. Jones]

Now that we know he is concussed can we give that side of the story a rest?

Get Well, Fernando.

[Tazio]

It appears that Fred has already been cleared for Malaysia:


Fernando’s doctors acknowledge that he feels fit and well, and that he regards himself as ready to race, and, that being the case, they are comfortable with the fact that he has already recommenced physical training, with a view to preparing for a return to the cockpit of his McLaren-Honda car for the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting on March 27th, 28th and 29th. Indeed, his doctors are supportive of that ambition, satisfied as they are that he sustained no damage whatsoever during his testing accident on February 22nd.
The Anglo Mafia has your back.....dawg! :smokin:

[steveaki13]

Still all seems a bit strange.

Makes you wonder about drivers of the past. I mean if Fernando is recommended to miss Australia after all that time, think about drivers in the past who have had massive shunts in Quali or Race part 1 and got straight back in the car.

They either were majorly at risk or today the Doc's are too cautious

[Tazio]

Alonso, they surmised, had been hit by a thunderbolt of electricity that had escaped the car, looped the loop, and landed on his nose. I think I even read a report blaming the Mafia
https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/on-the-subject-of-alonso/
:wave: :angel:

[zako85]

Now that I have heard the news that Fernando will not be able to race in Australia, not only I feel worried about his well being, but I also feel worried about safety of F1 racing in general. Last year it was Bianchi, and then Fernando also had a significant crash. Did F1 get too complacent?

[journeyman racer]

The year I intend to go at least one of the days, Alonso won't be there. Bummer!

[Bagwan]

There are so many theories on what happened that it is pretty hard to sort them all out .
Vettel said "strange" , and Button said "strange" , and just about every other living F1 driver has given an opinion .

Retrograde amnesia , but absolutely nothing wrong , physically or neurologically is the word from the docs , so to sit out is normal , for a little longer apparently .

But , "strange" comments have lead some to question whether the amnesia was a result of the crash , or a cause , as Fernando cannot remember the moments before the impact at all .

What I'm lead to wonder is whether the regular G forces experienced in an F1 car could result in what might be described as tiny concussions .
And , could these accumulate and result in a more fragile overall condition , in regards to further concussion ?

The F1 cockpit is a violent place , where braking , or even just lifting crunches you into your belts .
It's a place where the speed of a corner multiplies the weight of the head , often to the point where the driver can no long hold it up , himself , even with necks that make the head look small , even with the helmet on .

The brain is inside there .
I guess what I'm wondering , is if a driver can get a bit "punch drunk" from regular racing circumstances , without any serious meetings with walls or other hard objects .

I remember a few years ago , when drivers were testing in the States at Texas motor speedway , and were blacking out , doing 4Gs for a sustained period .
They called NASA and were informed that jet pilots were wearing G suits for working anything over 2.5Gs .

F1 , albeit for less duration , gets over that in braking , about a zillion times every race .
Does it add up ?

[Tazio]

Still all seems a bit strange.

Makes you wonder about drivers of the past. I mean if Fernando is recommended to miss Australia after all that time, think about drivers in the past who have had massive shunts in Quali or Race part 1 and got straight back in the car.

They either were majorly at risk or today the Doc's are too cautious

They were majorly at risk, and in this instance Fred's Dr's are only too cautious if he didn't bump his head again in Australia.
An interesting bit from ESPN:

the fact it was Alonso in Spain may have heightened the level of caution and intrigue - a McLaren spokesperson initially told the media they would not name the hospital because "half of Spain would be outside". But the prevailing reason for the caution afforded to the Spaniard is much easier to understand.
The McLaren statement, which made it clear Alonso is otherwise perfectly healthy, said doctors want to eliminate the risk of a condition known as Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). In the press conference he gave in Barcelona, Ron Dennis frequently mentioned rugby union when talking about Alonso's road to recovery. Last January SIS claimed the life of rugby player Ben Robinson, a 14-year-old from Northern Ireland who collapsed and died after being repeatedly sent back onto the field after being treated for three separate blows to the head.
SIS can occur when a first concussion has not fully healed and another is sustained, leading to the brain swelling rapidly and catastrophically. There is no defined period of how long SIS can be a cause for concern but it is usually held an athlete should not return until the symptoms of the initial injury are completely gone. Crucially, neither impact has to be considered severe for SIS to occur. BrainandSpinalCord.org states: "Second impact injury can result within a matter of days or weeks, or it can occur in the same game or competition if the athlete isn't removed and treated after the first concussion. Neither impact has to be severe for second impact syndrome to occur. Symptoms usually occur immediately following the second impact and progress rapidly."


And this "risk" point is crucial when dealing with any head injury. Alonso's crash did not lead to serious injury but he was unconscious after his crash and his lengthy stay in hospital reflected that. He is perfectly healthy in every sense of the word but a risk - a minute risk, but a risk all the same - remains and he will miss the first race of the year. It will frustrate his fans, McLaren and the Spaniard himself, but his well-being is and always should be the most important part of this story.
Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/193363.html#UZp54ZJKZBLFjlmz.99

[Nem14]

Now that we know he is concussed can we give that side of the story a rest?

Get Well, Fernando.Yes. Get well Fernando.
We do not know that Alonso was concussed.
It has been reported that Alonso had some symptoms of a concussion, but those symptoms left room for doubt.

Martin Brundle also thinks the situation is "very strange".
A person using logic and critical thinking could wonder "whether Alonso crashed and was then injured, or if he suffered a medical issue prior to hitting the wall."

If the medicos were convinced Fred had suffered a concussion and were giving advice regarding exposure to a second concussion the announcement Fred would miss the season opening first race could have been made many days sooner.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/brundle-says-alonso-crash-saga-very-strange
"There is no concussion, anything. He had the symptoms at one stage but nothing that shows," said Dennis at the time.

"Something is amiss," former McLaren driver and now leading British commentator Brundle told the Telegraph.

"Something doesn't add up.

"It's a very strange situation. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors around."

According to Brundle, the question to answer is whether Alonso crashed and was then injured, or if he suffered a medical issue prior to hitting the wall.

"Is it cause or is it effect? We don't know," he said.

"Everybody is a little bit coy about it so something isn't quite right."

[raybak]

They were majorly at risk, and in this instance Fred's Dr's are only too cautious if he didn't bump his head again in Australia.
An interesting bit from ESPN:


Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/193363.html#UZp54ZJKZBLFjlmz.99

I have actually been off motorsport for a month due to knocking myself out in a hang gliding accident. My doctor basically explained about this Second Impact Syndrome and what damage I could do if I was involved in a big impact or hard landing in a rally.

I will have a checkup tomorrow to see if I am allowed to compete again.

Ray

[Roamy]

yeah that mclaren was so fast it just shocked the sh!t out of alonso :)

[Doc Austin]

They either were majorly at risk or today the Doc's are too cautious

In the US, the National Football League just paid off a class action lawsuit over concussions that was somewhere in the $200 million range. I don[t follow football and don't really know the details, but I do know there was a huge stink over it and the NFL really got slammed. Maybe the FIA is trying not to get caught up in anything like that.

[CNR]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31732315
"However, if the FIA's investigation into the accident throws up any issues of concern, they have the right to ask further questions, including to demand the driver's full medical records"

Could a medical issue have caused the crash?
Apart from one exception, Hartstein says the chances are "extremely slim" of the crash being caused by Alonso suffering some form of cerebral or physiological abnormality.

Of the possibilities that could cause a driver to act in such a way in the car, he says: "Hypoglycemia? He's never had it in his life before, so why would it happen on his second flying lap?

"Epilepsy? The fact he was braking is inconsistent with that.

"Some kind of loss of vision that meant he could not see but could still use his limbs? A bit of a stretch; really hard to imagine."

That, Hartstein says, leaves arrhythmia - an irregular heart rate - which can be tested for. And something called corotid sinus hypersensitivity.

This is where pressure on a certain point of the corotid artery - the main one in the neck supplying the brain - causes an extreme drop in heart rate and therefore blood pressure, and can cause someone to pass out.

This, Hartstein says, is "surprisingly common", and certainly could not be ruled out for someone going through a high-G corner wearing an F1 driver's head and neck support.

[COD]

Hmm, if this is true the other team seem puzzled too

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115030589925/teams-threatening-boycott-over-alonso-crash---report

[AndyL]

Hmm, if this is true the other team seem puzzled too

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115030589925/teams-threatening-boycott-over-alonso-crash---report

Sourced from Sport Bild, which I know nothing about... is it a reputable organ, or a gossip rag? Threats of a boycott if more transparent information is not forthcoming do sound a little overblown.

[COD]

Sourced from Sport Bild, which I know nothing about... it is a reputable organ, or a gossip rag? Threats of a boycott if more transparent information is not forthcoming do sound a little overblown.

I'm not german, so can not comment on their reliability, but at least they are quite big http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_Bild

Because everyone keeps saying the accident was very strange, no wonder if the teams are worried. If something does cause a driver to loose conciousnes while driving, think what could happen at 300km/h

[CNR]

Hmm, if this is true the other team seem puzzled too

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115030589925/teams-threatening-boycott-over-alonso-crash---report

the thing is they are talking about KERS witch each team has their own

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy_recovery_system

"Two minor incidents were reported during testing of various KERS systems in 2008. The first occurred when the Red Bull Racing team tested their KERS battery for the first time in July: it malfunctioned and caused a fire scare that led to the team's factory being evacuated.[5] The second was less than a week later when a BMW Sauber mechanic was given an electric shock when he touched Christian Klien's KERS-equipped car during a test at the Jerez circuit.[6]"

[anfield5]

I'm not german, so can not comment on their reliability, but at least they are quite big http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_Bild

Because everyone keeps saying the accident was very strange, no wonder if the teams are worried. If something does cause a driver to loose conciousnes while driving, think what could happen at 300km/h

True bur Fred DIDN'T take a nap, he was braking and changing gears all the way to the wall ergo he was fully awake and in control of himself. All that happened is that he went too fast got out wide and lost traction, corrected, but unfortunately his car gripped up suddenly, and he hit the wall.

Basically a combination of speed, and gusty winds caused Fred to make an error. Because mistakes from him are so rare, we all seem to be looking for the sniper on the grassy knoll.

[Tazio]

Fred thought it was 1995 after he bumped his head. I wonder what he said when he checked his bank account? :p: :angel:

[N4D13]

In other news, reports have emerged that Harrison Ford's participation in the upcoming Australian GP is in doubt following his accident.

[journeyman racer]

Was he still shocked that Everton won the FA Cup final?

[CNR]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/06/f1-fernando-alonso-mclaren-concussion-australian-gp
"McLaren have confirmed Fernando Alonso suffered temporary memory loss in a testing crash last month but played down media reports that the double world champion forgot he was a Formula One driver.

Spain’s El Pais newspaper had reported on Thursday that the driver told doctors testing his recall when he regained consciousness: “My name is Fernando, I race karts. I want to be a Formula One driver.”
"

[Triumph]

It will be interesting to hear what else gets revealed about this incident. David Coulthard doesn't seem happy with the official story so far.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31759693

And Jenson has apparently seen something strange in the telemetry figures from Fernando's car.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31732315


So, I'm waiting to see what Eddie Jordan has to say. If there is anything suspect going on then he's sure to know about it, and he's bound to at least allude to it, if not say outright.

That aside, let's hope that Fernando is back in the car in time for Malaysia.

[kfzmeister]

I'm seriously saddened by the fact that Honda is probably not going to make a major impact this year, cause i desperately want ALO to win another title. That would be news that i could read over and over until i were blue in the face.

Quite frankly, i'm tired of reading yet another article that simply cannot shed any more light onto what we already know. All joking aside, i seriously think someone remotely caused the car to go into a spin. Someone who really wants to see ALO hurt badly. Kevin?

[CNR]

it really makes you wonder how serious his condition is
Alan Jones (there was talk yesterday he may never return to f1)
Mark Webber (Alonso could miss upto to 4 races)

http://tenplay.com.au/sport/rpm/the-team

[Roamy]

Hey Bag
JV is slamming Fred
Whats up with that

[Robinho]

I think he's fine. Ron gave out some duff information when he said he wasn't concussed. That was later corrected. He hit his head twice, on either side of the cockpit, which is how he suffered the concussion. Standard advice is to refrain from activity that is likely to result in another concussion for 1 month. Melbourne falls within the month, Malaysia after a month. The rumour mill is in absolute overdrive, but there is nothing to suggest that it was more than an unlucky accident, but because it's rare for someone as experienced as Alonso to drop it in just testing, and also rare for such an accident to result in a relatively serious concussion. Maybe there was a problem with the car, but the outcome is the same, concussion, back in a month. I wouldn't listen to Alan Jones, I get the impression he doesn't know which way up he is most of the time. DC is relying on Ron's statement about no concussion. No one seems to have actually spoken to Fernando.

[Bagwan]

Hey Bag
JV is slamming Fred
Whats up with that

Don't know , cowboy , but we can assume JV might have a few insides on how Zo really was when wearing red .
Remember , he was one paranoid l'il buckaroo when he ran that Mac the last time . He can be a little disruptive when provoked with lesser results .

He's not known as a developer , but rather a guy who can drive the hell out of anything you give him .
It was designed for him , so Kimi couldn't drive the thing , and it was frustrating for everyone .

But , now he'll have Button setting things up , so he should be happier , as the car should keep improving .

And it had better keep improving from where they started , as they've told us not to lower our high expectations of them putting Mac back on top , and they are looking more than a little shaky at the moment .

[Tazio]

He's not known as a developer ,


But , now he'll have Button setting things up , so he should be happier , as the car should keep improving .

:stareup: :laugh:

That's pretty funny Bags!

Come on dawg, in 2006 and 2007 Alonso was a great car developer and thanks to his feedback both Renault and McLaren were so fast. I guess he got stupider when he went to Ferrari! :idea:

Get real dude, Jacques is talking shit, plain and simple. His comment had to do with disrespect. How disrespectful was Fred? Answer; a lot less than he had the right to be, and what he did say was simply speaking the truth with a touch of sarcasm. he could have said a lot worse, and not be out of line IMO



Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has shed a little more light on the decision to drop Kimi Raikkonen and hire Fernando Alonso, saying that Alonso is a better development driver, more in the mould of Michael Schumacher and that is what the team needs

How soon they forget :rolleyes:

[Roamy]

yeah Stefano Domenicali forgot everything

[Bagwan]

:stareup: :laugh:

That's pretty funny Bags!

Come on dawg, in 2006 and 2007 Alonso was a great car developer and thanks to his feedback both Renault and McLaren were so fast. I guess he got stupider when he went to Ferrari! :idea:

Get real dude, Jacques is talking shit, plain and simple. His comment had to do with disrespect. How disrespectful was Fred? Answer; a lot less than he had the right to be, and what he did say was simply speaking the truth with a touch of sarcasm. he could have said a lot worse, and not be out of line IMO




How soon they forget :rolleyes:

Great at developing cars nobody else could drive does make you look better than your team mate .
Ask the Fish , or JV for that matter , as he had to fill in , in a Fred configured car himself .

I guess that's what the shoe did , too , but he never dissed the brand , or the team , and when he took over the wheel of the red car , it really was a piece of crap , and then he won .

[anfield5]

And Jenson has apparently seen something strange in the telemetry figures from Fernando's car.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31732315





True, but the something strange that JB saw could be as simple as the entry speed into the corner. i.e. Fred was 12km faster in on that lap compared to the others etc

[Tazio]

Great at developing cars nobody else could drive

Like the 2007 McLaren? :rolleyes:


or JV for that matter , as he had to fill in , in a Fred configured car himself


Yes I remember it well. JV looked quite foolish in that little stint! :angel:

In fact in the same car Jarno was performing swimmingly until he gave up on the last corener of the last lap in France, and let Rubens steal a podium away from him. That pissed Flavio off enough to eventually resort to Jacques. Why for could Jarno drive the R24 but JV just took a shit in it?

JT:
I go to every race feeling optimistic, but especially Barcelona. I didn't get past the first corner last year, but the car was very strong, and we know the R24 is very competitive there too. I have had my strongest start to the season since I joined Renault, and we know this is historically a good circuit for our car. Our rivals are very strong at the moment, and the battle is very close, but we will keep pushing to improve our performance.

:sailor:


I wish Kevin all the best for this weekend in Australia, and I know the car is in his safe hands!"Even though we faced a lot of challenges in the tests, I am very encouraged by the feeling I got from the car, and I'm looking forward to going through all of the data from this weekend with the team to continue our push for development and improve our performance
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alonso-giving-everything-to-return-in-malaysia/



;)

[Bagwan]

Jarno impressed in that car , Taz , you're right , but only at the start or the season if I am remembering right .

As it went along , it became edgier , and Fred , with his "crank the wheel" style moved ahead .

And , that's the car JV inherited .

And , somehow , Taz-man , I don't remember JV as looking as "foolish" as you seem to .
Find me a quote that uses that word to describe his outing at Renault .

[Tazio]

Sorry Bagman, I remember a radio broadcast from the GP of China JV's first race in the R24, if I'm not mistaken. Jacques asked his race engineer where he was slow, and the response that was (I'm pretty sure) broadcast worldwide was....."Everywhere!" :spinhead:

[Bagwan]

Sorry Bagman, I remember a radio broadcast from the GP of China JV's first race in the R24, if I'm not mistaken. Jacques asked his race engineer where he was slow, and the response that was (I'm pretty sure) broadcast worldwide was....."Everywhere!" :spinhead:

I remember that , too , Taz .
We all laughed .

But , I also remembering him being just a tenth down on Fred in quals at one of the races , which is better than that guy he replaced , on average .

[jens]

Oh, what an interesting discussion. 2004 and involving Trulli!

Anyway, my 5 cents. Villeneuve clearly didn't perform in those three races for Renault. I don't think we need to find excuses. He was unfamiliar with the car, thrown into deep end and against Alonso. It is worth reminding, how did Grosjean fare in late 2009 in the same situation - he was also nowhere.

Also JV's performance wasn't comparable to Trulli. Trulli was going well for half a year and though his performance dropped, was still leading Alonso in points before getting sacked. Though Trulli was also absolutely nowhere in the 2004 Italian GP, but this was his last race for Renault and I think by that time he already knew he was out and had no motivation.

[Whyzars]

I hope that Alonso is OK. I sat up when I read an article that was querying an electric shock. That surprised me because I had always been confident in the overall safety of the KERS implementation. A couple of early fires but it has been pretty much incident free technology since day one.

On this "Second Impact Syndrome". I actually caught a movie a couple of weeks back called "Crash Reel". Its about snow boarders and one chap in particular who had a terrible brain injury and everything he went through. The risk of a second concussion was top of the list as he recovered.

Definitely worth watching simply as a movie and also for the documentary value for anyone interested in sports injury and recovery.

[Tazio]

I remember that , too , Taz .
We all laughed .

But , I also remembering him being just a tenth down on Fred in quals at one of the races , which is better than that guy he replaced , on average .
Fair enough Baggie. Jacques really did have very little chance of challenging Fred. I think we may disagree on a few things but that is not one of them. I think we do disagree about the driveability of the R24. I've read several articles where both JV, and JT praised its driveability. However, back on topic; I just think that people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. JV was rather disrespectful in his latest racing venture, as well as just totally sucking.
"From our side, we're not happy that he has been critical of Albatec or the championship. Albatec is in World Rallycross for the long haul and is in support of [championship promoters] IMG."
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116831So I think he probably should have just kept his mouth shut, considering his replacement did in one race what JV couldn't do all season.
Albatec Seals 2014 With Double Semi Final Performance In Argentina
Albatec Racing brought its 2014 to a close with both two-litre 16v Peugeot 208s reaching the finals in the last round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy. Partnering Albatec Team Principal Andy Scott, 2007 British Rallycross Champion Ollie Donovan joined the Dumfries squad aboard one of its 600bhp Supercars following a successful return to British rallycross action this year, and both drivers made it through to their respective semi finals in the Total Rallycross of Argentina at the stunning Autodromo Rosendo Hernandez
But what amazes me is that people still quote him. His is an opinion he is entitled to, but I put absolutely no credence in it.
Fred gave his all for a very good chunk of his career at Ferrari, and some butt hurt petty Italians are trying to discredit him. His performance at Ferrari is well documented, and his results, especially compared to his teammates is beyond remarkable.

[Koz]

I am beginning to think that Fred is faking it. Maybe he just doesn't want to drive that piece of dog poop?

[zako85]

Having probably seen the Australian GP on TV, Fernando must be really regretting quitting Ferrari by now. There must have been quite a bit of delusion and wishful thinking in believing that McLaren could compete with the big leagues in the first year with a new engine manufacturer.

[donKey jote]

Well he's not the first F1 driver in recent history to get a 30M sabbatical :andrea:

[Warriwa]

Having probably seen the Australian GP on TV, Fernando must be really regretting quitting Ferrari by now. There must have been quite a bit of delusion and wishful thinking in believing that McLaren could compete with the big leagues in the first year with a new engine manufacturer.


Even if he did stay at Ferrari, I wonder if he would be content with a third place maybe at every race? At least some fans must be happy that he singlehandedly extended Kimi's career.

[Roamy]

stand by the mclaren was quite quick in the corners !!!!

[Robinho]

That's surely a good thing, once they get the engine firing at least as well as the Renault, they'll be fighting STR, Sauber, FI and Red Bull

[jens]

Even if he did stay at Ferrari, I wonder if he would be content with a third place maybe at every race? At least some fans must be happy that he singlehandedly extended Kimi's career.

I am sure Alonso would like to win, but this is the problem with life - things are (usually) not ideal. And if you can't win, you better take P3 than P13!

Alonso wanted to win, and I think he gambled it all for this year. Because he didn't think Ferrari could win. And obviously Ferrari isn't winning, even if they have improved. But belief that McLaren-Honda could win was almost blind belief and could almost demolish his career.

[Bagwan]

:stareup: :laugh:

That's pretty funny Bags!

Come on dawg, in 2006 and 2007 Alonso was a great car developer and thanks to his feedback both Renault and McLaren were so fast. I guess he got stupider when he went to Ferrari! :idea:

Get real dude, Jacques is talking shit, plain and simple. His comment had to do with disrespect. How disrespectful was Fred? Answer; a lot less than he had the right to be, and what he did say was simply speaking the truth with a touch of sarcasm. he could have said a lot worse, and not be out of line IMO




How soon they forget :rolleyes:

Hey , Taz , did y'all catch that announcers mentioning that Ferrari has been talking up how great Seb's feedback has been ?
Did ya catch that they were saying that it was as much a shot at Fred's feedback as it was a compliment for Seb ?

[jens]

I am beginning to think that Fred is faking it. Maybe he just doesn't want to drive that piece of dog poop?

Maybe he is also faking that he has lost memory. What was it about 1995?

Whatever it is, he'd rather forget where his career has gone for now!

[journeyman racer]

Whether it's with McLaren or another team. Alonso will have another period where he challenges for the title.

[jens]

Whether it's with McLaren or another team. Alonso will have another period where he challenges for the title.

There are no guarantees as you know. And Alonso is getting on a bit in terms of age as well. He has to make things happen in the next 3-4 years.

[Mia 01]

There´s this ongoing rumour that it wasn´t a problem with the car.

[kfzmeister]

Hey , Taz , did y'all catch that announcers mentioning that Ferrari has been talking up how great Seb's feedback has been ?
Did ya catch that they were saying that it was as much a shot at Fred's feedback as it was a compliment for Seb ?

Don't put so much stock in this.
Ferrari still butthurt that he asked to be released from his contract early. Had to get Seb to save face.

[Tazio]

Hey , Taz , did y'all catch that announcers mentioning that Ferrari has been talking up how great Seb's feedback has been ?
Did ya catch that they were saying that it was as much a shot at Fred's feedback as it was a compliment for Seb ?Grabbin' at straw dawgz? :crazy: :p:
I like Seb at Ferrari, and hope he succeeds, but to me it has nothing to do with Fred's time there, sorry mate!

At any rate before you write Fred off completely. I just ran across this headline:

Girlfriend: 'Alonso fit - in every way'

http://www.wheels24.co.za/FormulaOne/Girlfriend-Alonso-fit-in-every-way-20150317

http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/436/e1817b9af86d483c8a17d0dc1dd79f1e.jpg

:angel: Think about it dawg :idea:

[Robinho]

Grabbin' at straw dawgz. :crazy: :p:
I like Seb at Ferrari, and hope he succeeds, but to me it has nothing to do with Fred's time there, sorry mate!

At any rate before you write Fred off completely. I just ran across this headline:

Girlfriend: 'Alonso fit - in every way'

http://www.wheels24.co.za/FormulaOne/Girlfriend-Alonso-fit-in-every-way-20150317

http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/436/e1817b9af86d483c8a17d0dc1dd79f1e.jpg

:angel: Think about it dawg :idea:

Of course he is, he thinks he's 15 since the accident, just a horny teenager with that as a girlfriend....

[Tazio]

he thinks he's 15 since the accident, just a horny teenager with that as a girlfriend....


"It was a shock," said Alvarez, "but thank God I can be here smiling."

:sailor: :angel:

[Tazio]

"Fredi is in super shape. We had dinner with him and Luis (Garcia Abad) at Cipriani London,” said Briatore.
http://www.f1technical.net/news/19975?sid=cbc3ddba31d0112be03233d922e7299b

:bandit: :laugh:

[A FONDO]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xta1/v/t1.0-9/1513732_823982277682173_5620026585722093032_n.png? oh=51597b2fabdfa8de3d2d1d2c783726d9&oe=55B59897&__gda__=1434027689_cf931affd3c3732c7819a012edecf95 3

[Tazio]

Pressure set to mount on McLaren Honda as Alonso prepares for entrance McLaren Mercedes
Back to previous (http://javascript<strong></strong>:history.go(-1))
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2015-03-22-at-21.11.31.png
Posted By: James Allen (http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/author/jamesallen/) | 22 Mar 2015 | 10:14 pm GMT | 3 comments (http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/03/pressure-set-to-mount-on-mclaren-honda-as-alonso-prepares-for-entrance/#comments)
Reports in Spain suggest that Fernando Alonso has passed the medical tests he underwent today in Cambridge, England following his concussion in a testing accident and he is preparing to travel to Malaysia to make his McLaren Honda entrance in next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard, 33, will have to prove to FIA doctors and technical staff prior to first practice, that he is able to get out of the cockpit of the car within five seconds, which should be a formality.
If confirmed, it will put the pressure onto Honda and McLaren, which has started the season in uncompetitive fashion, with a long road ahead on both reliability and performance.
Jenson Button and Alonso stand-in Kevin Magnussen soldiered through the Melbourne weekend with quiet stoicism, but with no disrespect to them, the presence of Alonso in a comprised car and engine package will ramp up the pressure, particularly on Honda, which was so keen to get him on board to lead their F1 challenge.
The engine had to be turned down to get mileage in the opening race, with Button registering 288km/h through the speed trap, 14km/h down on the Mercedes cars and 21km/h down on the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2015-03-22-at-21.10.59.png
Alonso knows the shortcomings of the package, having tested it pre-season and will be aware of the timetables and targets for the programme.
But for Honda in particular, it will be stressful having a two time world champion like Alonso being seen to struggle to get out of the Q3 qualifying session. They hired him to drive them on to get results, that’s how they operate and what they expect for their very large cheque. Consequently, expectations are automatically raised the moment he climbs into the car and therefore so is the profile of the situation and the consequent embarrassment for the team.
These are hard yards, which the management hope will be travelled as quickly as possible, so that they can return to being protagonists again.
“I expect the team to be competitive by the end of the season,” McLaren race director Eric Boullier told us. “We have targeted some power, torque and energy recovery targets. We know today that it is working, so it’s just a question of time.
“The biggest challenge for Honda to catch up is not having started a year after (the other manufacturers). it is having taken the decision (to enter) one and a half years ago.”
Equally it will be a testing weekend for Alonso. He will be fielding questions about the circumstances surrounding his accident, about which he has remained silent so far. But he will also be confronted with a resurgent Ferrari team, with every chance of being lapped at least once during the race by a scarlet car. Team principal Maurizio Arrivavene saying this weekend that the team can have confidence that it has taken a significant step and that it can target Mercedes,
“Our objective was Williams and Red Bull, but now we must be a little more convinced about our chances of reducing the gap to Mercedes,” he said. ” It’s just a question of continuing like this, with the right methodology.”
Welcome back mate! :wave:

[Tazio]

I wonder if they will let him bring his skateboard, and comic books? :confused: ;)

[Hawkmoon]

I always thought 2015 would be a stop-gap year for Alonso with him on his way to Mercedes in 2016. I have no idea if that will prove correct but if Alonso doesn't have a performance related 'out' in his McLaren contract I'd be very surprised.

[Doc Austin]

From Tazio's link:
But for Honda in particular, it will be stressful having a two time world champion like Alonso being seen to struggle to get out of the Q3 qualifying session.

Imagine how embarrassing it must have been to see former world champion Button puttering around in a completely hopeless last place. The only way it could have been worse is if both cars started the race and then there would have been two Hondas fighting over a hopeless last place! I'de imagine if Manor makes it to Maylasia that McLaren will have a race on their hands, if they are even that good.

The Japanese, however, have a different mindset than we do. They are willing to be patient and work hard for results well past after Westerners have given up. Check Honda in Indycar and Toyota in WSC. Honda's Indycar program was embarrassing maybe even moreso than the current McLaren programme, while Toyota really should have won at least one, and maybe two Lemans by now.

Honda is going to get it right eventually, but by then Button will probably be retired and Fred will probably be past it, or will have moved on to somewhere like Renault (if they buy Torro Rosso).

[Robinho]

Hopefully now Manor will run and I think that of they can turn the Honda up to anywhere near full power, at least in qualifying, they'll be fighting the Force India's, Torro Rosso's and maybe Red Bull. It seems the McLaren is essentially a decent chassis and they could be up to 200hp down in Melbourne configuration. I don't expect that to be the same for long

[N4D13]

I think people here are being way too quick to dismiss Macca. Yes, they were nowhere in Australia as they were behind schedule with their engine - but I'm confident they will improve a lot soon. I would be very surprised if they weren't able to fight for points in Bahrain or Spain.

[journeyman racer]

Filthy he didn't turn up to Australia, and I'll have to wait another 12 months to see him.

[Tazio]

Fred's starting to remember (or admit) that he had a problem with the steering before the crash!

“While there was nothing evident in the extensive car telemetry data, nor anything abnormal in the subsequent reconstructions and laboratory tests, Fernando recalls a sense of ‘heavy’ steering prior to the accident,” read a McLaren statement, released on Monday.“Consequently, the team has fitted an additional sensor to the car, to increase our data capture.

Probably his own silly mistake!

[Doc Austin]

Uhhhh, uhhhhh, yeah! That's it! I had a prob-bell-emm with the sus-pen-she-on!

[Tazio]

:stareup: No he said he had a pro-baaaaaaaaaaaaaa-lamb with the steer-er-a-er-er-inga. :confused:

[Robinho]

I should imagine the steering would seem pretty heavy to a 15 year old

[Mia 01]

On a more serious matter, I hope that Alonso can drive safely this weekend, that McLaren is slow but no gokart!

[Tazio]

I should imagine the steering would seem pretty heavy to a 15 year old
But he is saying that the steering felt heavy before he went all teenage mutant ninja. :confused:

[jens]

But he is saying that the steering felt heavy before he went all teenage mutant ninja. :confused:

Maybe THAT was the moment he started to mutate.;) We are trying to solve the mystery of Alonso's psychology and time travel here!

What else did he say? Maybe in his view it was the steering of the 1995 McLaren that went heavy. The car into which Mansell actually didn't fit.

[Doc Austin]

:stareup: No he said he had a pro-baaaaaaaaaaaaaa-lamb with the steer-er-a-er-er-inga. :confused:

We need more speed to be comp-pet-tit-tive

[Doc Austin]

Maybe in his view it was the steering of the 1995 McLaren that went heavy. The car into which Mansell actually didn't fit.

I've stood next to Nigel. He's not that big of a guy. I'm not sure how McLaren could have gotten it so wrong.

[jens]

Fred thought it was 1995 after he bumped his head. I wonder what he said when he checked his bank account? :p: :angel:

"Oh sh*t. Look at those numbers. To hell with school and everything! Let's go travel around the world and have some fun! I can do anything I like and you can't stop me!"

[Tazio]

We need more speed to be comp-pet-tit-tive
Y-o-u d-o-n-'-t s-a-y - m-a-t-e----;)

[Doc Austin]

Y-o-u d-o-n-'-t s-a-y - m-a-t-e----;)

He tried to pass me in an imp-poss-sibble place.

[Tazio]

Fred said:


"Everyone in McLaren-Honda is working hard to develop the package and keep building momentum with each race. The weekend will be tough, but I'm looking forward to getting into the MP4-30 for the first time in a Grand Prix and getting back to racing.
"It's clear we have a lot of work ahead of us but Jenson's result in Melbourne was encouraging from the point of view of reliability and data collection, which are extremely important."
Alonso has previously won three times in Malaysia.
http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/formula-1/mclaren/malaysian-grand-prix/news/alonso-prepared-for-tough-f1-return_213215.html


Jense said:
"
Melbourne was certainly a challenging weekend for us, but there were positives to take from it," Button said. "A lot of our performance was largely unknown coming into the weekend given the limited running we had over winter testing. Despite our finishing position, getting to the chequered flag has meant that we're now armed with much more data about our package and we can learn a huge amount from it.
"Of course, nobody can be happy with finishing at the back of the pack, and we know there is a lot to do to bridge the gap to the rest of the field. However, the work going on within McLaren-Honda both in Woking and Sakura is relentless; the whole team is working tirelessly to keep developing our package to ensure we keep making steady progress."
http://www.espn.co.uk/mclaren/motorsport/story/195373.html?CMP=OTC-RSS


McLaren will come good! :champion:......The problem as I see it is ; if McLaren had a clear #1 Fred and JB could take turns, with one of them going for it knowing he won't finish and the other guy just cruising around conservatively collecting data and making small incremental gains. But Malaysia is a good race to take it in the shorts if you're are uncompetitive and have cooling issues.
I bet Fred, and or Jense puts in some midfield times, or better I don't think that car can run enough systems simultaneously to put in one extraordinary (for them) quali 2 lap, not at that Tilhedome (maybe his best) in those conditions :(

[jens]

I always thought 2015 would be a stop-gap year for Alonso with him on his way to Mercedes in 2016. I have no idea if that will prove correct but if Alonso doesn't have a performance related 'out' in his McLaren contract I'd be very surprised.

I am sure Alonso would like to join Mercedes, but in reality it is dependent on Hamilton's departure and I don't see that happening. Rosberg IIRC has a long-term contract beyond this year. And I am unsure if Mercedes would like the fireworks that would come with Ham-Alo pairing...

Alonso may be looking around, but he may be in a situation, where he would need to stay with McLaren beyond this year too. And just hope they improve A LOT. Because he just burnt bridges with Ferrari and for whatever reason Red Bull has never felt a reason to go after him except arguably back in 2007...

[Doc Austin]

I am sure Alonso would like to join Mercedes, but in reality it is dependent on Hamilton's departure and I don't see that happening.

Probably right: Hamilton hopes to ink Mercedes deal before weekend (http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-hopes-to-ink-mercedes-deal-before-weekend)


And I am unsure if Mercedes would like the fireworks that would come with Ham-Alo pairing...

Hamilton and Rosberg was bad enough, and they are supposed to be "friends."


Alonso may be looking around, but he may be in a situation, where he would need to stay with McLaren beyond this year too. And just hope they improve A LOT. Because he just burnt bridges with Ferrari and for whatever reason Red Bull has never felt a reason to go after him except arguably back in 2007...

Red Bull took guys who were nowhere (Vettel and Ricciardo) and turned them into winners. I can't recall either of them having trouble getting along within the team, so I kind of doubt Red Bull wants an expensive driver who has a history of being difficult.

[Tazio]

There´s this ongoing rumour that it wasn´t a problem with the car.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24184/9776231

:rolleyes:

[Mia 01]

OK then, we have Heard Alonso, the team says otherwise.

[donKey jote]

The team wasn't driving the car when it happened

[Tazio]

On a more serious matter, I hope that Alonso can drive safely this weekend, that McLaren is slow but no gokart!
But despite conceding that "maybe it will never be" clear what caused his steering wheel to lock at Barcelona, the former world champion insisted he had no safety concerns about returning this weekend.
"Of course there are some actions for this race but there are zero problems or worries on my side. Everything is okay," he added


Relax Mia, your fav driver is not at more risk than Jensen, or anyone else in the F1 race this weekend. :rolleyes:.

[Mia 01]

OK then Taz, have to Believe in you, for now.

[CNR]

should they be aloud to race with a fault like that ?

[airshifter]

It's the proverbial catch 22 for both the team and Fred. If Fernando really had some issue of his own, he doesn't want to admit that. If the car had a problem the team doesn't want to admit that.

If he was driving really slow like Jense did the last race, maybe it would have been safer. :laugh:


Hopefully it was a freak thing, and both driver and team are ok. They have a lot of work to do, even with Fred driving. Only time will tell how things develop. They are somewhat at a disadvantage of only having that one team with that power unit, so a lot rests on Honda. The team couldn't get the best power unit in the field to help them much last year, so personally even if Honda sorts the engine I think they will have to continue with the chassis if they want results.

[Bagwan]

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24184/9776231

:rolleyes:

Oh , Tazzy , sounds like the marriage is rocky already with Fred calling McRon an unhelpful liar .
And , this is all before ever having consummated the racing marriage by turning a wheel in anger .

It wasn't the car .
It was the car .

He was out after the crash .
I was awake for the whole thing .

He was a ten year old .
I was a ten year old when I was ten years old .


So , what the hell is going on , and what will Ron say next , after having been called an unhelpful liar ?

[Tazio]

Dude you really are acting like a gay drama queen :laugh:

Fred has a well documented history of being brutally honest with the media. He admits he was unconscious from the medication they gave him after the accident, but that doesn't mean his memory isn't a little fuzzy from the bump on his head.
I'm holding you to this Alonso/Dennis "rocky marriage" conspiracy theory! I think Ron is fine with everything Fred has said, and will gladly admit he spoke without having all the available information, or maybe he just didn't want it revealed at that time, who freakin cares? Ron and Fred have a common problem, and that is the performance and development of the car. These guys don't care about this anymore, and it will soon be behind them. Fred has admitted that his steering rack that he asked McLaren to use on his car is different than K-Mag's and JB's.

Who knows Ron (McLaren) may have suggested to Fred that they didn't know how it would work on the MP4-30. For all we know Ron has told Fred: "

I told you so, but it is cool bro, this is what testing is for, bummer you hurt yourself though." :angel:

Fred has said:

“I have zero doubts, zero concerns.”
He said he was using a different “steering rack” for his personal driving preference in Barcelona, but has now returned to the standard layout run by teammate Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen.


The situation at McLaren is different than it was the last go round, and I suspect that all the negative personal crap coming out of that camp is for the consumption of drama queens like yourself.


Speaking on the problems he had with Fred in 2007 Ron has said:



“It [the scandal] could be dissected in lots of ways but it is the past,” Dennis said. “The whole thing took on a momentum and was very controversial for the whole sport. It was heavily amplified and everyone got pretty bruised by it. But everyone has moved on. I am mellower, Fernando has matured and there are other people who were involved. To go back into it would be a waste of time. Actions speak louder than words and we need to get on with racing and enjoy the experience.”


Obviously their are drama queens like you that can't enjoy the racing, with just a little anecdotal comic relief. All of the questions you posed in your last comment on this thread art things that you hope cause problems, that's your problem bro, you have my sympathy!

[Doc Austin]

I'm just glad Fred appears to be fine.

[Doc Austin]

Maybe Alonso is a little better than fine:

F1: Alonso certain steering caused crash (http://www.racer.com/f1/item/114776-alonso-certain-steering-caused-crash)

Blaming the car at this point is just an embarrassment to the team, so why do it? Why not just let it remain a mystery?

[Bagwan]

Maybe Alonso is a little better than fine:

F1: Alonso certain steering caused crash (http://www.racer.com/f1/item/114776-alonso-certain-steering-caused-crash)

Blaming the car at this point is just an embarrassment to the team, so why do it? Why not just let it remain a mystery?

Hey Doc , quit bringin' stuff like this up or Tazzy will call you a drama queen .

About the question , though , what would you do if you were that straight talker that Tazzy was talking about , and you boss said it was all your fault , not the car's , as there was nothing wrong with the car ?
And , what if he said it when you were still on the gurney ?
Would you want to assure your big backer that it really wasn't your fault , and that all the faith they had put in you was well placed ?

[Doc Austin]

Hey Doc , quit bringin' stuff like this up or Tazzy will call you a drama queen .

I'm pretty sure there's no need to make any of this personal.

There is so much confliciting information that who can tell? The marshals reportedly said Alonso was out, but not Fred says he never was. I'm guessing the impact rattled him so bad that he has no idea what happened before or after. That or he remembers things all wrong. When you go bouncing your brain around in your skull, it stops working properly for at least awhile.

The fact Fred was out three weeks tells you this was bad. James Hinchcliffe got a concussion at Indy and only missed a few days. Nelson Piquet had one that was so bad he felt it for most of his 87 championship. I don't think there is any such thing as a minor concussion. some are just much worse than others.

If Ron pointed the finger at Fred, I have not read anything like that. The most damming thing I have seen come from the McLaren camp is that they said they could not find anything wrong with the car. That's not nearly the same thing as saying Fred f***ed up. It's more like "We don't know what happened." Initially they even went with the wild story that it was a gust of wind, so clearly McLaren was going out of their way not to blame Alonso.

What I am not buying is that if the steering really did lock, how come they can't find it now? Why didn't that show up on telemetry?

I am mostly inclined to believe no one really knows what happened because there is no video, very little telemetry, and Alonso got the schitt knocked out of him so bad that he either he is delusional or remembers so little that he has to make something up to save face when he should really just be happy he's going to be healthy.

Look, I have no way of knowing for sure and neither does anyone else except maybe there's a 1% chance Alonso remembers something. What I do know is that it's a little bit early in this divine reunion for the fingers to start coming out. Do these guys want this to work or not?

If it we me I would say "How do I know? I got the living schitt smacked out of me and I don't remember anything." Bang.......... end of controversy.

I think this is just a sign that no matter what happens all year (or as long as this lasts), nothing is ever going to be Alonso's fault ...... nothing. I think all Formula One drivers are self serving prim Madonnas who can never believe they have ever done anything wrong. This goes for all of them, though some are a bit more sure of themselves than others.

And no, I have never had a problem with Alonso at all. I loved it when he handed Schumacher his ass and ran him out of the sport. So, before someone says I am racist against Spaniards or something, don't even try.


Would you want to assure your big backer that it really wasn't your fault , and that all the faith they had put in you was well placed ?

I'm not sure which backer you mean, but I will operate on the premise you mean Dennis. Ron's been in this so long he's not going to lose faith in a driver the first time they bend a front upright and flatten a wheel. Ron probably doesn't even care that Alonso crashed because that's just part of it. All Ron cares about now is getting Fred up to speed and McLaren back to the front.

And for all the Alonso faithful, don't think your driver is being dissed because some of us believe he is capable of making a mistake. He's probably the best driver in the world, but he's also not God himself.

[Tazio]

Good post Doc, It's already yesterdays news! ;)


http://i.imgur.com/Al6dufR.jpg

:angel:

[Bagwan]

Oh well .
I thought we were having fun .

[jens]

It is interesting to think that Ron Dennis and Fernando Alonso are together again - the couple, who already fell out of love many years ago. And they are together in the most extreme possible situation - at the back of the grid after a major crash with blurry causes of said crash. As opposed to 2007, when it started out so well - McLaren was a top car and Alonso won his second race in Malaysia.

But this great car didn't help with their relationship. Now they have the opportunity to do it again from the bottom. They better be 'mellower' and more mature as they say, because without that you can't manage this! As the saying goes - tough times are a real test for humans. If Ron and Fernando can go through this together, it will be easier later on...

Or not? Because in 2007 it wasn't. Or as long as Alonso doesn't have a too strong team-mate, who threatens to steal the glory from him in a very good car (2007), it should all be fine?

[airshifter]

It is interesting to think that Ron Dennis and Fernando Alonso are together again - the couple, who already fell out of love many years ago. And they are together in the most extreme possible situation - at the back of the grid after a major crash with blurry causes of said crash. As opposed to 2007, when it started out so well - McLaren was a top car and Alonso won his second race in Malaysia.

But this great car didn't help with their relationship. Now they have the opportunity to do it again from the bottom. They better be 'mellower' and more mature as they say, because without that you can't manage this! As the saying goes - tough times are a real test for humans. If Ron and Fernando can go through this together, it will be easier later on...

Or not? Because in 2007 it wasn't. Or as long as Alonso doesn't have a too strong team-mate, who threatens to steal the glory from him in a very good car (2007), it should all be fine?

Really good points, and it shows both the strengths and weakness that exists in Alonso. We know he can't be a good number 2, and doesn't respond well to not having preferential treatment. Though Button IMO is certainly no Hamilton in regards to a straight on track fight, he is quietly consistent and at times is brilliant with tire preservation that leads to good strategy.

I'll be honest, after the Spygate scandal I think Ron is a fool for even thinking about putting Alonso in the seat. Though McLaren were at fault, it's evidence how quick things change when the finger pointing starts. Then the move back to Renault, and another slippery group of characters that managed the Spingate incident at Singapore.

2007 was a very telling season IMO. A great car, a tie in points with a team mate, and it ended in tears. Starting from the back of the grid isn't something Alonso excels at, as he lacks patience.

Though still one of the best on the grid, IMO this could just as easily end in tears once again. Only time will tell.

[Mia 01]

For sure, it will be very exciting to see how McLaren handle Alonso on this new ride, and the opposite ofcourse. Nomatter what they say, if the team not score a podium places regulary at the end of the year their relationship will be very sour.

[AndyL]

For sure, it will be very exciting to see how McLaren handle Alonso on this new ride, and the opposite ofcourse. Nomatter what they say, if the team not score a podium places regulary at the end of the year their relationship will be very sour.

Stat attack: Fernando has scored at least 3 podiums in every year of his F1 career, except for 2001, 2009 and 2014. In each of those years, he quit the team.

[Tazio]

A lot of negativity I read about Fred on this thread, I don't have crystal balls, but I think most of you are going to be disappointed, unless you make the mistake that many make, which is let journo's twist his (English) words as it is not his first language. My prediction is that the car will eventually come good, and Fred will take care of business whether or not he outscores JB. I like his comments after his first time back in the MP4-30,
Glad you're OK Fred: :champion:

“It felt great today in the car,” he said. “Finally after the gym, after the simulator, whatever you do it is never the same as the car, so I enjoyed so much driving here. The conditions obviously are extreme, very hot, and physically it is very demanding. I am not 100 per cent physically and fit after two weeks on the sofa, and two weeks of not in the car.
“It was really the second day of testing for me because I have one good day in Barcelona with 63 laps. and today 45. The rest of the days were seven laps, nine, eleven, so today I really enjoyed it. Definitely a step forward, a big step forward for us.
“It’s much better. The experience that we had in winter was a lot of problems, after four or five laps we stopped and we had to change something, but today we ran 45 laps with zero problems, everything went as we predict. We will see tomorrow in qualifying. We were I think 4.6s behind pole position in Australia, here could maybe be 3-3.5secs, so that is a 1 or 1.5s gain in two weeks, so it’s a big step forward.
Regarding the latest updates he said: “I think there are a lot of things going on in the car now. There are big steps on aerodynamics, a lot of understanding of the power unit, interaction between everything in the car. Every lap is a learning curve for us. In terms of driving, I felt great. The car is very consistent, the car is easy to drive, and it gives you confidence to push to the limit.
http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/27/fernando-alonso-the-the-car-is-easy-to-drive/

[Doc Austin]

Well, he's already faster than Jensen even though he says he is not 100%, so that's not a horrible start. The best news is that neither McLaren blew up.

[kfzmeister]

I don't have crystal balls, but I think most of you are going to be disappointed.............

I bet! ;-)

[Tazio]

:stareup: I'll bet you 1,000.00 USD!!
What are we betting about? :dork:

[kfzmeister]

:stareup: I'll bet you 1,000.00 USD!!
What are we betting about? :dork:

Dunno. You said something about crystal balls! ;-)

[Tazio]

:stareup: Sorry, but are you dissing Fred on his return ? :angryfire

[steveaki13]

Are we betting about Taz's balls? :confused:

[jens]

A lot of negativity I read about Fred on this thread, I don't have crystal balls, but I think most of you are going to be disappointed, unless you make the mistake that many make, which is let journo's twist his (English) words as it is not his first language. My prediction is that the car will eventually come good, and Fred will take care of business whether or not he outscores JB. I like his comments after his first time back in the MP4-30,
Glad you're OK Fred: :champion:

Negativity? Disappointed? Just saying how things are.

McLaren-Honda actually makes teams like Jaguar Racing, Toyota and BAR-Honda look good.

We can come back and discuss again, when McLaren is able to fight against Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull for top 3 and top 5 placings. And not on an odd occasion, but regularly.

[kfzmeister]

:stareup: Sorry, but are you dissing Fred on his return ? :angryfire

Never. You should know by now that i'm a diehard ALO fan. I would not even disrespect him in the slightest, like even calling him Fred ;-)

[Tazio]

"This whole weekend has been better than I expected," the Spaniard reflected after a race in which he ran as high as eighth before engine gremlins forced him to retire.
"The main positive to take away is the fact that we were able to run with other cars - Jenson [Button] and I weren't simply fighting with each other. That was the first step we needed to take, and we've taken it already.
"Indeed, our race pace was surprisingly good; I was running with the pack, and I was even able to catch the Red Bulls before the pit-stops. That was a nice surprise
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/3/alonso--mclaren-exceeded-expectations-in-malaysia.html

:angel:

[Tazio]

McLaren is pushing on with aerodynamic development while Honda focuses on getting its power unit up to speed. The most notable update seen on the MP4-30 chassis at Malaysia is the addition of an S-duct in the nose cone, undoubtedly pushed by Petr Prodromou who worked on the feature with Red Bull in recent years.

Similar to the inlet on the Red Bull RB11, air is caught via a wide channel underneath the entire span of the nose cone, with the outer extremities however feeding channels to provide cockpit cooling rather than the S-duct. Different however is that on the McLaren, the duct splits in two, provided an exit on each side of the pitot tube hub fixed on the car's centreline atop the monocoque.
http://www.f1technical.net/development/467

Read it mate! :stareup: :laugh:

[CNR]

is Alonso contracted to Honda or McLaren ?

McLaren a company where beards are only allowed if they’re immaculately kept.
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24100/9607942/ted-kravitz-qa-analysing-alonsos-return-buttons-retention-at-new-look-mclaren

[Tazio]

Forget the beard, they need a policy about eyebrows!

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bc/54/29/bc5429dd4dba327d2f60eaa529350635.jpg

:laugh: