Comments on: Will Fernando Alonso go to Ferrari in 2011? Here’s why I think so (Poll)

By: Dominic

Dominic — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:05:23 +0000

KIMI SHOULD REJOIN MCLAREN IN 2010

By: AussieLeb

AussieLeb — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:27:58 +0000

As mentioned previously, as usual Keith has come up with an interesting subject and his own stance for discussion. Yet as usual I have my own point for consideration.

No doubt Alonso is or rather has been one of the top drivers in F1 for some time and it could be said that he may be in 2011. I have the feeling at his age though, that we may have or will have seen the best of Alonso by then and at best we could expect to see 1, maybe 2 championship seasons with Ferrari, in and after 2011, if he were to go to Ferrari.

Some may know that I am a fan of the red cars and as of 2008 I am also a fan of Vettel. Having set my blinkers down, I still feel it would be a shame if Vettel doesn’t get a drive in a top tier car in the very near future. The things he achieved in 08 with what he had, coupled with his age, must hold some appeal to a team searching for raw talent and longevity. Much like McLaren have done with Hamilton. Wouldn’t it be great to see the German vs British rivalry return?

By: Steven Roy

Steven Roy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:52:15 +0000

I think Alonso is massively over-rated and am baffled by constant assertions that he is the best driver in F1 now.

We saw when he had Hamilton as a team mate that he quite clearly wasn’t better than him. Had it not been for the mistakes at the end of that season Hamilton would have averaged a point a race more than him. As it was Alonso’s face was saved by finishing equal with a rookie.

The Alonso fans at the end of 2007 suggested that Hamilton would struggle in 2008 because Ferando was doing all the set up work and Hamilton was simply copying it. What happened? Despite the best efforts of the FIA Hamilton won the championship in his second season and first as team leader. The people who suggested that the set ups were copied presumably know so little about the sport that they though Alonso’s understeering car and Hamilton’s oversteering car had the same set up.

I also disagree that Alonso is consistent every race. When he is on it he is great from the first lap to the last but there were races even when Fisichella was his team mate where he looked second best and that was not because Fisichella for two weekends a season suddenly had world champion potential.

Alonso cracked when Hamilton started messing with his head in Hungary. If a rookie can do that to him by not letting him overtake in a qualifying session what is going to happen when the whole of Italy is on his case if things are not going well?

By 2011 Hamilton will be going into his fifth year in F1. If Alonso couldn’t deal with him when he was a rookie what is going to happen when he has 4 years experience? Ferrari and McLaren with equal cars would give a big advantage to McLaren because of the drivers.

Raikkonen has a contract for 2010. If he were to win a championship this year or look like winning one in 2010 are Ferrari going to risk de-stabilising things by signing Alonso? Also Alonso has presumably learned from the McLaren experience not to sign too early and to be absolutely certain what he is getting into.

We have heard the Alonso to Ferrari rumours for several seasons now and no doubt we will keep hearing them until he signs or retires. We were hearing ‘from good sources’ that he was definitely going to Ferrari when he had signed for McLaren. The stories are bull and are published mainly by Diario AS. These are the people lets remember who a few months ago were suggesting that Alonso and Raikkonen were going to swap drives just before Kimi signed on at Ferrari for another year. The morons at that rag thought it was possible that Kimi would choose to leave Ferrari to go to Renault. They are blind Alonso fans and have no sense of reality.

For me it has been obvious since the early part of 2007 that Lewis Hamilton is clearly the best driver o the grid and I am not the only person with that view. Remember Frank Williams’s comment. When Schumacher retired we thought we are all in with a chance and then along comes another superhuman. And he wasn’t talking about Alonso.

By: The Limit

The Limit — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:39:04 +0000

Following the events of 2007, I am sceptical of Fernando Alonso signing any contract two years ahead of time. I do not consider Alonso to be a fool, and only a fool would make the same mistake twice.
No one knows for sure what kind of carrot Ron Dennis dangled infront of Fernando’s eyes back in 2005, fresh from winning his first title with a very dominant Renault team. At the time, what did McLaren offer that Renault did not?
Renault were fast and reliable. McLaren were fast but temperamental. Alonso had a team mate well within his control, Raikkonen on the other hand had Montoya to contend with. What then, was the attraction?
The attraction, had to be the promise of complete control at McLaren, number one driver status. Dennis knew that his golden boy Raikkonen was off to Ferrari sooner rather than later, the relationship with Montoya was rapidly falling apart.
Here was the youngest champion in F1 history, its newest idol, for the taking. A man who had made no secret of his desire to race with the McLaren brand, Aryton Senna’s team, his boyhood hero.
For Ferrari to claim Alonso, then nothing short of total devotion will do. All the great drivers need this in a team, even Schumacher and Senna, the ability to dictate, the assumption that they will get the best of everything in the team.
For Alonso to go to Ferrari, one driver has to go. The pundits are putting money on Raikkonen, but what of Felipe Massa?
The Brazilian won many hearts over last year at Ferrari for his performances and dignity. He is well liked, well respected, and has powerfull connections within Maranello.
If Massa stays onboard, and Raikkonen goes, will Massa be content playing second fiddle in a team that he took to within one point of a championship?
Everybody remembers Alonso’s boast in Japan, that he ‘would do everything to help Massa’ in his fight with Hamilton. We all assumed that this was just Fernando trying to unnerve Lewis and McLaren, but it can be also one way for Fernando to curry favour with a prospective team mate and team.
When Michael Schumacher announced at Monza in 2006 that he was leaving, nobody was surprised. It was the worst secret in modern F1 history. I am convinced that Alonso, sometime in his career, will drive for the prancing horse. At whose expense, is anybodys guess?

By: K

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:16:30 +0000

A guy like Falv? What an egotistical, sexist, millionaire playboy? They’re everywhere in Formula 1.

By: Lady Snowcat

Lady Snowcat — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:48:38 +0000

No-one has answered the point that Fernando needs a guy in charge that is like Flav….

Stephano is not that guy… and he is Ferrari born and bred….

Sorry but they are not at all well suited… and that pairing would not make for a team of happy campers… and we know what happens when Fernando is not ‘appy…

By: beneboy

beneboy — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:09:57 +0000

the problem that Red Bull and Toyota have is that both their drivers are recognized number twos lol

Ha Ha Ha !
Quality mate, if a little harsh on Mark Webber (maybe).

As far as I see it it was Alonso’s job to go out there and bring home the results, Hamilton’s job was the same. The only time Hamilton should have stopped racing Alonso is if Hamilton could no longer win the Championship & Alonso could. That never happened, the fact that Kimi ended up beating them is irrelevant, while they both had the opportunity to win they should both be allowed to try.
By your logic Massa should have conceded to Kimi this season & let him go for the Championship as Kimi was the reigning Champion, this would have been madness as Massa was always in the fight and the fact that he ultimately lost out to Lewis doesn’t change anything.

Don’t get me wrong mate, I love Schumi and I’ve yet to find a new “favourite” to replace him since he retired. I also loved watching him annihilate the competition, the way he drove those Ferraris was amazing to see.

I still stand by the fact that I’ve enjoyed watching the last season more than many others in the last 10-15 years, the fight for the lead & the Championship is the most important fight on the track.

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one though, after all it’s a matter of preference. You’d like to see Alonso in a Ferrari & I don’t, I doubt we’ll ever change each others minds (especially if you’re as stubborn as me).

By: K

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:47:13 +0000

Also most teams currently and throughout F1 history have had a recognized number 1 driver. Hamilton at McLaren, Kubica at BMW, Alonso at Renault, Vettel at STR, Rosberg at Williams, Fisichella at Force India, the problem that Red Bull and Toyota have is that both their drivers are recognized number twos lol.

By: K

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:38:29 +0000

I agree with Keith, my original point was that Ron brought Alonso to McLaren to win the championship and that it wasn’t exactly cricket to let Hamilton get in the way of that especially since he didn’t actually bring home the bacon.

I was (am?) actually a Schumi fan as opposed to a Ferrari fan and let me tell you there was nothing I enjoyed more than watching the greatest F1 driver making history. It wasn’t boring for me it was a privilege to be able to witness such a master in his life time. Besides you can have a good race without having a change of leader, there are 20 or so other cars out there you just need a good production team to make the most of it.

By: beneboy

beneboy — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:36:45 +0000

I’m with Keith on this one K, the idea of Alonso playing second fiddle to Hamilton just doesn’t cut it with me.
Ron would not pay so much to bring Alonso into the team only to have him there making up the numbers.

Ron & Lewis’s relationship may be a very close one due to their history together but as far as I could see both drivers were given an equal opportunity to win that season.

Your analysis of the Schumi-Ferrari relationship is spot on K but Ferrari are no longer that team that are plodding along in the midfield, they are arguably the most dominant team in the sport today and along with McLaren are the joint favourite to win for the next few seasons.
They no longer need a dominant driver who gets all of the support, they should be giving both drivers a chance to compete until such time that one can no longer win the championship.

As a Ferrari fan the last season was one that I enjoyed a lot more than a few of the ones Schumi dominated. For a lot of races we had two cars fighting for the win and until the last couple of races they were left to fight it out amongst themselves (and Lewis).
I’d rather see two good drivers racing each other within the team than one being handed all of the wins.

I don’t want to sound like some sort of idealist but I watch F1 to see exciting racing and while I do want Ferrari to win everything I don’t want it at the expense of the racing.

The Schumacher years were a great time for many Ferrari fans as we finally got the success we’d wanted after a lifetime of waiting (literally, I was born in 1979) but I’d hate to go back to processional & predictable racing that we got so often at that time.