Alonso not happy to be sixth with new wing

2011 Korean Grand Prix

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Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Korea, 2011

Fernando Alonso was unhappy after qualifying sixth for the Korean Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver has been out-qualified by his team mate four times in the last six races.

Speaking to reporters after qualifying he said he was: “Not extremely happy.

“Obviously we were not quick enough today with dry conditions. We saw immediately that the McLarens were quick in FP3 and qualifying as well. And Red Bull, no surprises, they are quicker than us.

“So between this combination we are fighting for fifth and sixth. Today I’m sixth.

“Hopefully tomorrow we can repeat the performance that we did on Sunday in Suzuka. Normally on Saturday we struggle a little bit, on Sunday we normally improve. So hopefully tomorrow’s a good Sunday.”

Alonso wouldn’t be drawn on questions over whether his new front wing – which Felipe Massa is not using – was an improvement.

But he said tyre degradation had so far proved to be not as great as they feared:

“Not bad, I think the tyres were a nice surprise this morning in the long runs. They didn’t degrade as we expected. So maybe the race, in terms of pit stops, is going to be than what we thought before coming here.

“But for sure the degradation will be high.”

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    Keith Collantine
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    42 comments on “Alonso not happy to be sixth with new wing”

    1. Stop complaining you are the best driver

      1. he isnt complaining he is reporting what happened.

        do you want a blank press release instead?

        likes of fernando/lewis and co are damned if they do damned if they dont by some fans.

        we want to know what happened and he has told us.

        1. likes of fernando/lewis and co are damned if they do damned if they dont by some fans.

          Too true.

          we want to know what happened and he has told us.

          Well, apart from the question about the front wing.

    2. Ah, he would have been happier sixth with the old wing… tee hee.

      Seriously though, it’s Alonso. I think he’s the most intelligent F1 driver ever. I know he has a plan. Hope it works. :)

      1. Ermmmm, “one of the most” *

      2. Ah, he would have been happier sixth with the old wing… tee hee.

        Possibly! :D

      3. Hm, he might have been happier with that indeed @alex-bkk as bringing a new part that makes you go slower means the development is not paying off, while using the old wing would have kept up hope new developments could actually improve the car for you.

      4. Thats a good point, Alonso is a very clever driver. Don’t count him out for the race tomorrow.

    3. I’m not happy either Fernando

    4. “The Ferrari driver has been out-qualified by his team mate four times in the last six races”

      Has Felipe upped his game? Is Alo going through a little quali slump or is he just experimenting for next year?

      1. Maybe a mix of all of that. But he seems to be looking forward to doing better in the race tomorrow.

      2. Felipe has improved in qualifying @Steph, although most times it was due to Alonso making a mistake and not improving in his second Q3 run – that means Felipe isn’t maing mistakes. In the race he has usually been good, I hope he gets a podium before the end of the season.

        1. Alonso has had a few bad qually performances. He probably would have been fifth had he made his last lap. Guess that’s what he gets for pushes above what the car is worth.

          1. he sets the car up for the race too. which is ferrari strength. like in suzuka.

        2. Massa, in the old days, was usually very fast in one lap. He is coming back, in that sense. His main problem seems to be physically now, as he has been losing pace in the second half of the race.

          1. the only reason m assa was fast in one lap before was the qualifying rules allowed him to be 2-4 laps lighter than everyone. His race pace was always bad.

            1. Actually, he, many times, had the qualifying pace of Schumi (2006) and Kimi (2007-2009).

          2. You’re 100% right, you’d think there would be no extra motivation to be super fit but he isn’t fit enough!

      3. Trenthamfolk (@)
        15th October 2011, 15:23

        It doesn’t really matter. Massa will just pull over and let chin man drive past anyway… I feel so sorry for all you Massa fans, if there are any of you out there any more…

    5. I really feel for Fernando,Being 1.1secs for pole & out-qualified by his team-mate is most certainly what he & Ferrari had in mind,he looked quite subdue in his interview as well completely unlike Fernando.

      Im hoping for him to have another lighting Start is definitely what Fernando wants & will once again attempt to deliver,Hopefully getting amongst at least a McLaren & Red Bull will be extreme satisfactory

    6. He pretty much said it all. Sure Alonso can push the car beyond its usual capabilities for long periods of the race but maybe preserving tyres and trying to make a stop less is a better way since the Ferrari looks quite a bit off the pace.
      Its nice to see Massa in good shape, back in the day he was a very good qualifyer, he seems to be back on form in that regard. A trouble free race for him and he could finish directly behind Alonso (sad that thats the best result one can expect).

      1. Yarp, it’s a classic!

    7. Massa world champion 2012 for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. I love the “for sure’ at the end. Massa begins every sentence with those 2 words. lol..oh wait..you are Massa..

      2. @ferrari_412t You’re certainly optimistic!

    8. Alonso explains why he didn’t answer questions on the front wing in Ferrari’s press release: “I don’t like talking about individual components; on the one hand I think that’s a job for the engineers, on the other, I prefer to share my opinions about it only with the team.”

      1. very polite isnt it?

    9. Fernando Alonso is a great driver but I think that that Ferrari is a massive let down. Last year he nearly did the impossible and that’s why he is the driver I respect one of the most. No-one believed him when he said he could win the 2010 Drivers World Championship but he nearly did it. Never count out this man.

      If Fernando Alonso was in a Red Bull or even a McLaren then he would have definitely been winning most of the races. He drives the wheels off any car he is given and that’s why I salut him and for the new front wing, if he can’t get any higher than 6th then I think that they’re are hardly any of would have been higher than 6th in that car with that wing.

    10. I just hope he doesn’t pile it into the back of Webber at the start, he’s rabbit quick and Web can’t find 1st… I think he’ll be lucky to finish on the podium.

      1. The other thing Fernando has is lightning fast reflexes, he’s good at darting around moving chicanes so my guess is, that wont be a problem.

        But even if he vaults Webber, (and ofcourse he’s going get ahead of Massa early on) he’ll need to do something special to beat Vettel. His Suzuka drive showed he cannot be underestimated. Likewise, we might see some clever set-up ideas on Alonso’s car making a difference tomorrow.

    11. Not to worry Mr Alonso. You will finish 3rd and Massa 8th, if he is lucky.

    12. hate to break up this cosy consensus we have here, but after 2 seasons with Alonso:
      Ferrari wdc = 0
      Ferrari wcc = 0
      so far only two podiums more than 2009, the year they abandoned their campaign with ten races to go….
      Next year? McL and RB will do better at development and Vettel and Hamilton will be even faster

      1. you could also argue, that aside from vettel, alonso has scored more points than any other driver in past 2 yrs.

        so he is hardly slow lol.

        statistics can be twisted to prove anything 70% of people know that ;) lol

      2. You are forgetting the fact that all the podiums have been scored by Alonso this year and that he has taken the car much higher than it deserved. Last year he brilliantly fought back in the second half only for Ferrari’s strategists to let him down at the last hurdle. This year no one else could’ve amassed 202 points with the car he has had, and the fact he is in contention for second place in the championship despite having to compete 4 cars that are plainly faster than him proves it.

      3. Alonso is not leading the team in the right direction, as Schumi did.

    13. I think Alonso has a right to be a bit funny about the whole thing. Sure, he’s still held in the highest esteem by many after two years of top-draw driving, but a few years ago, if I had heard the names ‘Alonso’ and ‘Ferrari’ together, and no championships after 2 years I’d have been gobsmacked. This is what must be going through his mind at this stage. I’m the best driver, driving for the best team, and we can’t get above 5th in qualifying…

    14. What if this new frontwing doesn’t make him faster, but gives him one lap more per stint?

      1. good on him. if thats the case then he wont tell the world about it. it he feels the new wing is rubbish he cant say either. what is it that people want to hear?? there is no better information than his lap time, and he has come sixth. end of story, thats the way i see it

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