Alonso praises Briatore after podium

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Earlier in the weekend Fernando Alonso was doing everything he could to rebuff questions about the scandal he and Renault were embroiled in.

But having taken a fine and controversy-free third place at Singapore, Alonso decided to dedicate his podium to the pariah of the paddock, Flavio Briatore:

I dedicate this podium to Flavio – he is at home but he is part of the success we had today.
Fernando Alonso

He was also part of the success they had at this race last year. It’s as a clear a statement you could ask for that Alonso is utterly unrepentant about the way he benefitted from Nelson Piquet Jnr crashing last year on Briatore’s orders.

Will Renault’s new management choose to distance themselves from his remarks? Is this a sign Alonso is on his way out of Renault and doesn’t care what they think about him? Have your say in the comments.

Singapore Grand Prix

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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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133 comments on “Alonso praises Briatore after podium”

  1. Well, he was part of the success they had today. Saying so wasn’t very politically correct, but it is true nonetheless.

    Alonso had Briatore for a manager, and they together won two WDCs and worked together many years. I’m sure the bond is strong. We saw the same thing with Webber: he said if he couldn’t have Briatore he didn’t want anyone. I can understand that loyalty.

    1. I think what Alonso said was OK. He gets into the car and drives as fast as he can, and thats all he knows how to do. He drove fast in Singapore in 2008 and now again in 2009.
      Flavio has been good to him, and he says so – this is basic loyalty and friendship

      1. True enough. It’s also worth pointing out that Webber paid tribute to Briatore in his press conference on Thursday, but there were no cries of outrage then.

        Sorry Keith, you know I admire your work, but this is a hit piece and nothing more. Come on, you’re better than this.

        1. Listening to Flavio’s supporters they have nothing but good to say about him.

          Honest, hard but also fair…Webber in particular mentioned how good Flavio was to him, in an interview from Singapore.
          Yet I see no poison darts being fired his way.

          As Red Andy has pointed out, this is nothing more than mock raking…Have you been employed by The Mirror??? Tabloid at best!
          Keith if you have nothing worthy of writing about then don’t write anything.

    2. For me Briatore should have done the Ron Dennis thing, and held his hand up, by not doing so his stance was weak, Alonso should count his blessings that he got away with it again, I wonder what troubles his prescence at Ferrari will bring? Alonso seems to be a bit of a pariah for a team, Renault need to clean up, Alonso leaving will help…

  2. Apparently Jean-Francois Caubert, the new Renault managing director, has said the team will miss Alonso next year. More confirmation he’s leaving…

    1. As is Alonso’s statement in respect of not towing the company line in being apologetic and regretful for their associated actions last year.

      1. Oh and I lved Martin Brundells comment about Teflonso, I couldn’t believe he actually said that!!!!:)

        1. I heard him say that but I thought perhaps he had just mispronounced Alonsoor something. Brundle is the man! No wonder Alonso never seems to speak to him on the grid…

          1. No wonder Alonso never seems to speak to him on the grid…

            For the record in days of ITV Brundle was shooed away by everyone on the grid.. He is getting better treatment only in BBC days.
            I remember how Brundle ended up looking an Oaf countless number of times till last year

    2. Yeah Keith, i heard it on TF1, and it sounded more like ‘if he leaves he will be missed, and Renault will always be home for Alonso.’ not as clear cut statement that he will leave next year as it has been miss translated in the Main Stream Press…

  3. I just commented about this on a diff post. Alonso really is not showing any remorse. I don’t think he’s doing the team any good at all making those comments. I seriously don’t want Ferrari to hire him. He is a talented driver, but he seriously lacks character!

    1. They have won 2 championships together, ever heard of loyalty?

      1. Surely Alonso is showing character by not caving into the majority opinion. If he owes so much to Briatore, then it would be wrong to deny it no matter what.

        1. Exactly. Thats saying something other than “yea I had a good set up, my tiers were good, we had a good first stint, yadda yadda…”.

      2. …….mmmm mmmm…perhaps you really mean that quaint old idea that there is honour among thieves.

        Clearly so true in this case eh ?

      3. Exactly… apparently he hasn’t even heard of loyalty. It wasn’t just Alonso and Flav building a car in the back of Flav’s garage, the TEAM and Alonso won those championships together. By making that comment at this time and at this race, its a complete slap in the face to everyone else on his TEAM. I’m not saying he can’t have some loyalty to Flav too. If he wanted to show loyalty to both his former manager/team boss and the entire team of people who helped him win those championships he would have just kept silent on that issue. Praising a guy who conspired to risk the lives of the other drivers in the field, the spectators, the track marshals, etc. so that you would have a chance to win a race in a year where that win was essentially meaningless is not something worthy of praise. The Renault team wants to move forward, but things like this keep dragging it back. This was an incredibly disloyal thing to do to the TEAM that has paid him very well, designed and built two cars that won him world championships, and continues to provide him with the opportunity to reach the podium. I hope Ferrari knows what they’re getting into. Why would anyone expect him to be loyal to them when he’s showing such a complete lack of loyalty to his long-time team?

        1. He did thank the team profusely!

          1. Indeed he did, but he singled out Briatore.

        2. open your eyes, man!

        3. One doesn’t trample upon a friend just because he’s fallen. Besides we’ve not heard the last of this Piquet Crash stuff. What is however obvious is that Briatore was the intended target of the witch hunt even though Symonds and Piquet were probably the most active participants in the plot.

    2. he has nothing to be remorseful about, he did nothing wrong last year, others did and has nothing to be repentant about.

      1. He won a race because his team mate was ordered to crash to help him. Of course he has something to feel bad about, and of course he should say he doesn’t approve of that sort of thing.

        I don’t expect drivers to be saints. I don’t expect them to be role models.

        But I do expect them to have the barest modicum of integrity, that they would be appalled by the idea that their team mate would be asked to risk themselves and others by crashing to help them win a race.

        And I don’t care if they’re Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher.

        1. You clearly do though.

          1. Care to give an example?

        2. Alonso giving up the win voluntarily would bring disrepute to F1. Secondly it was Renault that won the race, they as a team should state they don’t want the win.

          1. Why do you think it would bring disrepute to F1? It’s obviously a tainted win.

          2. By giving up that tainted win, Alonso would have done himself some serious favor. It would have sky-rocketed his image. Respect for him around the world would have increased 10 folds. But he choose not to & to make matters worse, he praises & dedicates his podium to the man who brought this sport into disrespute. Flavi might have been a great man & stuff, but it was hardly the time to be praising him. Maybe after things had settled down yes! But not now, when tempers are as hot as the Red Bull brake discs.

          3. Alonso missed an opportunity for some positive PR not only for himself or Renault but also for the sport which rewards him so handsomely. I don’t want characterless drivers with no fight or spirit but respect for the supporters and fans has to come first.

          4. You have to put yourself in Alonso’s position and think, what is the right thing to do here.

            If it were me, I would say my win is tainted, keep the result anyway, and donate my winnings to charity.

            It seems like the decent thing to do, and instead he dedicates his podium to a man that has just been given a life ban from F1. Very poor form IMHO

          5. John H – that’s exactly my point.

        3. Is witness ‘x’ the even a real person?
          Or Mad Max alter ego?

  4. So it is apparent that Alonso is off to Ferrari. Does this mean Raikonenn to Mclaren, heard from Legard and Brundle that one Fin is leaving and another is joining, and they were chatting about how Kimi and Lewis will get on.

  5. Don’t see anything wrong with what fernando said, may have lacked taste but he was right. He owes a lot to Briatore anyway, yes this is bad case recently but doesn’t mean we should white wash him from f1 history.

    1. A very mature perspective.

      Unfortunately not many see things from this point of view. How many people here have had a personal relationship with Briatore that they can judge his character. Every day reading some comments on here, I am reminded of how adulterers are stoned as sinners in some Islamic states.

      1. It’s not mature just because it agrees with your perspective you know.

        I personally think he should have acknowledged that in some way at least his 2008 win was actually manufactured.

        Now i’d be very interested to know if you think that is an ‘immature perspective’ in your opinion?

        1. I agree John, how is it mature to acknowledge a friends input to your career but deny the consequences of their guilt, in what is probably one of the biggest scandals to hit any sport. Not saying he should publicly condemn Bratorie but he should accept that his win was manufactured or fixed, not insist that he felt it was rightly won.

        2. We are talking about his comments at the press conference, and by the way, you don’t know all that happened last year so just be patient and watch as things develop

      2. Yep..well said.
        It seems like most people here if there friend fell on hard times, they would kick them to the curb so as not to tarnish their own image.
        And because they would do this they expect everyone to have the same weak character trait.
        I have seem drug dealers and murders get less of a public linching than the innocent Alonso is getting!

        And now we Have PK snr in the press claiming it was Alonso that Manages Renault…
        Time to ban PK Snr along with J Stewart and N Lauder from any more public comments PLEASE!

    2. I have to agree. I don see why someone should repent something they havent done.. He benefitted from the situation that aroused out of the crash for sure.. but he never was the mastermind behind it nor did he know about it then. he went out there as he would in every other race and drove his heart out and he found himself at the top at the end of the race and i don think there is any need for him to be remorseful for tat. If anyone had to be remorseful i think it would be the team as a whole and not an individual. When a driver wins its not just that individual.. whatever happened to everyone who said it was a team sport.. Its a team victory too when a driver wins and as a team i think renault has been very remorseful of what happened and they’ve paid/paying for it thought not so much as we would have expected. But you get the point.

      1. How does that make sense? Just because he didn’t know about it at the time doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t feel bad about it! Remember Barichello moving over for Schumacher and Schumacher giving the trophy to Rubens on the podium? He obviously felt bad about being given the win!

        1. feeling bad and repentant are different things though aren’t they? He should only be repentant if he had actually done something wrong, which he hasn’t. He could have avoided the whole sordid affair in the press conference, and was given the chance by the interviewer, but choose to give his support to a man that was his friend, and had worked hard with other members for their past success. It’s called loyalty, and is considered a good quality in most circles. Mentioning Flav’s good points does not mean that he was condoning Flav’s actions. A few of Flav’s no ex drivers had kind words for him during the week for his skills as a manager. Does this mean they support what he did at Singapore? Of course not.

        2. And how do you know Alonso doesn’t feel bad about it, have you asked him personally his feelings about it all?

          1. Tbh I don’t doubt that he did feel bad about it, just look at the podium pics! He looked happier with his 3rd this year! :P

            But seriously, he hasn’t given off any kind of impression about feeling bad about it. I see what you’re getting at about them being different tho, that was just my poor english letting me down! When he defended his win however, I did find that a little distasteful, because I’m sure he wasn’t the only one with a good car who drove well that weekend, and he was gifted track position. But I’m getting off topic here.

            I just feel that its not the time to be talking about flav like that, he should let it all cool down a little first, give people time to think it over and tow the company line a little first. I agree that loyalty is a good thing, so maybe he should show some to his team eh?

          2. Much talk about Fernando’s comments and decorum here.

            If I follow what most of you have said, does this mean that Nico Rosberg should renounce his 2nd place from last year? He too benefitted from the crash, so did everybody else who finished in the upper echelons of the points!. Fernando didnt have anything to do with the conspiracy, the team told him to drive, he drove, they tells him to pit, he pits. Thats what the strategists in the team get paid to do, Fernando gets paid to drive round the track.

            I find what Fernando said about Flavio very refreshing. We always see F1 drivers with their squeky clean PR driven non-commitent comments, but he’s gone out and said what he felt he had to say, he couldnt care less if the world hates him more…now thats character..call it pariah, immoral or whatever else, the man has a right to free speech.

            Although what Renault did were in general contradiction with the code of sportmanship as a whole, Flavio and Fernando are friends, a friendship that goes a long way back. Fernando would not have been where he is now without Flavio’s guidance..so the man stood up for his friend although he was in the wrong..haven’t any of us ever done that?

            The whole world is upset because Fernando didn’t say what we expected him to say. He spoke his mind, which is a rarity in all sports these days…that for me is character enough…Now you know why he doesn’t win as many fans as Lewis.

            Kudos to you Fernando

  6. and again, full of ham’s fanboys comments…
    pathetic…

    1. even Keith!

      1. Hamilton isn’t relevant here and I haven’t said anything about him.

    2. Are they not entitled to voice an opinion, I know a lot of them are biased ramblings, and some of the time actually factualy inaccurate, but they have a right to voice their support when their guy does well. And for the record Hamilton was the best driver with the best equipment today……end of story.

      1. i agree on fanboys giving opinions and making judgments, but i consider this post to be too biased against alonso. such judgements should not be made when writing in a… (well, at the end of the day this is just a blog!)

    3. When you talk positive about someone who is driving very well, and is one of the best drivers in the world… that’s not fanboy talk it’s just reality!

      1. But clearly we are not allowed to congratulate Lewis no more. How dare we say he drove a faultless race from start to finish, managed both sets of tyres well and never let the 2 safety car periods effect him.

        You “Hamilton haters” are so pathetic. The guy is a terrific driver who does things that i personally have not seen in F1 for a long long time.

        And ill be honest, I cannot stand Fernando Alonso. Ive never liked him. Never have done, never will do. But i honestly believe that he is a bloody fantastic driver. Probably the best.

        So HHs, am i biased???

  7. It may not be fashionable to support Flavio at the moment but I do not begrudge Alonso in doing so as one should not disregard all Flavio’s contributions due to this error of judgement.

    I am however increasingly becoming weary off Alonso and hope that the investigative journalists are keeping an extremely close eye on him as I think its only a matter of time until he is found with his hand in the cookie jar…

  8. I don’t think he should be the one repenting as he was not the perpetrator. There is still something nice about saying thanks and supporting someone on a personal level even if they have done wrong and been dispatched.

    It does remind me however of the tinge of disappointment I had when Lewis Hamilton did not attend the Sports Industry event where Ron Dennis was honoured for his contributions to motorsport. I’m sure there was some reason for not attending, but, damn, it looked like an unnecessary snub to someone he owed his career and loyalty to.

  9. Picture this: Hamilton says anything positive about Ron Dennis . Which, if anyone remembers, quit McLaren, it is just honoring what the man, honest or dishonest, has made for his career.

    If Alonso says something positive about its former team director, it is just proving that he is pure evil and does not care about anything but himself.

    Admittedly, you could gauge the level of wrongness of Dennis and Briatore (Ferrari spying?) and conclude that the Italian is the worse of the two. And I’d probably agree. But to bash on someone that just acknowledges the contribution to victory, and an honest one, is simply being fanatically opposed to him.

    Cheers, Fernando, brilliant driving today.

    1. Agreed, although I wonder why Hamilton is always brought up anytime something is said about Alonso, although you are not the only one guilty of such. Although it is hardly a crime. :-)

    2. Ron Dennis never instructed Hamilton’s team mate to crash to help him win a race. This comparison is meaningless and again, Hamilton is completely irrelevant to this discussion.

      1. Ron is 25 years senior to Flav. He’s been in this business even before LDM, FW, patrick head & the others. he’s a legend in his own right. Very unfair of people to compare him with others.

        1. Mosley called Ron a cheat and a liar, even though I feel that was trash from Mosley, its the same tag being associated with Briatore irrespective of the severity of their supposed actions.

          Even murderers and those on death row are still allowed visitors and friends, the fact an individual did wrong doesn’t make him an animal.

          By the way I don’t see Ron Dennis being any where close to being 80+ years old. :-)

          1. Ron started off as a mechanic for Cooper in 1966, Flavio took over Benetton duties in 1988-89, obviously Dennis is a very senior man compared to Flavio & the rest.

        2. Ron is 5 years older than Flav (I think), and as an expert in F1 history you should know that FW and PH were in F1 approximately 5 years before Ron. 1976 and 1981 respectively.

          1. Perhaps you didn’t read my comment properly. I said Ron started off as a mechanic for Cooper Formula One team in 1966 he’s also worked for Sir jack Brahbam. but in the 70’s he set out to form his own F2 team (RONDEL Racing). Ron came back to F1 in 1980 to take over as mclaren CEO from the late Teddy Mayer, in the process merging his brainchild project4 & mayer’s Mclaren International.

            I don’t know why you seem to think that Frank Williams & Patrick head existed in f1 before Ron.

          2. Frank Williams’ first foray into F1 was actually in 1969, running a Brabham for Piers Courage.

  10. Why are all lewis supporters all the same? You hate Lando because you know he is better :)

    1. Yeah! Alonso is better, that’s why he got beaten fair & square in 07 by a rookie.

      1. you know LH was given preference over alonso, come on!

      2. Neither driver beat the other, they are both equally talented. The fact Hamilton started in Mclaren and was immediately on the pace, just shows what is achievable by a driver who has full confidence in his ability. Alonso had that confidence also when he drove for Minardi but then the car was not capable of much.

        1. Well said Oliver.

          1. I quite agree (for once, Keith). MP4 for someone so impassioned by F1, you clearly have not had much of a look at the history books – even recent ones.

            They finished equal on points and wins, so no one beat anyone. In addition, each driver was hugely impressive that year. Hamilton as a rookie, albeit with a huge knowledge of McLaren’s inner workings (not to be underestimated) and Alonso as a driver in a new team up against a quick team mate.

            Both put in immense performances that year.

          2. @ parkp

            I clearly know my f1 history better than most people here & certainly better than you.

            You *cough* “correctly” *cough* point out that they finished equal on points, but perhaps conveniently forgotten that Lewis had more second place finishes that Alonso, which in case of a tie plays a crucial role.

          3. @ parkp( F1 historian)

            yeah, I know you don’t like my.. What was it again?? constant blathering ??

      3. fair and square ?? remember hungary ?

      4. I don’t think he did …did he????
        I thought they both finished with the same 109 points, and that is after Alonso being handicapped by his own team.

    2. Find out nesy year I guess, personally theres not much in it for me, I think Hamilton is quicker but Alonso may be a more rounded driver due to his experience.

      1. When things go wrong for Alonso, its normally down to a car problem, or a team error. Hamilton’s misfortunes normally come by his own mistakes.

    3. I’m a hamilton fan but i don’t hate Fernando :)
      They are the 2 best in F1 at the moment (and vettel in there maybe).
      The most talented and the best car controle (you can see this when you see F1 in real life!)

      1. Mp4..you’re a legend.

  11. Alonso was honestly expressing his gratitude. No single act how ever hideous can take away the fact that Flavio was instrumental in Renault’s and Alonso’s success in 05 and 06.

    I salute Alonso for stepping out of the mob mentality that Flavio is an evil man and deserves no respect. Flavio’s contribution to the sport is immense and even his disrespectful exit cant take that away from the man.

  12. Here’s Joe Saward’s take:

    Alonso’s supporting words for Briatore might be judged by some to have brought the sport into disrepute, but that is not something for anyone other than the FIA to judge. However, the fact that Renault will be less than pleased about Alonso’s remarks, tells us a lot. Clearly the Spaniard feels more loyalty towards Briatore than he does for his current employer and, that being the case, it is fairly clear that he is not intending to stay at Enstone…

    Fernando is off to Ferrari.

  13. it is just a fight between alonso and hamilton fans. But one shall not forget the 2007 and 2008 seasons are much more exciting compare to this year’s lack of competition between BGP and RB. I hope all good drivers will have a good car next year so we can have more actions….

  14. I don’t understand why my comment is waiting for moderation; I wasn’t racist or mean, I even put a smiley and just saying what FIA found. But of course I sincerely apologise if I have caused any offence and would never mean to do such a thing ever esp not on this site.
    I think Fernado was being loyal to Flav, I’m sure he did thank the team. Interesting insight from Saward though Fernando to Ferrari story is more like piecing clues together now to confirm rather than breaking news :P

    1. If it was in reply to another comment that has been removed then it might have to have been taken down. I have taken some comments down from this thread. I appreciate tempers are pretty hot on this subject but some people are resorting to insults and that’s not acceptable.

      1. you are a sweet boy steph :)

        1. Stephs a girl…I think!

  15. It’s a see saw between Hamiltona and Alonso with fans, hate one love the other generally. I do quite like it but it can get out of hand, but just shows passions of F1 and drivers of this class. It’s a tiny bit like with Senna and Prost and all the other great rivalries. Truth is why people get so annoyed is thaat whoever they support they probably recognise the other to be as talented/strong and therefore a threat. A bit like Mclaren and Ferrari regard each other as the best and so more than anything they want to beat each other.

  16. girl Mp4 and thank you very much, not too bad yourself :) :P
    and thanks Keith I just didn’t understand I always try to be cheery and nice on this site. Though I completely understand when comments get out of hand and it is great work on this site so I am very sorry if I broke any rules.

  17. Ah, the passion of the fans of Alonso and Lewis. Just can’t wait until next season. Alonso at ferrari, Lewis on fire at Mclaren, what joy!!

  18. Glad to see this site living up to it’s name so well

    Main Entry: fa·nat·i·cism
    Pronunciation: \fə-ˈnat-ə-ˌsiz-əm\
    Function: noun
    : fanatic outlook or behavior especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject

  19. @MP4-19B,
    Yeah I know Dennis’ history, you were not specific about what 25years meant.

  20. From an unbiased Aussie..

    I believe Alonso was just paying his respect to a man that gave him so much.. Same as Webber is loyal, the same thing applies.

    It is quite clear that Alonso will not be at Renault next year, and im sure there is more to the crash scandal that meets our eyes..

  21. Wow!!!!! I’m being moderated, I cant even find the comment I replied to.

  22. Misplaced loyalty.

  23. I don see why someone should repent something they havent done.. He benefitted from the situation that aroused out of the crash for sure.. but he never was the mastermind behind it nor did he know about it then. he went out there as he would in every other race and drove his heart out and he found himself at the top at the end of the race and i don think there is any need for him to be remorseful for tat. If anyone had to be remorseful i think it would be the team as a whole and not an individual. When a driver wins its not just that individual.. whatever happened to everyone who said it was a team sport.. Its a team victory too when a driver wins and as a team i think renault has been very remorseful of what happened and they’ve paid/paying for it thought not so much as we would have expected. But you get the point.

  24. Keith, if Alonso goes ahead and renounces the win, he is implying that Renault are cheats. When we consider he is leaving the team at the end of the season, it will imply that he is leaving the team because they are cheats, and will leave a bad taste in the mouths of those he is leaving behind. There is also the potential that such an action wont go down well with potential sponsors.

    Renualt as a team should take the decision, Alonse being an employee of that team will follow suit. Renault won the race as a team, it is their responsibility. But if the FIA doesn’t take any action, it makes no sense what they do, as they will still have their names on the winners list.

    Often when sports men hand back medals they win, it is as a result of some form of protest they are undertaking. Don’t put it past Mosley to kick Alonso out of the championship for renouncing the win, as he is in disagreement with the outcome of an FIA sanctioned event.

    1. Keith, if Alonso goes ahead and renounces the win, he is implying that Renault are cheats. When we consider he is leaving the team at the end of the season, it will imply that he is leaving the team because they are cheats.

      Which wouldn’t be unreasonable, assuming he’s innocent.

  25. It is a clear statement from Fernando, and a true one. Flavio Briatore built Renault into the team that won drivers and constructors championships in the middle of this decade. He saw the potential in Fernando Alonso a decade ago, long before he fell on the radar of most F1 teams.
    Yes, Briatore made a ton of enemies on the way to that successladen era of the teams history, and deserved to be punished for that part he played in last year’s Singapore grands prix. But you must give him credit for the good things he achieved in a career that spanned many years.
    As for Alonso and if he cares what people think? I seriously doubt he does, and why should he. I thought the performance of Kimi Raikkonen today was telling.
    His drive reminds me of 2006, late on in his McLaren career, when he knew he was going to drive for Ferrari in 2007.
    One can only speculate that, Kimi may have already been informed by Ferrari that he is no longer wanted. After all, Luca DeMontezemolo’s comments earlier in the week were hardly encouraging were they?
    Raikkonen’s probably nonplussed, and would hardly be likely a willing person to shape a potential winning car for 2010 if he is not going to be driving it.
    Alonso, with his mentor gone at Renault, really does not have the ‘cosy’ relationship he had before. The Ferrari deal, in my opinion, has already been done and dusted, except no one has made it public yet.
    If rumours are to be believed, Raikkonen’s contract at Ferrari is worth a reported $49 million a year. So unless he decides his yearly cash haul can survive a 50% drop, his career in F1 is in trouble.
    Personally, I hope he does what Jenson Button did and takes a pay cut. I would love to see him take on, and beat Ferrari with Fernando at the wheel.
    We will have to wait and see?

  26. I am just wondering is that simply a coincidence that Alonso was involved in last two largest scandals in Formula1 life. In one he was among those who reported McLaren cheats, in other he benefited from the most disgraceful move in the history of sport. Adding his behaviour in Hungaroring against Hamilton and the whole team, I am not sure if any team would want such a driver. Yes, he is very fast but is that a good enough for an excuse for all the histories he was involved in? Rather, I see that the only thing that clearly keeps Alonso in Formula 1 is the bunch of sponsors he is bringing to F1…

  27. Well… I think we can safely say that 2010 should be a cracking season judging by the way this post has gone!

  28. Mountain out of a molehill, really. Interesting that Alonso didn’t mention Pat Symonds though…

    1. Indeed, hadn’t thought of that.

  29. I myself wouldn’t be so harsh on Fernando because of that statement. He is showing some loyalty for his friend and Boss Briatore and that is the kind of “family” mentality that his new team, Ferrari, loves on his drivers.

  30. Justinas M, I think it is a lot to do with the teams, Fernando is a top driver and therefore at the top teams. They had big personalities with Flav and Ron, who were completely in control. There have been plenty of scandals with Todt and Schuey and Flav before that. I also think that scandals happen in F1 certainly for advantage but a scandal to win is more likely to be for a big team who needs reputation boost or something to gain for championship. A smaller team may simply do it to get some points as winning is always unlikely.
    I’m not suggesting Fernando was involved at all as I don’t think he was but, what I mean is that there is immense pressure to deliver throughout, at the bottom to survive but then at the top to stay there and fight the toughest opposition off. It seems coincidence as Fernando hasn’t caused either scandal even if many feel he was involved.

  31. Webber had a lot of praise for Briatore too. I guess to the drivers with skill he was a good manager and friend. Not sure why they shouldn’t be allowed to praise the person whom they have a lot to thank for.

    I’ll agree it’s disturbing to see how Alonso defends his “win” as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, but I feel that’s another matter.

    Personally I think Briatore has been punished ridiculously hard. Piquet came up with the idea and he executed the idea. He’s double at fault and gets no penalty.

    Briatore loses 10 million a year alone in managing his driver contract. He got punished (as a private person) more than McLaren was for distributing stolen data through the whole team.

  32. Keith, I personally believe that some of your posts (e.g., this one) make judgments that go beyond what one could call ‘reporting’. It is fine to write things in such a way that we all feel we want to leave our comments, and make our judgments, but it makes me feel sad to realize how biased you can be sometimes,

    Nevertheless, I enjoy reading your blog, and I must admit that people here is in general much more respectful and civilized than those writing in other sites I’ve been mooching around.

    Thank you!

    1. it makes me feel sad to realize how biased you can be sometimes,

      I don’t pretend to be unbiased. I’ve offered an opinion here (one I’ve put forward at greater length before: https://www.racefans.net/2009/09/17/fernando-alonso-should-renounce-his-singapore-grand-prix-win/). It a view I sincerely hold, one I think is entirely reasonable, and I’d like to think I hold all drivers to the same standard.

      Nevertheless, I enjoy reading your blog, and I must admit that people here is in general much more respectful and civilized than those writing in other sites I’ve been mooching around.

      Thanks :-)

  33. Well in singapore ’08 Alonso was indeed just driving and pushing as hard as he could. The FIA already thanked him for his coöperation in their investigation but you can’t blame him for winning. If you think about it it’s a bit weird to “give the win away” even though it was tainted. I mean he’s not the only one benefitting from that whole situation. If he gives the win away, Rosberg and Hamilton should give their second and third places away as well for they are equally tainted. You can say Piquet and Alonso were both at the same team but that doesn’t change anything to the fact that Alonso is just another driver benefitting from the crash. It’s a ridiculous action off course but we should move on.

    He drove an excellent race today! As for the remark well.. perhaps shouldn’t have done it here but I’m sure he meant it. I think Flavio was a big part of Fernando’s succes, especially if you look at how quick he came up. He barely won the formula renault or he got himself a race seat, Flavio may have screwed this up bad but he was apparently a terriffic manager. Webber’s loyalty only backs that up.

    1. If he gives the win away, Rosberg and Hamilton should give their second and third places away as well for they are equally tainted.

      Do you think Piquet crashed to help Rosberg and Hamilton?

      1. No, certainly he didn’t, but does that mean Rosberg/Hamilton did not get any advantage from the incident?

      2. No, you’re right Keith, Piquet crashed to give an advantage to Alonso and that remains fact.

        Admittedly I also feel that it is a stupid plan to crash so early in the race and did influence but not ultimately guarantee Alonso of anything, much less a podium. Perhaps that is why he may feel he did much of the work anyway.

        My stand is that nobody deserves any win from last year’s race. Not Rosberg, certainly, because if anyone is credited with a victory, Alonso should still be first on the list for how he’s driven. But for a 2 time WDC, I would have much preferred him to let this one go. It’s not like he hasn’t had any better.

      3. Piquet crashed to help Renault, not Alonso. The reason the conspiracy went ahead was to get a win for Renault and not Alonso. If there was another reliable driver in the team then he would have been the one to get the win for the team.

      4. Do you think Piquet crashed to help Rosberg and Hamilton?

        Having read the WMSC documents, it appeared that Piquet crashed to help Piquet.

    2. It isn’t just coincidental that Alonso benefited from Piquet’s crash, Piquet, Briatore & Symonds conspired to create a crash at a specific time in the race to give Alonso an advantage.

      What happened to everyone else was irrelevant to them as long as Alonso benefited.

      Morally it is Alonso’s result that is tainted, no-one else’s. Regardless of Alonso having any involvement (I doubt he did, but how could I know ?) I’d still expect him to feel the win was tainted and I’d expect anyone with even a modicum of sporting spirit to be able to admit that to themselves and the fans.

      If your drive shaft failed while you were leading on the last lap costing you a win through no fault of your own you wouldn’t get out of the car and declare yourself the winner because you’d done nothing wrong, equally, if members of your team conspire to break the rules so that you gain an advantage and you eventually win you should accept the result is not a fair and proper result, regardless of your lack of involvement or however well you drove for the rest of the race.

      1. I agree, you’d expect Alonso to wish to dissociate himself from this ‘win’ but instead he claims he still had to drive well to secure the win – so it was genuinely his. It’s the same mentality that ‘justified’ parking his car in the pit to block Hamilton in 2007, the same mentality that ‘justified’ attempting to blackmail Dennis about data theft he (rather than Dennis) was in on, and the same mentality that would lead a lot of people to suspect he did, in fact, know full well what was going in at Singapore 2008. Does Massa really deserve this ‘team mate’ for 2010?? I also predict a heavy return to Ferrari manipulation of FIA’s decisions in 2010 and thereafter – not that it’s been absent this year – in fact worse, given that Alonso is clearly allowed a lot of stuff (like Kimi) other drivers aren’t, particularly when it comes to ‘off-roading’.

      2. Perfectly put beneboy! And I think Alonso is a great driver – no dought about it, but there is something a little bit dodgey about the guy- He is not very sportsman like sometimes. Remember when he held up Hamilton in the pits during quali in 07? He knew excactly what he was doing, and that was poor behavior from a 2 time world champ. I thought Alonso had done a great job this year so far, even through all this crashgate stuff, but to not renounce that win!? changed my mind about him alltogether.

  34. It’s as a clear a statement you could ask for that Alonso is utterly unrepentant about the way he benefitted from Nelson Piquet Jnr crashing last year on Briatore’s orders.

    Once again I am at a loss to see your logic here Keith. Are these posts going to continue until Alonso gives in to you and renounces the win? This is your blog, and you are thus entitled to your bias, but I think by now all your readers know you think Alonso is a cheat, so could we move on to something else.

  35. “all your readers know you think Alonso is a cheat”

    And so do I

    1. On reflection, allow me to withdraw that post and replace it with this one;

      I don’t know whether Keith thinks Alonso is a cheat or not.
      But I do.

  36. I think that everyone is overlooking the importance of Flavio’s character in general. If he was willing to do this, what else has he done.

    I think this casts doubts over all his associations, which I don’t like as I support webber.

    Was Alonso the best driver when he won 2 WDC’s?

    Who else has flavio manipulated ?

    1. And he also presided over Schumacher’s first two world championships…

      But I think the bigger question is how prevelant has this kind of thing been across F1 in general. Flavio got caught, but I am sure there are many others out there who have done similar things. Think Mike Coughlan, Nigel Stepney, Dave Ryan… (Please no-one start raving on about how much worse it is tell a driver to crash. In my book cheating is cheating!)

      So in the end, how many other drivers performances are “tainted”.

  37. I’ll tell you –

    Making/asking a driver to put peoples lives at risk, including his own goes far beyond “cheating”

    1. Putting a driver in an F1 car is putting his and other people’s lives at risk. F1 is a dangerous sport. Cheating is still cheating, no matter how dangerous the outcome.

  38. The man’s entitled to express his opinion isn’t he? Surely you don’t believe he should be denied that right Keith?

  39. Why is anybody suprised that Alonso will not renounce the win? Alonso clearly is driven by a need to win stuff – see his behaviour at Hungary 07 and the events around “spy-gate” to get himself no. 1 status.

  40. Prisoner Monkeys
    28th September 2009, 5:42

    It’s as a clear a statement you could ask for that Alonso is utterly unrepentant about the way he benefitted from Nelson Piquet Jnr crashing last year on Briatore’s orders.

    Maybe not. The way I’m seeing it, Alonso is dedicating the podium to Briatore because without Briatore, the team never would have gotten to the point where they could take a podium. The R29 was one of the worst cars out of the box this season, but it’s been one of the best-developed cars. Love him or hate him, I seriously doubt Renault could have done it without him.

    But if Alonso is unrepentant about last year – and we already know he’s defended that victory – it may kill his chances at Ferrari.

    1. The R29 was one of the worst cars out of the box this season, but it’s been one of the best-developed cars.

      Except of course for the McLaren’s & Ferrari’s that started the season as complete dogs. McLaren are now competing for the win at most GP’s. Ferrari were also competing for wins again recently until they decided to stop developing this years car.

      The R29 was no worse than several other cars at the beginning of the season and the pace of development at Renault has been completely underwhelming compared to the last few years, to claim it is now one of the best developed cars is a joke, at best. They haven’t won a single race this season and don’t look like they’re going to.

  41. Alonso is a perpetual adolescent. From his first days in F1, his attitude and his ethics have been immature in the extreme. So it’s no surprise that not only would he take no responsibility for last year’s scandal, but that he’d also praise the person most culpable for it. He’s, simply put, a spoiled brat.

  42. I like Alonso :)

  43. Briatore like it or not was the man in charge until this race, the development of the car lies on his shoulders so it´s mostly the person who is to be owed more of the result.

    With all the bashing on him this week for me it´s a good detail to have a say for the person who putted the eye on him in f3000 (a season not to be rememberd specially for Alonso) and had a great bet on him, guiding his first steps in f1 culminating with the car renault gave him in 2005. And also when he needed a hand Briatore and renault was there to help after the year in Mclaren . A good sign of loyalty and to greet the man who probably most helped in his career

  44. This post is beginning to resemble a FOTA vs FIA meeting…What can I say? With all that’s happened this year I’m still watching races. I think F1 is larger than any single personality or two or three. I honestly have no expectations from anyone or team involved in F1. I can only have them of myself. With all that’s been said on this post and there are a lot of good points on both sides, I think the penalties dealt on Flavio and Symonds were extreme. The one person who should have taken the fall, but has escaped an FIA judgement has ruined his career in F1 forever. He deserves it.

    We frequently call for Max and Bernie to resign…but they are untouchable regardless of what they do. However, they are the ones who are controlling the show and dealing out the punishments and rewards.

    It’s all a big game and we like to play. For Max to ban Flavio is like…well you fill in the blanks.

    As far as Fred’s Flavio remarks go….I dont have a problem with them.

  45. Yeah guys, leave Fernando alone please. Juat because he happened to be in two seperate scandals, does not make him a bad person.

  46. Another angle on this: Piquet Sr’s claim that Renault was in fact managed by Alonso not Briatore. If so, and it’s a claim that rings true in many ways but suggests a completely awol internal management-responsibility structure, the likelihood of Alonso not being involved in the Singpaore crash plan seems remoter still. Maybe this ‘dedication’ acknowledges that FB took the bullet for others unnamed.

  47. when it’s all said and done Alonso has done nothing more than express his feelings in public as the author of this article also has…

    But Alonso isn’t allowed to do it apparently…

    To summarize Alonso,
    thanks Flavio for many many many years of support I give this podium to you even though you have fallen on hard times.
    And this rabble is what one is to expect when you express your feelings in public, again some of you here make me ill with your attitudes.

    Put the boot on the other foot…how many readers here have a spotless history? Can we now dig, insult, defame, and pass judgment on every word and action you have made with our own highfalutin pristine smugness?

  48. Cheaters. Horrible.

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