Alonso in doubt for first race of season

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Fernando Alonso may miss the opening race of 2015 following his crash in testing on Sunday.

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Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more.

Fernando Alonso not certain to race in F1 opener after crash in testing (The Guardian)

"I can’t see any reason why he won’t race in Melbourne but I’m not the doctor."

Massa: Proved we are in fight (Sky)

"I think we needed to prove that we are there in the fight, we don’t know how much with Mercedes, but to the others I think we are there."

Toro Rosso is 'brand new' for last test (Autosport)

Final test updates still to come - Kimi (ESPN)

"More or less the car was the same, we are going to get some (updates) but not for today. Hopefully for tomorrow."

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Comment of the day

A neat summary of the reaction to Carmen Jorda’s appointment as a test driver for Lotus:

I can’t help but wonder whether giving female drivers with such appalling records a chance harms the image of women in motorsport more than it helps.

Still, good luck to her, and hopefully it turns out she has the necessary skill set to be a tester.
Neil (@Neilosjames)

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On this day in F1

Happy 50th birthday to Pedro Chaves, who made 13 attmpts to pre-qualify the dreadful Coloni in 1991 and failed every single time. Only one driver can lay claim to a more frustrating record than that – Claudio Langes, who the year before turned up 14 times with EuroBrun and never made it into qualifying proper.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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76 comments on “Alonso in doubt for first race of season”

  1. Mitch Evans has just gone up an entire level in my book.

    1. Yeah. I imagine he’ll get some stick for it, but the fact is he’s (and many others are) far more qualified for that position than she is.

      Then again I suppose it underlines how little use there is for test/support drivers these days, that a decent team feel they can put any old driver in there.

    2. As a woman I want a female driver representative that I can feel will help advance the cause for a women in F1, but so far I don´t see neither Susy, nor Carmen will do this. If anything looks like Carmen is less qualified than Susie.

      And as far as Evan´s tweet goes, I have seem worst from other drivers, and the comments from fans in Spanish media are in the major part not that positive.

      1. EnglishSwissBulldog
        27th February 2015, 9:01

        You’re wrong and right. A ’cause for women’ doesn’t really exist unless there are artificial barriers put in the way of one type of person or another (females, for example). If F1 is preventing women’s progress because of their DNA when they show clear ability to compete at the sharp end, that’s a cause for justice, and that’s universal.

        But, Formula One, unlike almost any other sport, isn’t like that. If any woman out there were good enough to race and win, she’d be in. This woman is there because she’s a woman, it seems, but, even so, however you get there, by hook or by crook, you will be tested in the end.

        I don’t care if the whole grid and every garage are made up solely of women if they are the best at what they do; couldn’t give a fig.

        I’m sure you’re correct that there may have been more moronic interventions via Twits than this chinless wonder Mitch Evans has produced that have come from other petulant, sniping also-rans within the sport (we’ve certainly seen the string of verbalised girlie hissy-fits from Webber during the twilight of his career), but Evan’s poor judgement in making what he thinks is a joke still smacks mainly of sour grapes and the tendency of a coward to pick a moment that he thinks exposes him to the least threat when he feels like impressing his mates with a dab of bullying.

        I doubt, very much, that this sort of belittlement would be directed at someone with much weight behind him. I doubt he’d Twit, or even notice, a male who got the same level of work with the same record behind him. If he’s bothered by the apparent sexist favouritism that has got her where she is, he should have the guts and grace to say so clearly.

        However she got there, she got there. She’s a test driver, and it’s simply not the done thing to comment generally, especially to a personal account, on such appointments. The distinction here is that she’s a woman, not that her record is crap – which, undoubtedly, it is. If I’m wrong about that and this Evans fellow trawls through the detail of other people’s lives and careers in an effort to find something about which to be a bitch, then I’ve done him a disservice. But I’d suggest, in any case, he gets on with his own career in the hope that he doesn’t become another Webber: always blaming someone else for his stunted ability and success.

        Although I abhor the Lefty dogma that arms bien pensants with epithets that grenade a debate clean of all its rationality and objectivity, misogyny, if it exists, exists in this tiny event created by this tiny man.

      2. I think at least Suzie is in the ball park. I mean, yeah, she’s no Alonso. But put her against Ericson and I wouldn’t know who to bet on.

        1. Actually, it’d be Suzie.

          1. So Susie and Carmen got there because they are women?

            How did Ericsson, Chilton, Maldonado etc. get their seats in F1?

            Is there any real difference?

          2. I claim not to be sexist, but they have your attention and that’s what they want. Money from sponsors. The Maldos and such did just that as well. I’m sure there are people more qualified.

    3. @bradley13 Clearly he comes from the Mark Webber school of straight talking. At least he’s not a PR robot like the rest of them!

    4. And that kids is why this is not championing women in motorsport as such an appointment should, rather the opposite, and showing that F1 is now more than ever a breeding ground for pathetic marketing gimmicks. What the hell, let the old man have his wish and start putting artificial rain over the tracks to spice up the racing. This, kids, is the start of the prequel to the movie Death Race.

    5. @celeste you seem to imply that because you’ve seen worse from other drivers it makes his more acceptable?

      @tomcat173 please, mark webber is straight talking; evan’s comment reads as churlish, immature and hints at being misogynistic. Not something I associate with mark webber.

      @bradley13 I’d assume given your support of evan’s view then if someone offered you an opportunity to progress dramatically in your life goals, you would turn it down and let someone else do it?

      The hypocrisy and double standards displayed at times like this is staggering.

      I just hope the people who put forward these views don’t end up having children who have to endure people telling them what they can or cannot achieve.

      I’m not keen on pay drivers myself or people gifted positions they don’t deserve, but its only once I’ve seen their performance in that role that I can draw an informed decision.

      1. The hypocrisy and double standards displayed at times like this is staggering.

        100% Agreed.

        There’s a driver who is without doubt one of the worst drivers ever to be promoted to an F1 position. People who are more qualified (by a margin) understandably get annoyed and critise that decision.

        Then people like you come along and play the sexism card even though the situation is exactly the opposite.

        This driver does not receive critisicm because she is a woman. This driver is the worst possible choice for the job and only got the job because she is a woman.

        THAT is sexist and misogynistic.

        1. Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
          27th February 2015, 10:02

          well said @dh1996

        2. one of the worst drivers ever to be promoted to an F1 position.

          …. Yeeeaaahhh no.

          1. @mike: not saying she is THE worst, but she won’t be far off. Even guys like Nissany managed to win single seater races.

      2. @jason101 – Of course not. But it’s clear from one and a half seasons of GP3 that she is absolutely hopeless. I simply admire the honesty with which Evans comment has been posted with. It’s nice not to see everyone at this level of motorsport is – or is on their way to becoming – a PR robot.

      3. @jason101 well I have nothing against good old sarcasm and just because she is a woman we shouldn’t overlook how terrible she is and how this move is obviously a PR call for Lotus.

      4. People don’t have a problem with the driver that accepted a fantastic offer, the problem people have is with the team who gave the job to somebody unqualified simply because she will look good in advertisements.

    6. Richie Stanaway’s reaction was similar. Even if it is just sour grapes (both Kiwis have not managed to get into F1 so far despite their strong junior records), drivers should feel free to speak their mind so there is nothing wrong about that.

      However, I do not remember having read similar comments from fellow drivers when e.g. Rodolfo Gonzalez was announced as a Marussia reserve driver and later participated in two free practice sessions. If Stanaway and Evans do not dare to criticize slow male drivers but are mocking a slow female driver now, then it is sexism and it is not very courageous.

      Moreover, would these two really want to be in Jorda’s place? That is, would they want to spend their time working “closely with the team on an intensive simulator programme in Enstone” with no hope of even getting to drive the car? Yes, F1’s financial model (which makes teams to hire pay drivers) is broken and promising young drivers have every right to feel aggrieved when they see Maldonado, Ericsson or Stevens racing in F1, while they have to watch the sport on TV. But the fact that Jorda will spend some time in Lotus’ simulator does not affect their chances to get F1 race seats in any way.

      1. @girts:

        If Stanaway and Evans do not dare to criticize slow male drivers but are mocking a slow female driver now, then it is sexism

        No. Just no.

        1. @mattds Could you please elaborate?

          Rodolfo Gonzalez, Ma Qinghua, Vladimir Arabdzhiev, Adderly Fong, Roy Nissany and several other drivers, who do not deserve to be even in GP2, GP3 or FR3.5 on merit have been testing F1 cars during the last years, yet their fellow drivers did not pay attention to it. Now that a hopeless female driver is appointed as the development driver of a midfield team, they are suddenly making fun of it.

          1. That still does not imply sexism. Maybe she is the final drop in the bucket that makes it all overflow. This process of putting unworthy drivers in an F1 car (or associating them with F1 teams) has been accelerating the past few years and maybe Jorda is the one too many.

            I’m not saying it’s fair on her. It isn’t, it’s harsh. It’s normal for her to be excited and to want this. But criticism is justified and I can certainly understand what is being said.

            But it still doesn’t mean sexism is implied. At most it’s a reaction to “positive sexism” used by Lotus (not sure if that is a correct term but I think you’ll understand – something like positive discrimination).

    7. Nothing like a female racing driver for bringing the misogynists out of the closet.

      1. @red-andy I wish people, like you, would stop yelling “misogyny” in instances like this. There isn’t even the slightest hint in that tweet, nor in @bradley13 ‘s post. If you think there is, then you’ll need to explain how and why that is because as it stands I don’t think you understand what misogyny actually is.

        Evans didn’t send out that tweet because he hates women. Nor because he thinks women do not belong in F1. He sent it out because Carmen Jorda has been awful for years.

        Her gender doesn’t play a part in this. It is not mysogynistic.

        1. @mattds Do you think Evans would have been so publicly disrespectful towards a male driver in the same position as Jorda?

          No way of knowing for sure, but I suspect not.

          1. @red-andy there certainly isn’t anything in his tweet to infer that from.

            Speaking for myself, I have just about the same idea as Evans – this sounds very much like a joke. And that is not because the appointed driver is a women, but because the appointed driver has been awful. No misogyny from my part so I don’t see why it would be implied for Evans either.

          2. @red-andy I’ve answered your previous comment and then I see this.

            Mitch Evans wouldn’t have had the option to be ” disrespectful” to a male driver of comparable ability to Jorda since such a driver would never be considered for such a role in the first place irrespective of how deep the pockets are. Btw, did Evans, or anyone else make a similar comment when De Silvestro got the role in Sauber last year? No?

            Also, this “disrespectful” part warrants a comment. Who is the disrespectful one?! If Jorda, cannot understand herself how hopelessly useless she is, and seriously dreams of getting a real role in F1, then it’s her who is disrespectful. Disrespectful to F1, to motorsport in general and most of all to herself. A pity someone close to her hadn’t done anything to put her straight, then, long ago.

            I’m all for women in motorsport and in every other form of endeavour getting equal opportunity. But I’m against women with no skills get promoted just because they’re women. I guess that makes me a misogynist…

          3. @red-andy not even if the driver was Spike Goddard (and since myself and Spike are both Australians, that comment means a little more for that reason), Roy Nissany or even Kimita Sato. Now they have all had F1 tests before (Force India, Sauber and Sauber) and Lotus are big on money strapped kids thanks to their debt so all three of those drivers are appealing in that sense

          4. @red-andy

            Do you think Evans would have been so publicly disrespectful towards a male driver in the same position as Jorda?

            I see no reason to assume he would be. I don’t know why you do.

  2. @fer-no65 Looking at the Ferrari in that tweet I do see what the difference is. This looks good under this light :D

    It was already a known possibility that he might miss the first race, which obviously isn’t good. I’m presuming Magnussen would take his place under this circumstance?

    1. @strontium see? i wasn’t crazy ! :P

  3. 3 seasons in GP3 – ZERO points. LOL. Forget pay drivers, Carmen is purely a marketing tool.

    Props to Evans, that tweet was hilarious!

    1. Indeed. In my book, Susie Wolff is not a good bet but she’s much better than Carmen. Much better.

  4. I’m surprised Gary Hartstein hasn’t piped up on the Alonso issue yet, unless Keith has finally decided he’s not worth the space in the roundup.

    1. He has on twitter.
      “Don’t know what the story is with this non-accident, with a non-injured driver who spends two days in hospital.

      “No doubt there is more to this story than meets the eye. By definition a successful sedation yesterday would require absolutely no recovery per se today.

      “A story, which was so banal to not be worth mentioning (driver hits wall, driver concussed, driver hospitalised), gets curiouser and curiouser.”

      1. I’m struggling to understand Alonso’s situation, not being a doctor I though it was normal but when docs themselves can’t see any reason for special care it really baffles me.

        I just hope Nando is healthy and races in Australia.

    2. @george Why would Keith ‘finally decide’ Hartstein wasn’t worth quoting or reading? He offers valuable insight into being a medicine man in Motorsport.
      Yes, he’s got an axe to grind against the FIA, but his analysis of Schumacher’s accident has been more eye opening than any guff put out in official channels.

      1. @optimaximal Hartstein has plenty of axes to grind, not just the one…

  5. Someone said to me that Alonso has not look that well during the winter. After he said that, I started looking around for pictures of him before the crash and, don’t ask me why, I also found him like not 100%, a bit “off”…

    Might be Captain Hindsight.

    1. You can’t really tell since we don’t get to see them on a daily basis. Might be haircut, beard, anything…
      Last year, when I saw Lewis with a different haircut and possibly less weight, I thought he looked really weird and a bit “off”. But apparently, there was nothing wrong with him.

    2. I did notice that too, but I don’t know whether it is a health issue or if Alonso was just depressed overall by realizing what he’d gotten himself into…From one mess to another, and the mess he left behind doesn’t seem a mess anymore…

  6. Ferrari using a ‘thinner’ coat of paint to make the car lighter?

    1. Different batch/mix of blood in the paint . . .

      1. Haha, there was lots of blood around at Ferrari with all the heads that have been rolling!

  7. Ron Dennis gives a press conference today specifically, without doubt, categorically stating Alonso did NOT suffer from concussion. This is 100% in complete, categorical contrast with the statement issued by rons own company just days earlier. Where are all the supporters of mclarens press statements, the ones who claimed mclarens statement to be truth as if written in stone, the ones bashing those who could smell a lie and calling names like conspiracy theorist. It was easy to the high road on Tuesday, today is Thursday and the only conspiracy theorist left standing are those that believe mclaren. To those that could smell a lie a Ron Dennis mile away, I salute you.

  8. The new Ferrari looks a little darker, closer to that 80s and early 90s dark, almost blood red. I like it.

    If they got rid of those white parts, it’d be even better. Make them black or just all red.

    1. It’s a joke on the internet about a dress that appears as different colors to different people. The ferrari hasn’t changed at all.

  9. Williams is looking good and I just hope Renault adds that extra power to put Red Bull up-front. Ferrari looks better too, my big question is: how much did Mercedes improve?

    I’m hoping 2015 will be more competitive at the front and at least two teams will be fighting for poles at every venue and three teams should have a shot at winning races under normal conditions. #fingerscrossed.

  10. A friend of mine posted this on a other side and i decided to sheer it.

    Ron’s mind right now –>> Damn, they told me this voltage will get him.. hmm, next time Fernando, next time.

    Alonso’s mind –>> Last time it was illegal possession of documents, try to screw me this time old man, and it it will be an attempted murder charge on you

    JB / KM’s mind –>> God, pls make Ron remember my helmet colour and car number. Or shall I drive without my helmet to avoid any confusion…

    1. @koosoos – no helmet changes allowed… Coincidence? (Cue spooky music.)

      1. lol, Luckly the season has not started so they can still changes. Ron beter get him before the season for there health

  11. I bet Honda is happy with all this attention focused on Alonso’s mysterious ailment instead of their own.

  12. Have to agree with Evan’s sarcasm here…btw Louts, if you really want a great female driver in F1, just give a call to Simona de Silvestro, she’s better than a couple of them already in there…

    1. Finally!!! Someone who sees Simona’s talent!!!

  13. Yup you definitely shouldn’t sleep on the wheel Fernando!

  14. Like i said in a commentary that may be wasnt published i think, i didnt check it later. Alonso == Mansell 2. Same conditions money (make them sign with McLaren) and hate to the boss (Dennis). A bad car. Same eyebrows (lol). Wont start first race/races of the year, they know they have bad car and may be quit like Mansell. And if u like dates, it will be the 20st anyversary of Mansell quitting McLaren, after few races. I see Alonso like Mansell 2.

    1. I don’t think Alonso’s being a drama queen, it’s just all the people around him and reporting on him. Never mind, Kevin Magnussen’s got a great record at Melbourne…

      There’s echoes of the previous year 1994 too – a new engine that’s miles off being ready, a multiple champion tests the car but doesn’t get to race it. There was a happy ending in Brazil 1994 though, when they put a man on the podium. Not so lucky for their last-minute stand-in in the second McLaren though – Brundle ended up with Verstappen, in his first Grand Prix, bouncing off his head. I hope that bit doesn’t repeat itself!

      1. Yes. May be history repeats, may be nop. We will see.

    2. I think Mansell’s issue was more to do with the fact that he didn’t even fit in the car properly, never mind the underpowered Peugeot and the weird aero. I’ll bet my last sou that the MP4/30 turns out to be 10 times better than the MP4/10.

      Button 100+ laps today. They’re on their way (at last).

  15. Is Teflon Fred not racing in Melbourne because of his injury or because his McLaren is injured ?

  16. Take the name of any sponsor on any car (excluding Red Bull) and ask: ‘Do they have the pedigree to deserve to be in F1 or have they just paid to be there?’

    That is the same as the decision to have Carmen Jorda associated with the team. From her record you have to assume she is woefully under qualified to have any driving role in F1. But she is marketable, and Lotus need money to fight on the grid.

    Saying she doesn’t belong in F1 and calling this a joke isn’t misogynistic, hiring her in the first place is the misogyny as using someone so blatantly unqualified is like saying women have nothing to offer the sport other than being a pretty face that can bring in money.

  17. Harsh but true for Mitch there, with the 2012 GP3 champion clearly frustrated by the stagnation of is career, a sentiment I’m sure Tio Ellinas and Felix Rosenqvist would echo.

    Carmen Jorda is unfortunately the slowest driver of topflight single seater racing, without question, and the driver, if performance was the sole parameter in driver promotion, that would prop up the preference list. Her promotion is a step forward for the world of female motorsport, no question about that, but poses no advancement for the prospect of seeing a female driver on the same footing as men. As things stand, she solely represents proof of ongoing financial issues for Lotus.

    If F1, or indeed motorsport more broadly wants to catalyze a female driver trend, the solution is simple: grass-roots support. Yes, intensive support for women as they climb the motorsports ladder may see the purists harking “artificial!”, but it appears to me that only one women needs to succeed to break down preconceptions and open up aspirations. The sooner this happens the sooner we can stop being served conveniently pretty “feminist heroines” who serve little greater purpose than to ensure female motorsport remains marginalized.

  18. We can’t say if Evans is a misogynistic person. From this tweet alone, this cannot be ascertained to any degree whatsoever, and anybody trying to do that is really clutching at straws.
    I am disgusted with Lotus. There are lots of drivers out there with more talent than she has, some of them might even bring a bit of money with them as well. But to dig into the depths of GP3 (almost literally) and take the least inspiring driver is just wrong.
    This proves two things: 1. The development driver role is a sham in which case it’s not good news for Vergne (however, the extent of the role may vary from team to team)
    2. Even the worst single seater racers are not immune to such promotions.
    To her credit, Wolff has fared admirably in the few opportunities she has got. My expectations were lower. It could be that Jorda too, might surprise me if she ever gets a chance to drive an F1 car in a collective test session, but I can’t see it happening.
    A final point, I would like to address @girts ‘s comment from yesterday.

    Jorda might not be a good race driver but it is good that people are getting used to seeing female drivers in F1.

    That’s looking at Jorda only as a female racer. When people who normally don’t follow F1, will learn of her achievements, they might begin to think that it’s not possible for women to drive as fast as men. Jorda as F1’s female representative shows the women of motorsport in very poor light. Let’s face it, Jorda’s not just ‘not a good race driver’. She’s terrible. She has shown no signs of improvement and really is in a league of her own on most occasions in GP3 (in a bad way). And it’s not good that people should get used to see drivers with so few achievements reach F1.

    It is true that female drivers should get their seats on merit but I do not think it is ever going to happen if F1 is seen as a men’s world.

    The second point is off the mark as well. Beitske Visser was forced to cope with an unprecedented leap from ADAC Formel Masters (now German F4) to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014. She did relatively well given that, and the fact that she’s made it this far on merit certainly doesn’t make F1 a ‘men’s world’ only. The problem could be at the grassroots, we do not have enough female karters. We do not have enough female single seater racers. But the ones that are there, when they do perform well, are given due recognition and just rewards, not dissimilar from their male counterparts in the same financial level.

    1. @wsrgo

      The problem could be at the grassroots, we do not have enough female karters. We do not have enough female single seater racers.

      Exactly but what can be done to increase the number of female karters / single seat racers? Girls are not going to start kart racing (and their parents are not going to support it) if they watch F1 on TV and see only boys there because the message is “this is only for boys” even if that is not the case. If they see female test/ development drivers in F1 garages and read about them in the news, it might help to change the perception. Hardcore fans like us might know about the likes of Visser but most F1 fans will most probably never hear of them, which is why it is good if F1 brings female racers into spotlight.

      As for her skills, it is not like Lotus have just announced that Grosjean is going to be replaced by Jorda. There is a huge difference between hiring a terrible female race driver and hiring a terrible female simulator driver. I cannot understand why fans are angry at Lotus if it is well-known that development/ test/ reserve driver roles do not have much to do with driving these days anyway. However, I agree with Marc Priestley that it would be better if Gonzalez, Jorda, Wolff etc. were officially called “F1 ambassadors” or “promotional drivers”, that would only be fair.

      1. @girts

        If they see female test/ development drivers in F1 garages and read about them in the news, it might help to change the perception.

        Yes, but the neutral person will see that the only two women in the F1 paddock have almost nil achievements with respect to their male counterparts. They may thus formulate the idea in mind that women are simply not as fast as men, which is a wrong notion.
        And yes, I agree with Priestley’s idea, it’s a travesty that Jorda is to Lotus what Vergne is to Ferrari, at least in terms of their post. ‘F1 ambassador’ sounds like a good term to use.
        I find it strange how it is always the bad drivers who manage to get their hands on cash. Who funds these people? And why are so many good drivers forced to leave single seaters because of a shortage of money? Why, of all the female racers in single seaters (I know there aren’t too many apart from Jorda, Powell, Calderon, Richardson, Hawkins, Cerruti and Visser), that the worst among them has to be the richest as well?

        1. @wsrgo I am not sure how much attention the average F1 fan pays to the junior records of the drivers, particularly if we are NOT talking about the race drivers. For instance, I did not pay much attention to it when I was younger (I was watching every F1 race but not checking F1 news every day). On the other hand, now we have Wikipedia and “everyone” has a smartphone and a Twitter acount so perhaps these things have changed. Anyway, several people congratulated Jorda on her new job on Twitter / FB (she has 13621 fans on FB :)) so the perception of the news has not been entirely negative so far.

          But I absolutely agree with you that there are other female drivers, who would deserve this promotion more and it is really a pity that F1’s financial model is so flawed. Let us hope that the new super licence points system in combination with a better leadership of the sport (yet to come) will lead to more justice and more equality in F1.

    2. @wrsgo I’m not sure if it is a question of…

      There are lots of drivers out there with more talent than she has

      …and more of a question as to who has less who has driven in the upper echelons of single seater racing. Ricardo Teixeira (development driver for the other Lotus Team)? No, he only tended to be three seconds off the pace, not five. Yann Cunha? Daniël de Jong? Vladimir Arabadzhiev? Jason Tahincioglu? Nah, none are as bad as GP3’s perennial Luca Badoer…

  19. Evans’ tweet could be better-worded I think. I’m sure he didn’t mean to say “women should not be test drivers, because reasons”, but I see where do people that believe so may come from. Good to see him being honest and upfront about his opinion though.

    About Jorda herself – the only thing I remember about her is seeing her being miles off the pace at Hockenheim last year, qualifying last and DNF’ing after getting into gravel trap at Mobil 1. She doesn’t really the necessary speed to race competetively by the looks of it, but let’s hope that she’s actually a safe enough pair of hands to do good as a test driver.

    1. doesn’t really have the necessary*

  20. Now come on guys, she did finish 29th in GP3 last year. :/

  21. Thanks for the birthday shout-out @keithcollantine
    Although I comment very little on this site, rest assured that I keep on checking it everyday

  22. What a miserable pre-season this is turning out to be for McLaren. Hopefully Alonso’s concussion is nothing to compromise him long term. I imagine the car won’t start to come into its own until about mid-season. Until then it’ll be all about working out the kinks.

    1. Alonso did not suffer from a concussion. Unfortunately for f1f readers the article Keith linked to seems to be the only one that fails to quote Ron about the concussion statements. Check around the Internet though, Ron went into some detail about there being no evidence of concussion. Just for the record that is contradicting statements from mclaren in under 3 days. You know, mclaren, the company with nothing to hide.

  23. As much as I would like to see a woman in F1 they shouldn’t be there unless they are on a par with the guys. They need to prove their worth in the lower formulas .There are some pretty useless male drivers had/ have seats due to being able to pay for their drive.

  24. Latest news in spain are saying that Alonso wants to know the real reason of why he had an accident. He is not convinced by McLaren explanations. And that can be the first breakup with McLaren once again since reunited for second time. Spanish channel that broadcast the f1 series.
    But in my opinion or Mclaren is lying or spanish press is lying. I dont trust spanish press because they have too much “creativity” giving news. But what its clear that can be true. Because sometimes looks like they have direct access to alonsos environment. His manager or somebody could have filter that to pressure McLaren. If its real this new; this can be the beginning of Mansell 2. Everybody taking shape in that direction. Will he quit before the end of the season? We will see…

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