Alonso to Ferrari could herald golden age
Fernando Alonso's move to Ferrari, which was finally announced on Wednesday, is the most exciting shift in the Formula 1 fabric for years.
Assuming F1's traditional giants can both get back to the front, with Alonso at Ferrari going up against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren it sets the best two drivers in the world against each other in the two most famous teams.
Think of James Hunt against Niki Lauda, Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher taking on Mika Hakkinen. This is the historical lineage in which Alonso and Hamilton are taking their places, and they have all the qualities required to live up to those expectations.
Schumacher v Hakkinen is perhaps the closest comparison.
Alonso's year as Hamilton's team-mate at McLaren in 2007 may have been tempestuous in the extreme, but there is not the personal animosity between the two that there was for a long time between Senna and Prost.
Nor, though, are they exactly the partners in playboy excess that were Hunt and Lauda. Instead, their relationship is based on a deep respect for each other's abilities and a similarly powerful will to win.
Alonso and Hamilton have deep respect for each other's abilities
When they were racing, many people believed that, on a single lap, Hakkinen was actually slightly faster than Schumacher. Equally, few had any doubts that, overall, Schumacher was the more complete driver.
It is not stretching the point to see Alonso in the Schumacher role and Hamilton as Hakkinen - and that's not just because of the cars they will be driving in 2010.
Alonso and Hamilton staged a fascinating battle in 2007. Sometimes Hamilton had the edge on Alonso, sometimes it was the other way around. And they finished the season tied on points, with Hamilton edging second place in the championship behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on results count-back.
On the evidence of that one season, it is incredibly difficult to judge who is the better driver.
There was rarely more than a hair's breadth between them on pace. But, on balance, in the races where it was possible to make a direct comparison, Hamilton was faster than Alonso slightly more often than it was the other way around.
For a guy in his first season going toe-to-toe with a double world champion, that is incredibly impressive. But weighing against that, Alonso was never comfortable at McLaren.
By mid-season, the relationship between driver and team was already breaking down and after the watershed of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend - when Hamilton and Alonso tried to double-cross each other in qualifying, after which Alonso had two massive rows with then-team boss Ron Dennis and threatened to expose the team to the FIA in the now-notorious 'spy scandal' - it was clear he was on his way out.
Even so, Alonso beat Hamilton fair and square at the next two races and a significant discrepancy in speed between the two men only emerged at the final two races, when it was clear there was a real danger of Alonso beating Hamilton to the title. And Alonso was not the only person to be suspicious about that.
Many people in F1 believe Alonso, 28, is the most complete driver in the sport - and the evidence of his career so far makes it hard to dispute that. Equally, though, it is clear that Hamilton, 24, has the potential to usurp him, just as he replaced Alonso as the youngest champion in F1 history.
Certainly, the evidence of this season is that the Englishman is beginning to show signs of the wider awareness and racing intelligence that Alonso has displayed for so long.
Now, that battle is going to be staged with the drivers in different cars and teams, with the restrictions that were imposed on them by the requirements of racing for the same organisation removed. It should be a case of sit back and watch the sparks fly.
At the same time, there are a series of intriguing sub-plots to savour.
It is looking increasingly likely that Raikkonen, who has been elbowed out of Ferrari to make way for Alonso, will move back to McLaren as team-mate to Hamilton.
If that happens, it is in itself a fascinating prospect for, on his day, Raikkonen is a match for anybody. It would be a surprise if the Finn beat Hamilton over a season, but there may well be times when the Englishman cannot live with him. And how Hamilton handles that will be a major test for him.
The intra-team fight at Ferrari will also be interesting. When Raikkonen went there in 2007, he was expected to easily beat Felipe Massa, but it didn't quite work out that way. So people will be less willing to make the same assumption about Alonso.
Nevertheless, while Raikkonen regards his job as being to turn up and drive, spending as little time doing anything else as he can get away with, Alonso has more strings to his bow and I, and many others I suspect, expect him to prove too much for the Brazilian.
Finally, there is Robert Kubica's move to Renault to replace Alonso. The Pole is highly regarded in F1, and Ferrari, for one, are known to have their eye on him for the future.
Kubica was a tough rival of Hamilton in karting, and Alonso once described him as the best driver on the grid. So if Renault can regain the form that won them two world titles in 2005-6, Kubica's presence at the front would add another dimension.
There's also the prospect of watching the progress of world champion-elect Jenson Button - arguably the leader of the second string of drivers behind Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen - and rising star Sebastian Vettel in a major fight with F1's heavy hitters, if their Brawn and Red Bull teams can maintain the form that has made them front-runners this season.
All in all, the future of F1 looks rosy indeed. On the track, at least.
The love affair has blown hot and cold, but Formula One has had me in its spell for most of my life. After 16 years covering the sport, in which I have reported from more than 100 Grands Prix, I am as thrilled by its heights, fascinated by its complexities and exasperated by its idiosyncrasies as ever. I hope there will be plenty of all of them to share with you now F1 is back on the BBC. You can also follow me on
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~16~RS~)
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Lets just wait and see. Massa on-form will, in my opinion, out drive Alonso. Everyone talks about how good Alonso is. Well next season we will see for sure.
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Why don't we just hand Jenson the drivers championship today and start the new season tomorrow. Can't wait.
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Seems to me that McLaren come out smiling and on top in this switcharoo !
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I could smell trouble brewing at Ferrari next season, Alonso seem to have issues with team mates unless he gets his way. I hope Massa can stand up to him like Lewis, NPJ lacked any sort of backbone and got run over.
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Should make for an excellent 2010 season, can't wait. Kimi v Hamilton (When this is confirmed) FA v Massa and off course the Brawn team of Jenson & Rosberg. Lets not forget the Red Bull team who will want to take the next step after a successfull 2009 season.
Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Personally I would say that Kimi is the fastest driver on the grid, forget Hamilton vs Alonso next season, I will be looking forward to Kimi vs lewis in hopefully the same car
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Alonso (my fav driver) versus Hamilton (the driver i unrequitedly support because of patriotism) will be fantastic. I simply cannot wait!
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1. At 3:47pm on 30 Sep 2009, f12009 wrote:
Lets just wait and see. Massa on-form will, in my opinion, out drive Alonso. Everyone talks about how good Alonso is. Well next season we will see for sure.
We have already seen it, he is a double world champion!!!!
Schumacher crushed Massa, yet Alonso went toe-to-toe with Schumacher and won. I am not saying Alonso is better than Schumacher, but he is certainly better than Massa.
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I think Ferrari has made the biggest mistake by taking Alonso. He is not as good as everybody talks, and I hope Massa will show how bad is Alonso
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#8 - Schumacher as always been No1 in any team he has been in so you can never say he crushed someone as his team mates always had to play second fiddle to him. With the support Ferrari have shown Massa this year I think that both him and Alonso will start on an even footing and we will see who is faster in a Ferrari
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At 3:58pm on 30 Sep 2009, Blasos wrote:
Schumacher crushed Massa, yet Alonso went toe-to-toe with Schumacher.
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Lewis demolished Alonso and Massa, therefore it goes without saying that Lewis is the best among the lot.
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8. At 3:58pm on 30 Sep 2009, Blasos wrote:
We have already seen it, he is a double world champion!!!!
Schumacher crushed Massa, yet Alonso went toe-to-toe with Schumacher and won. I am not saying Alonso is better than Schumacher, but he is certainly better than Massa.
This is a difficult one. Has mass changed since then? Was he merely the second driver to Schumacher? Massa and Alonso will be given equal opportunity next year. If will be far closer than you think, if massa fully recovers that is.
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If Raikkonen can get back on top form it will be very difficult for Hamilton to beat him in the same car. He is the quickest man on the grid, if not the best, and as long as he is motivated he will challenge both Alonso and Hamilton. Last time he was at his best, he beat Hamilton over the course of a season and Hamilton was driving better then than he did last season. I would say it was shaping up to be an exciting season in 2010 but I can't see the FIA's rule changes, particularly the refuelling ban allowing for that.
Massa will not be a challenger next season, he isn't good enough to be a world champion and will simply play second fiddle to Alonso.
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Lets Hope Kimi does not join McClaren as he is a PR nightmare that is the reason why Ferrari kicked him out with 1 year left on his contract!!!
Kimi is Moody and Mumbles and has NO personality which you have to have to be taken seriously in this sport.
Kimi gives F1 fans nothing.
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#11 Lewis demolished Alonso and Massa, therefore it goes without saying that Lewis is the best among the lot.
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I fail to see how Hamilton drawing on points with Alonso in 2007 and beating Massa by a single point on the last lap of the season in 2008 - having won less races - classes as a demolition of either driver.
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Joe Strummer - I believe post #11 was said in jest with regards to post #8
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Cant wait for next season now!
I just hope Mclaren and Ferrari are at the top from the start and hope Brawn dont go backwards. Not convinced about Raikkonen still dont think his heart is in it however maybe Ferrari is not the right team for him, even though he did win the title with them! Alonso is a great driver, it will be interesting to see how he copes alongside Massa who is loved at Ferrari and knows the team etc and already settles. I think Hamilton has grown as a driver in the 2nd part of the season.
Kubica is good but not in the Alonso and Hamilton league, not even sure Massa is as good as them to be honest, those 2 seem to have more of a natural all round ability however Massa deserves good things to happen to him especially after this year.
All good for F1 and the fans.
On another note does anyone think banning re-fueling is a bad idea?
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Looks like next year will be quite the exciting season. I can hardly wait to see the driver competiveness on the track and the driver animosity to make it's way to the press.
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The last comment in the blog is in my view rather controversial. Is Button really below Raikkonen in the pecking order of drivers, and is Raikkonen really on a par with Alonso and Hamilton? I know which I would want in my team, and it's not the one who seems more interested in rallying. Equally, I'm not so sure Button's ahead of Vettel or Kubica in the estimation of the paddock.
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dear lord, a blog about the prospect of great driving, and there's already cussing...
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Alonso will be good at Ferrari because he will mould the team around himself. Already you can see that the relationship of Ferrari with Massa is tainted with pity; they like him and want him to succeed but they smell that he can't pull it off. No such problems with Alonso. I am looking forward to having so many more cars on the grid. It will be a great year
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Hamilton/Raikkonen at McLaren.Alonso/Massa at Ferrari.Button/Rosberg at Brawn.Vettel/Webber at Red Bull.Kubica at Renault.Possibly the most exciting driver line up ever to grace the F1 paddock next season & with no in season testing their will different guys at the front each race.
Bring it on!!
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I am glad they are banning re-fueling. I would ban tyre changes as well. And increase the length of races to a minimum of 2 hours. Only bodywork as aerodynamic aids would be great as well as a fuel limit per car per race to encourage fuel-efficiency. Time to reduce the rules and allow the engineers to work their magic.
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5-way battle for 2010, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso, Kubica and Vettel. Simple.
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Provided Ferrari and McLaren turn up with similarly competitive cars next year, it's gonna be awesome.
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Can't wait to see how next season goes. As good as this one has been the prospect of Lewis and Kimi in McLarens and Alonso and Massa in Ferraris is brilliant.
I don't think there is much to choose between Kimi, Lewis and Alonso, they've all proved themselves to be exceptional drivers. But Massa still has something to prove so is perhaps the most dangerous of the lot.
Alonso v Hamilton!!! Can't wait.
Still for the remainder of this season..........COME ON RUBENS!!
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Good to see FA over at Ferrari, FA v LH, that'll be a good season long fight. KR over to McLaren, if wouldn't surprise me if he'll be off rallying, good driver yes, but F1 being so technical, the team really needs a technically sound driver to help develop the car over the season & I just don't this KR wanted to put the effort in, hence his elbow out from Ferrari. Good luck whereever he ends up. Bring on 2010 !
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#21 Do you think Alonso is bigger than Ferrari?? Ferrari do it there way and always have done. The Question is which Ferrari Driver will be no.1 - I don't think Alonso will be as Massa is part of the family at Ferrari. If Ferrari get the car right then Alonso does have the skill to be with the leaders. Next season will again be about who gets the car right for the first 5/6 races and not about who is the best driver!!
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Looking forward again McLaren Ferrari battle, lets just close this season give petty Button his medal.
Bit of the topic but is this the first time when sponsors buy driver out from a team?
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@ dcp1979 #14 ...." Kimi is Moody and Mumbles and has NO personality which you have to have to be taken seriously in this sport.
Kimi gives F1 fans nothing."
Really? I always thought ability was a more important factor to being taken seriously as a driver in F1. To be honest I'd rather Kimi's no bs mumblings than Hamilton's shiny smug corporate soundbites anyday.
As for him giving F1 fans nothing, maybe you should watch the highlights of the 2005 Japanese GP ,available elsewhere on this site, as just one example of what he can give F1 fans.
If Kimi returns to Mclaren and gets his mojo back then we're in for a real treat.
Can't wait.
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I really enjoy reading your blogs Andrew, you are doing an awesome job with the classic F1 series and have definately got me looking forward to next year.
It will be great to see Ferrari and Mclaren regain their dominance of the sport next year although it is quite funny seeing them fighting in the midfield. I hope their cars are good enough to allow their drivers to show exactly how good they really are. I do hope Brawn and Red Bull maintain competitive cars for next season especially if Rosberg is joining Brawn, he really deserves the chance to drive a frontrunning car.
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Always follow the money in F1, if Alonso is earning more than Massa, then he is no 1. If Lewis is earning more than Kimi and so on. The drivers mentioned are all capable, Lewis, Kimi and Fernando have won championships and Massa, Vettel have come close, plus Button may go up a gear once he wins. What they all need and want is the best car, so whoever produces that will win as always! Maybe it will be Force India?
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Hamilton v Kimi - should be interesting if Kimi is awake.
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Kimi is always accompanied by bad luck. In his final year with Mclaren, the car was pathetic. Like Hakinen he is a flat out driver and the fastest on the grid. With Kimi moving back to Mclaren things i just hope that things would work out for him. Alonso is better than Massa any day. With a car that he has this season he is doing a fantastic job. During his tenure at Mclaren he brought out some fine tuning changes to his car which were then secretly copied by hamilton's team. He is intelligent and talented and a complete driver who knows the car's limitation and knows how to exploit it.
On paper i would say that with Kimi moving to Mclaren, that team will beat any other team hands down - provided kimi's luck improves.
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"I think Ferrari has made the biggest mistake by taking Alonso. He is not as good as everybody talks, and I hope Massa will show how bad is Alonso"
Complete and utter garbage, Alonso is clearly the most talented driver out there... Consistency is his greatest weapon, he never seems to fail... can't wait to see him at ferarri, hopefully bagging the championship!
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What a shame Ferrari couldn't get Renault to release Alonso after Massa's accident. Alonso v Kimi would have been good and it would have saved us the embarrassment of having to watch Badoer and Fisi struggling around tracks.
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oh dear !
alonsita the blameless paired up with ferrari the untouchables.
anyone else expecting even dodgier judgements from the fia next season.
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I agree with #4. Alonso seems to have an aspect to his personality like Prost, Schumacher, Piquet and so many others who felt they had to be the team's number one driver.
Still, with Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen and Hamilton filling the two biggest teams, and with other drivers like Kubica, Vettel, Webber and Button in the field, I agree about this being a golden age. There are so many drivers on the grid who, on their day, can go out and dominate a race weekend, more than there have been for a long long time. I can't wait for next year.
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@ oldloads
Force India winning it would be truly brilliant.
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Everyone seems to have a lot of love for Rosberg on here. I've always thought he seemed very good in qualifying and pretty average when it came to race time.
Also bearing in mind Lewis and Kimi are the only 2 drivers to get to grips with KERS, does anyone think there is a chance McLaren would try and run it again next year? I know there is a gentlemens agreement not to use it said to be in place between the teams but this is F1.....
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If Raikkonen goes to Mclaren next year, I can't wait for KIMI V FERNANDO
Forget Lewis, Kimi is a much better driver than hamilton on his day.
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Of course, we need to see what cars Ferrari and Macca serve up ...
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@ dcp1979 #14 ...." Kimi is Moody and Mumbles and has NO personality which you have to have to be taken seriously in this sport."
Ever thought that this is great PR work from Raikkonen. I means, no one bothers him, the press leave him alone, his private life is simply just that... his private life. Just brilliant if you ask me.
Looking forward to next season. Great pairings!
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i think in Raikonnen Ferrari are loosing a better driver than Felipe.
Hamilton will win 4/5 more titles between now and the end of his career and alonso will probably gain another 2.
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So much of this asumes that both Ferrari and McL will produce decent cars for next year. I have more doubts about the former than the latter and suspect a Lewis v Kimi competition as likely as Lewis v Alonso.
Did anyone predict this season? Might Force India, Toyota and Sauber come to the fore? Then, 2010 turns into a battle between Sutil, Trulli and Kubica!!!
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I just look forward to Alonso and Raikkonen getting their asses kicked.
Hamilton is the best driver - he made Alonso look so average in his rookie season... and nearly won the world championship then!!
And don't rule out smoothie Button who will also be in the mix at the top. He's not 15 points clear of the rest for no reason, it's because he's a consistently great driver, cool under pressure and rarely makes the stupid mistakes the others do.
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Golden Age - my a*se! Whilst F1 still allows tyre changes its is never going to get proper racing (e.g. like Hunt/Lauda days and before...). These days the drivers only seem to "overtake" a fellow driver when he's sat in the pits. F1 is therefore still a joke and will remain so until they get back to overtaking on the track and not pseudo-overtaking via pit stops. Until then it's MotoGP & Superbikes that are where it's at.
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I have followed F1 for over 30 years and although I believe Alonso is a fantastic driver I don’t think he is as good as many people think. I really think Massa and Alonso will be very close with Massa if recovered possibly edging it. Alonso has won two titles but if we look closer at the two seasons Kimi was faster in 2005 but had reliability problems. In 2006 the Renault had the best reliability and a performance advantage while they where using the illegal Mass damper system. When that was removed Alonso was blown away by Schumacher in a straight fight. Massa is a very good driver, people did not rate because he made many mistakes earlier on in his career and was on average a massive 6 tenths of a second fuel corrected slower than Schumacher in qualifying and forty seconds over a race distance slower than Schumacher while teammates. What we must remember is the current crop of leading driver’s don’t have that sort of pace advantage as was proven by the Massa/ Raikonen partnership over each other. They are very close and there is no one mega fast driver such as a Senna or Schumacher. I predict Massa and Alonso to be very close and it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
I am also very interested in the Hamilton and Kimi combination. How do you think that will pan out, who will have the upper hand?
The analysis comparing Hakkinen and Schumacher was very poor. Hakkinen was only ever faster than Schumacher when he had a massiive car advantage i.e 1998. Schumacher was the fasstest driver of his generation and possibly all time. The only driver I have seen as quick as him is Senna.
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Nothing is as simple as many of these comments make out, at the start of this year we had Jenson, 6 straight wins and then problems because of the way the car braking changed... ever so slightly.
So remember that the driver alone does not make a team (I know we all know this) which appears to have been forgotten in this thread. Alonso and Massa will go head to head but it will often depend upon how a driver can react to the feel of the ultimate car as it develops and his style adjusts.
Add in no refuelling and one drivers reactions to a heavy car v. a light car and F1 suddenly becomes fascinating and we won't know the result until they all sit in their cars and the 5 red lights go out...
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on paper the prospects are mouth watering
kimi at mclaren a good move for him and the team its no wonder hes not been on it with the sack looming all season
ferrari have problems fernando will want no1 status rite from the off because the sponsors backing him and massa will want to repay the team and make there faith in him worth while fernando isnt realy a team player its all about him
brawn will be on it again ross has the know how to make sure jenson and nico will be close enough to pick up the ferrari pieces
and red bull well since the arrival of adrian newey theyve just got better and better hes the one man who all teams want to make there cars to rite them off would be silly
and as for the no refueling that can only make for more overtaking and make drivers work harder as for the setups they choose i hope for more rules that make the drivers drive like they use to its good for the sport
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Another emeotional decision by Ferrari - like giving the dirve for Luca Badoer - in keeping Massa while getting rid of (one of the) best driver on the grid. Apparently Massa "deserves" his place because he got injured this season. Lets see how well this decision serves Ferrari.
In Kimi Ferrari let go a world champion, double vice-champion (very unlucky to have lost those due to engine failures), a driver who last season made a record number of fastest laps and this year somehow managed to win at Spa (fourth time in five years!) with a car that generally is not competitive. This makes no sporting sense whatsoever. Ayone who thinks Kimi has lost interest or has not been in form for some time needs to consider that the car has been mostly rubbish - hardly 100% his fault.
14 - dpc1979 - Just because you don't like Kimi's personality, it doesn't mean he has none. Here's a man who races speed boats in a gorilla suit, wins a professional snow mobile race weeks before F1 season starts (both under the pseydonym James Hunt) and puts in an impressive performance in his first ever World Rally race. And I for one think it's superb how Kimi stays calm whether he wins or loses - no dancing and crying as he wins, and no moaning and blaming when he loses (or when car breaks etc.). Some of us like motorsports, others prefer Pussycat Dolls...
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will miss kimi in the red car. i hate to say it but he never did fit into the team. i dont see why they should be removing him from the team when he even is a consistent racer. look at his win in spa with a car that doesnt work. overall i think kimi is the best driver in f1 and seeing him in a mclaren which has not been confirmed will look alot better
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Give Alonso the opportunity to drive a competitive car like the one he had in Mclaren, and we´ll see who is the best driver on the track.
........and of course, in the right environment.
Hamilton and Alonso are the most competitive drivers right now.
I can´t wait for next season.
Alonso, show us what you really are made of........go on making history.!!!
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I think people are too dismissive of Kimi. He has as much if not more raw talent than either Alonso or Hamilton and the idea that he's lazy or unmotivated is a total lie based on little more than the way he comes across in interviews and the fact that he hasn't has a competitive car recently. The McLaren mechanics love him because he is one of the best drivers when it comes to developing a car by giving good driver feedback. This decision by Ferrari is more about sponsors and money than it is about having the best drivers. Theres a good chance that they are going to look very silly in 2010 if McLaren do better. For me, Lewis and Kimi is a +much+ stronger lineup than Massa and Alonso, both in terms of ability and in terms of how well theyre likely to work together as a team.
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Andrew you consistently under rate felipe massa, to the point of it being annoying. This is a guy who was a whisker a way from a world championship last year, and who would have won it comfortably if it was not for a botched pitstop in singapore and engine failures in melbourne and Hungary. He was leading the best of the non brawn and redbulls until his injury this year. He has consistently proved over the past two seasons that he is a match for anybody in f1, and even non of the current drivers would now dispute that, so why have you?
If that was not bad enough you have Jenson Button as the best of the rest behind Lewis, Fernando, and Kimi. So where does this leave Massa? Button has not done it consistently for 2-3 seasons like Massa has yet is still a better driver?
Put money on Massa to beat Alonso next season, the guy is seriously quick!
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ppl752
Couldn't agree more re Kimi and his apparent lack of personality. I for one love his interviews, all them journalists desperately trying to get a quote out of him and failing miserably, always makes me laugh.
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@28 Where do you get that from? Jean Todt took a hopelessly failing Ferrari team and rebuilt it around Schumacher. It may not be my cup of tea but the ruthlessness of Todt in sacrificing everything to Schumacher, knowing him to be utterly ruthless himself, was a very successful strategy. It remains to be seen what will develop with Alonso but I very much doubt that Massa will come out on top, he just pretends to be ruthless. It ain't enough.
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Andrew Benson, your comments show a lack of knowledge as you constantly repeat that Alonso beat Schumacher in a straight fight? Were they in the same car? No they weren’t and after the ILLEGAL Renault Mass damper system was removed there was a straight fight and Alonso was blown away by Schumacher only reliability allowed Alonso to win the title. Secondly you say Hakkinen was quicker than Schumcher? How exactly have you worked that out? He only ever out qualified Schumacher when he had a massive car advantage. Schumacher was by far the quickest driver of his generation.
I also agree with an earlier comment that you always put Massa down. Massa was better than Hamilton last year despite having a slightly inferior car. The reliability and problems with team work cost him the title. I predict he may beat Alonso next year. Just because Massa was blown away by Schumacher does not mean Alonso will do the same as has been proven by the Raikonen/ Massa partnership!
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Herald a golden age???? I don't think so. Only a BBC write who just happens to have vested interest in talking up F1 could actually write that about F1 at the moment.
It doesn't matter how good the drivers are as while we have sanitised street circuits appearing all over the place and more and more daft rules such as the banning of refuelling (Singapore was dull but imagine it with no fuel strategies - insomniacs everywhere here is your cure!!!), endurance engines etc. etc. there is no chance of us seeing any actual 'racing'
Get back to proper circuits in proper countries and ban diffusers at the same time applying a maximum downforce rule and you may once again have a golden age.... until then dream on!!!!!!!
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If the cars prove to be more or less equally competitive over time then we are indeed entering a Golden Age of Formula 1.
Not since Mansell,Piquet,Prost,Senna have I been so excited by the driver line-ups of Alonso,Raikkonen,Hamilton,Vettel,Kubica(Rosberg,Button).
Without re-fuelling,an overtaking strategy now removed for next season, the driving will certainly sort out the men from the boys.
With the notable exception of Hakkinen, Schumacher just didn't have the same calibre of opposition that exist today, and more of them.
His 5 at Ferrari will probably never be overhauled, but I will say this.
Quid pro quo if Alonso manages to pull a hat-trick of Championships with the Prancing Horse {say over the next 5years}, and with the level of talent that is deliciously served, then I have no doubt in my mind that he will be the greatest driver...EVER.
You're 3 years in the wilderness are over my boy - now it's time to SHINE.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I am looking forward for an exciting 2010 season which will bring alonso fans a lot of joy cause he will be given the opportunity to humble all the anti alonsista pro hamilton fans. Alonso wants to revenge Ron Dennis and Lewis Hamilton for the unfair and humiliating treatment received by the english firm. It´s not a secret that the woking fabric treated alonso in a very bad manner . The english press asumed alonso had blackmailed his own team without proof and insulted him to support his own driver. In hungary Ron Dennis was very unfair to alonso and in the end of the season. I dont think a team has ever treated a double world champion as bad as Mc Laren did to alonso and that speaks volumes about the british fair play. We´ll see next season in a ferrari how good hamilton is.
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How can it be the golden age? Whats the difference between now and 2003? If we compare the six best driver of each year..
2009
Vettel
Hamilton
Alonso
Massa
Button
Kimi
2003
Schumacher
Montoya
Raikonen
Alonso
Button
Rubens
Clearly there is more talent in 2003. The difference was one driver was far better than the others. If we take him away it is more or less the same level of talent as 2009.
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Kimi coming back home to Mcclaren along with Lewis will be mouthwatering, and i think will prove to be a better combination than Alonso and Massa at Ferrari. Mcclaren, Ferrari, Brawn, Red bull all fighting for the constructors and drivers titles will be fasinating to watch
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I am surprised Andrew does not rate Massa among the top drivers and he also implies Button to be a better driver than Massa in his article. I think this is unfair. Also with regards to post #50 by ppl:
"Another emeotional decision by Ferrari - like giving the dirve for Luca Badoer - in keeping Massa while getting rid of (one of the) best driver on the grid. Apparently Massa "deserves" his place because he got injured this season. Lets see how well this decision serves Ferrari."
He is not being given the seat because he got injured and because Ferrari feel obligated to him (although they no doubt do feel that way), he is being given the seat because he has consistently outperformed Raikkonen in qualifying and races since Raikkonen's championship year, and indeed even including Raikkonen's championship year Massa has been the better Ferrari driver. Look up the statistics for points, wins, poles, qualifying head-to-head etc. from Australia 2007 to Hungary 2009 (when Massa got injured). Massa is ahead in everything except fastest laps. Objectively speaking he has been the better driver by a reasonable margin, he just hasn't had the success in terms of a world championship that Kimi has.
I remember 2007 when we had Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren and Massa and Raikkonen at Ferrari. We had the best 4 drivers in F1 in the best four seats, and the result was a four-way battle for the title for most of the year. I hope to see something similar next year, with Kimi gback at McLaren to partner Lewis, and if Massa is suffering no long-term issues coming out of his injury, then I think he could well push Alonso close. It could be tough at first though, just like with Webber who needed a few races to get back on Vettel's pace at the start of this year.
I also agree 2006 is no barometer for what will happen next year. Massa was #2 to Schumacher, the car was designed around Michael. Next year, Massa and Alonso will recieve equal treatment and equal priority within the team. All being well with Felipe, we should see a much closer contest than many people think.
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God Alonso going to Ferrari was the news i was dreading, i hope Massa absolutely stuffs him next season and he goes crying to renault to take him back(again) anf Ferrari get a real driver to partner Raikkonen. I am sad to see kimi go, his performance this second half of the season has been fantastic in a rubbish car and proves he is miles better than Alonso in pace and racing ability.
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sensationaljohn
Alonso had a british race engineer last time i checked, so i'd suggest you possibly seem more concerned about britsh hatred of Alonso than the man himself.
Also, in F1 terms Ron Dennis is gone so probably not high on Alonsos list of priorities!
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REF 61
Amen to you sir.
What was the point in (money from Banco Santander)Ron Dennis bringing a Double-World Champion to his team (loads of money from Banco Santander)if all along he (megaloads of money from Banco Santander) wanted to build it around Hamilton in the first(just wanted the megabucks from Banco de Santander) place?
Is it to do with the fact that he was getting the motherload of money from Banco de Santander and Alonso is, er, Spanish?
Sometimes the truth deafens British ears...
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People seem to equate being the fastest as being the best.
So - using such astoundingly presumptuous logic...
...Guess who was the fastest driver in Belgium this year?
Luca Badoer.
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"Golden age" ROTFLMAO!
I hope the 2010 Ferrari is another dud and Renault come back on form
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#58 - Banning refuelling is NOT a daft idea. It's the major reason for the mind-numbing racing we have seen all too often through recent years. It contributed to Schumacher's dominance by forcing everyone into a series of sprints instead of their having to choose between short stints on soft tyres or long stints on hard. I don't think MS would have had things his own way quite so often if he'd had to deal with non-stopping hard tyre runners as well as sprinters. It will be interesting to see how things pan out. Since it's a new experience for the drivers, we may find some less familiar names come to the fore...
Would it be possible for the Beeb to stop broadcasting the drivers' press conferences? If I wasn't forced to hear Raikkonen's voice, I could just appreciate his driving. And, historically, wouldn't Nigel Mansell have been even more popular if we hadn't heard him whingeing so much? Leave the driver quotes for the printed reports!
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Face the facts people stop saying it was a anti Alonso or even anti Spanish nonsense he through his toys out the pram.
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Folk here assume and state some tripe. LH is the best driver in the world, period. He can drive in the day, at night, in the dry, in the wet. I hope it pours next year, and we'll see massa and FA slide off in the red cars. Also, how come so many folk assume a fight between Mclaren and the rest. This is stupidity and arrogance of the red fans we should expect. They are nowhere at the mo, and they have so much catching up to do against about 5/6 teams, before they will get close to a victory. I reckon Renault will be quicker than fezza next year, and FA will rue this move. So will Massa, when FA throws his toys outta tha pram!
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Here we go again! Why does nearly every debate somehow get around to LH being given preference over Alonso at McLaren? But, might as well join the fray!
Here are a couple of quotes that might be of interest.
From an interview with Flavio Briatore (a very big Alonso fan):
Briatore is convinced Alonso would not have quit Renault if he had been aware he would receive the same treatment as a rookie.
"If, before signing the contract, they told Fernando, 'Come with us, but you won't have any sort of advantage', he wouldn't have gone," Briatore told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
"If you hire a world champion, then you must give him the number one status."
--------
From an interview with Alonso himself:
“I'm sure there is going to be equality," he said.
"I think in the end the two cars will be the same. They are going to give us both the same opportunities."
the Spaniard is insistent any bad feeling will have little effect on his or the car's performance.
"One thing is how they feel, what they say about me, but what they do on the track is a different thing, and usually they have had two cars that are exactly same, capable of fighting for victory," he said.
"And that's what I think will happen in Brazil, so everything will be up to me.”
---------
This was addressed in a previous post:
Alonso: Not Loved But Not Cheated On Either
by Maverick (U8559356) 08 October 2007
The comments to that post showed then, as now, that the Alonso fanatics/ McLaren/Hamilton haters seem confused as to whether they wanted simple equality or that preference be given to Alonso.
In my opinion it is clear that Alonso’s stint at McLaren was doomed from the start. He went there expecting, as a double champion, to be given something like the support Schumacher got at Ferrrari. This did not happen. Rightly or wrongly Hamilton could not see why he should tone down his performance when he reckoned he could take on and beat the No 1. Ron Dennis and the team handled the situation very badly, no doubt carried away with the rookie’s unexpected success and the surrounding media frenzy.
Subsequently both drivers acted somewhat childishly but hey, two young guys, in their twenties, with a hunger to win?
For the record I reckon both Hamilton and Alonso are great drivers and am looking forward to seeing how next season pans out. Let’s hope the cars don’t disappoint and Kimi, whichever team he is in, takes an interest in contesting every race!
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The only thing Alonso should have thrown out is Ron Dennis. Out of the cockpit of his car.at 200mph...
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Here we go again! Why does nearly every debate somehow get around to LH being given preference over Alonso at McLaren? But, might as well join the fray!
oops! posted to wrong forum, Sorry chaps
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Carlonso is a bit bitter. Don't worry son, all the moaning, ala Alonso style will never change this stat: LH beat FA in the same car, as a rookie. That is the only fact you need to remember mate! Alonso is a loser, loser, loser. Geddit?
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If Rosberg did end up at Brawn GP, I would say that is Jenson Button's biggest proving point because - if Rosberg out-performs him - he's going to look like a very lucky champion (assuming that he wins the title, of course). Rosberg is a good driver, but he's probably not world champion material, so Button would have to beat him in the same car.
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REF 76
"LH beat FA in the same car, as a rookie. That is the only fact you need to remember mate! Alonso is a loser, loser, loser. Geddit?"
...and you're a winner, right?
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I would like to have seen Alonso with Raikkonen as while Massa might have showed promise,now it's a gamble
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Massa won't be a player next season - Alonso will overshadow him. Hopefully a move to McLaren would reinvigorate Raikkonen but I think as a pairing of Rosberg-Hamilton would be better for the team, Lewis needs a quick driver but not a rival.
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#67 - Absolutely agree with you on that one!!!
Without trying to sound over-dramatic, this is my F1 dream come true; Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. I am a huge fan of this sport and have been for 20 years, so I've seen the great rivalries, the epic races and championship battles, but it has been a long time since I've been truly excited by the prospect of a championship season, that is until today. Andrew, I understand why you have called it a golden age in F1 simply because we have (with the obvious exception of Schumacher) the two best drivers of this century in two of the most iconic and successful teams in motorsport history, fighting out with each other for the 2010 WDC and WCC.
So that's Alonso and Hamilton sorted.
Then there's Kimi, possibly back at his old hunting ground without the influence of Ron Dennis up against Lewis, I mean, you'd have to be pretty uninspired not to be excited by that.
And of course, Massa, a driver I admire and like, up against the best peddler in F1.
How could anyone not be chomping at the bit???
Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari...........finally, he will be able to prove without doubt that he is a true champion, and love him or loathe him, no-one can deny that this is Alonso's real chance to cement himself in history as one of the greatest ever Formula One Drivers.
Melodramatic I know, but God I'm excited!
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"Carlonso is a bit bitter. Don't worry son, all the moaning, ala Alonso style will never change this stat: LH beat FA in the same car, as a rookie. That is the only fact you need to remember mate! Alonso is a loser, loser, loser. Geddit?"
LH was given preferential treatment as the protected boy of Ron Dennis. Only the english press denies that. If alonso is a loser then tell me why he´s a double world champion and why he ended level on points to Lewis Hamilton in 2007? I think you watch a lot of science fiction movies.
Lewis Hamilton is a talented driver but he´s not the best. Alonso would never win a championship in the last lap and throw another championship away with a 17 points lead. Alonso in fact won with a renault against the best driver ever.
Any person with a bit of objectiviness would see that Alonso was never given a preferential treatment because the system in Mc Laren has always been favoritism towards the english driver . It has happened to kovalainen . He´s obviously an inferior driver than Hamilton . But where was hamilton to demand " equal treatment " with KOvalainen? Why Mc Laren treated Montoya like " ..ap " Why RD decided to base on Lewis rather than punish him for the issue in Hungary? And why was alonso penalised with 5 grid positions when that would have meant he´s 2007 wdc.
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@79 - Alonso and Raikkonen would have been incredible. And it could have potentially worked, Raikkonen would have just done his thing and wouldn't have been at all bothered about Alonso being told he is number one driver. Raikkonen would have let the racing decide that. Would have been brilliant to see them competing against each other, two very different characters. Shame it didn't happen.
@80 - Is that not what they've tried with pairing him with Kovaleinen? I think McLaren should do what they do best; get two good drivers and give them both as much support as possible and let the best man win. It's what they always tried to do until the Hamilton/Alonso pairing went just a little bit wrong.
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Massa is nothing on Alonso.
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" LH was given preferential treatment as the protected boy of Ron Dennis. Only the english press denies that."
There you go usual excuses what nonsense Ron isnt on the track you know driving with Lewis.
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Interesting look for next season. From Ferrari starting development early it could be a bit like Brawn when Honda started development early and they could dominate at the start. Looks unlikely though since there are not that many major changes from this year.
Also interesting to note Schumacher's current envolvement in F1. Will he pipe up for Massa next year as he has recently? It's no secret he's not exactly best friends with Raikkonen and I wouldn't exactly say he's best friends with Alonso either. Also, if Schumacher had taken Badoer/Fisci's seat this year, would Ferrari have stopped development on the car or not? I really think they would have continued the updates, which is funny considering Raikkonen who is still driving the hell out of the car at present.
For next year, I'd hedge my bets on how well the driver's mindset is, because that's where it'll count.
Raikkonen if he's on form and has no badluck/silly McLaren decisions
Button if he has another dominant car that is suited to him and doesn't have badluck. His smooth driving style suits the no-refuling tyre managment approach
Hamilton if he doesn't make any silly mistakes
Vettel/Webber if they have great luck and a great car with no silly mistakes
Alonso if all the rest are not consistent and he 'does a Prost'
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74 Carlonso
"The only thing Alonso should have thrown out is Ron Dennis. Out of the cockpit of his car.at 200mph..."
He should be travelling at 210mph - just to make sure.
It's no coincident Ron Dennis is out of the Formula 1 scene.
Ron Dennis has been at loggerheads with Mosely (therefore with Bernie) for ages.These guys were DESPERATE to show him the F1 door.
I'll never forget when Brundle asked Bernie in the pit straight in the deciding race in Brazil who he wanted to win the 2007 championship, for which Bernie replied to Brundle's surprise "Give it to Alonso."
I do believe Alonso was treated terribly at Maclaren, and that the team favoured Hamilton all along.
The LH v FA thing will never go away, which is good, as it adds more drama and tension to proceedings, but I really shudder when I have to read childish idiotic blogs.
Villains are Angels, Geddit?
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A look at the standings tells us that this year's championship has been about constructors Brawn and Red Bull; and drivers Button, Barrichello, Vettel, and Webber. Everyone else is behind by some distance.
It bears noting that Raikkonen is 5th and has helped Ferrari to 3rd constructors spot mostly by himself. He is ahead of both Hamilton and Alonso on points.
So the picture next year is far more complicated than McLaren and Ferrari, or Hamilton and Alonso. For these teams and drivers to ascend to their annointed rivalry and dominance of F1, they would have to surpass the constructors and drivers who beat them on the tracks this year: Red Bull and Brawn.
The matchup has a certain romance to it, but it bears only passing resemblance to what the tracks have witnessed this year. In fact, given Raikkonen's recent vein of form, I could see him being quite competitive with his replacement (Alonso), assuming he gets a decent ride for next year. After all, he's 14 points superior this year, and the Ferrari car has not been the best.
Last thought: considering the seriousness of Massa's injuries, it strikes me as risky to dump the proven performer and retain the injured driver. That choice could backfire. Drivers who've moved once on the musical chairs this winter will not likely move again if Ferrari is stuck with Massa unable to drive. They could be back in this underwhelming Fisichella/Badoer-type of grasping at straws again.
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#88 - I see your point but please remember that the Renault is probably the third worst car on the grid at the moment, so we can't judge Alonso on his results because the car just isn't quick enough to showcase his talent. That's why the podium in Singapore was an incredible achievement and overlooked by some.
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Yeah it should make for a fascinating contest. I think when people say "Alonso spat the dummy cause Lewis was faster than him" they are forgetting some things.
When Alonso signed for McLaren, it was 2005. That meant Montoya was going to be his team-mate. As Alonso had raced Montoya for several years, he probably felt he could beat the Colombian - he was a known quantity. Thus he probably didn't feel the need to have a contract that stipulated he was the number one driver.
That changed when Juan decided he had enough and quit. Now Alonso was faced with the prospect of having an unknown (to Alonso in terms of he never raced against him before, of course everyone was aware of WHO Hamilton was) partnering him. This would have put him less at ease. He would have also underestimated (a) Lewis's raw ability (b) the fact Lewis would get SO much mileage before making his debut
Secondly, there was the OTT hype surrounding Hamilton as he made his F1 debut (fuelled by the British media). If I was an F1 driver, damn right I would have been p***ed off if I arrived at a team as a 2 time champion, only for everybody to get obsessed with some new guy! This would have made him even more uncomfortable. It was not helped by Lewis at Monaco when he made his childish outburst "I have #2 on the car, so I guess i'm the #2 driver". That would have REALLY hacked me off!
Despite all the tension, Alonso still managed to put in a fight for the championship.
Never mind Alonso being able to cope with Massa, what would be just as interesting to see is if Lewis can handle a fired up Kimi! I'd say Kimi is a little hacked off Ferrari dropped him a year early so he'd be out to prove a point in my opinion. I wonder how Lewis's ego will cope with that? (Probably as well as Fernando coped with Lewis in actual fact...)
Anyway, i've gone off track. In my opinion, I don't think Fernando will have much of a problem having Felipe as a team-mate. Fernando SHOULD have learned from the McLaren experience not to under-estimate his teammate. Given they have competed against each other for a much longer period, I don't see the level of acrimony we witnessed at McLaren in 2007.
If McLaren and Ferrari build good cars next year, and Brawn and Red Bull keep up their pace from this year, we are set for a MEGA 2010 imo.
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#88
Yes Kimi was in a bad car this year... what about the monstrosity of a Renault Fernando has had to deal with???
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I hope next season proves to be an all-time classic washing from memory the dull interlude of 2009 where mediocrity has prevailed. All the ingredients seem to be in place.
I foresee civil war at Ferrari when Alonso, surprised by Massa's speed, tries to blackmail the team! Massive hissy fits and tantrums from Alonso. It could get nasty, really nasty!!
Lewis will have his hands full with a resurgent Kimi. They will drive each other on to superlative new levels. Hamilton has never lost to a team-mate in any formulae - and he's in no mood to start now!!
1. Ham
2. Kimi
3. Massa
4. Alonso
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REF 81 Nadaliator
Are you agreeing with me that Ron Dennis only brought in Alonso for the Banco de Santander sponsorship or more to my REF 59 that Alonso could make history?
Either way, will you marry me?
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Definitely the golden age of F1 with 19 race season in 2010, I cant wait. But who will be the winner this year. Jenson or Rubens?
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REF 90
I was under the impression that Alonso was going to team up with Pedro de la Rosa when he signed for Maclaren.
Good points throughout...
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Alonso will not have a Golden Age for a number of reasons:
1. No Ross Brawn and Jean Todt to organize things and provide impeccable strategy.
2. Neither the FIA nor the public will allow team "orders". Plus Massa has proven he can live with 3 former world champions and is very quick and improving year by year.
3. Alonso has shown that he is only able to dominate weak number 2s. Trulli had the measure of him in 2004 before the Italian fell out with Fernando's manager/Renault boss Briatore at the French GP...and Hamilton, a rookie, pressured him into numerous errors (Bahrain, Spain and Canada) before the Spy-gate fallout effected his standing at McLaren. Then there was Japan where he crashed out while Hamilton won with the title still on the line.
4. Alonso continues to prove fallable: Within the last month he drove into the back of Sutil at la Source, failed to get away well inspite of KERS at Monza and then was out-gunned by Glock on lap 1 at Singapore. His first podium came only after Webber, Rosberg and Vettle took penalties over the tiniest of errors.
5. Yes he has two championships but the first once came courtesy of Mercedes failures as opposed to genuinely out-classing Raikkonen. The second came aided by the use of the 'tuned' mass damper which was later judged illegal.
6. There are too many very good drivers on the grid, especially Hamilton, Kubica (who Alonso himself rated highly) and, when in the mood, Raikkonen. Once Vettel stops making errors, he too will prove formidable.
The idea of a Golden Age in this new "control" era of Formula One racing is perposterous.
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REF 82
Really good points...
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alonso is the best pound for pound driver at the moment no doubt about it
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Ah, under-rated Massa yet again.
It's fun being his fan and seeing him defy everyone's expectations.
I hope 2010 is no different.
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#91:
"Yes Kimi was in a bad car this year... what about the monstrosity of a Renault Fernando has had to deal with???"
I wouldn't say it was that bad in comparison to the Ferrari. When you consider that Fisci went from leading a GP with a Force India to being at the back with a Ferrari, I think you can see how hard it is to drive. Okay, so they're completely different car styles in terms of downforce, KERS etc, but still doesn't change the fact that Raikkonen was behind (and then infront) of him at Monza
#99:
"Ah, under-rated Massa yet again.
It's fun being his fan and seeing him defy everyone's expectations.
I hope 2010 is no different."
I think everyone is still keeping Massa in mind, it's just hard to say anything for certain without seeing how well he's driving after his accident. It's good that he's done some karting, but we don't know how well he did in the karts, just that he's recovering. Therefore, tough call to say how well he'll do
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Carlonso - proposal accepted ;)
What amazes me is that the few who continue to blindly deny Alonso's talent haven't realised the magnitude of this deal with Ferrari; they have outed one of the nest drivers in the sport in order to accomodate the Spaniard. Why? Because he's the best.
Sometimes I feel that a very small number of people who post here don't actually watch F1. If they did, they would understand how well Fernandoo has done with the limited machinery he is in. No disrespect to Renault, but they are nowhere near the front with their car and haven't been since 2006. Even then they were second to Ferrari, and look what happened in the championship.
All of Renault's points have been scored by Alonso. I think Ferrari have bagged themselves a bargain for next year.
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Sorry - typo - should've said best
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Ferrari are going to regret dumping Kimi for F.A next year, especially when Mclaren(hopefully) build the best car on the grid and a pumped up Kimi races to the title he should have won with them in the past!
Shame on you Ferrari...... you'll regret it!
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As long as McLaren win who gives a stuff whether Hamilton or Raikkonen wins? ferrari are the enemy, always have been, always will be.
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Fernando the best?
Nope...One of the best...but not THE best...and i've been watching Formula One since 1979.
Read post 96 for some objectivity.
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Ferrari and Mclaren are both much focused on next season now and with there huge work base its hard to see them not being at the front of the grid for next season.
A Hamilton Alonso battle would be great, however assuming Kimi returns to Mclaren, is he going to hold back agaisnt Alonso, who replaced him, and Massa who was chosen ahead of him...Kimi has great pace, better than all 3 of them in my opinion, he can win more title's.
It isn't as if Massa will want to play second fiddle to Alonso either, missed out last year by 1 point, I feel he will match/better Alonso in some races. If that happens, Alonso needs to sort out his attitude and not make the same mistake he made with Mclaren.
As for Kubica, think he is a great driver in all, but Renault need to really come back from the race fixing scandal and make him a car with the pace to compete for victories.
Looking at last year, both Ferrari and Mclaren struggled this year because the continuous development on there cars, for that reason I feel Brawn will perhaps suffer from a similar fate.
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Banned mass dampers.....blimey, and Ferrari's bargeboard illegalities had nothing to do with Kimi's win in Australia in 2007?
And while we're at it, flexi-wings anyone? Double diffusers?
It's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other in F1, we can't say the MDS in the Renault all those years ago won Alonso the championship!!
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I think that you are drastically underestimating Kimi here. Surely, Lewis is good, and Alonso is good; the three form the top tier of race drivers in F1, in my opinion.
But in the era of Formula One, since Michael Schumacher, being a successful driver often requires skills that are beyond just being the best racer in a car. Michael showed this with his pervasive influence on the teams he was with, increasing as he became more experienced at the top level of motor car racing. He motivated the team, and provided a focus for development toward winning. Of all of the current drivers in Formula One, it is clear that Alonso is the best at these, 'beyond-just-driving skills'. He is sorely needed at Ferrari, where, after the departure of Brawn, Todt, and their top designer, lack the coordination to create a winning enterprise.
However, for pure driving, Alonso is not clearly above either Hamilton, nor Kimi. It could be argued that either Kimi or Lewis could be the best car racer. I disagree with the article that Lewis will defeat Kimi over a season, in fact, I believe that Kimi is the fastest, most driven racer on the grid, and a Kimi/Lewis pairing will reveal this.
Prediction: if the McLaren and Ferraris are comparable machinery in 2010, Kimi will win the title if he is in the McLaren.
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I am sure Kimi is pissed Off and is going to blow Hamilton away @ McLaren (if he ends there). This is Ferrari's big mistake.
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One question...
How quick will Massa be on his come back?
Personally Ferrari have made a strange choice in having Alonso in fact I'm disgusted that the deal was allowed to happen for 2010! Kimi has a deal with them and they (Like him or hate him) should have honoured it. I'm hoping Kimi can return to McLaren but I don't think they are running two cars fairly, Hekki can't be that slow! If Kimi goes back to McLaren I hope he'll get equal equipment by the team but it would be an interesting line up. Next year is getting juicy all ready.
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As Barrichello is the only driver with experience of driving a fully laden car (no refuelling) then i predict he will be 2010 WDC. It will take all the kiddies (Vettel, Hamilton tec) all year to get used to driving a beached whale, in comparison to the 2009 car. Without KERS (hopefully they stick to the agreement) then i can see Mclaren languishing in the midfield due to, as they themselves admit, the car still isn't quick enough. It's only KERS that is making them competitive at some tracks and giving them the odd win. Without it and larger fuel tanks then i reckon Martin Brundle could probably run rings around most of them :)
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Golden age? No.
Not when it is so hard to overtake.
Not when the cars are so pregnant on fuel next year.
Not when re-fuelling is abandoned and everyone is on the same strategy.
These guys are good, but they'll mostly be following each other round in a procession just like Singapore.
If any overtaking does take place they'll get penalised bt the stewards for being off-track or for dangerous driving.
I think potentially the most exciting thing is rookie teams and rookie drivers being off the pace and getting in the way of the top drivers like Minardi in the old days.
You know its true . . .
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Am all muddled...
Lewis beat Alonso in 07
Kimi beat Lewis and Alonso in 07.
Massa beat Kimi in 08.
Lewis beat Massa, Kimi and Alonso in 08.
How can anyone conclude Alonso is the best.
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RE 113
Alonso beat Schumacher
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Very good blog. Think you've got it spot on. Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen are definitely the best three drivers. I'd still put Alonso slightly ahead of Hamilton because of his greater experience and knowledge of setting a car up, although Hamilton's natural talent is off the scale and he's by far the most exciting driver. He's been competitive and agressive in a poor car, and has made the McLaren look better than it is. Raikonnen can be unbelievable when he's interested and a move back to McLaren would be good for him. Vettel is a huge talent, but he's still making too many mistakes and has far less pressure than Hamilton did in his second season. Overall, formula 1 is looking good in terms of drivers for the future. It certainly looks better than in most of Schumacher's era, where he didn't have enough competition. Barrichello was his best ever team mate, and he's not as good as Button, who in turn is behind Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen. Would love to have seen any of the latter three as Schumacher's team mates.
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Really think Massa is up there with the best, and could challenge Alonso. But if Brawn and Red Bull produce good cars next season, could see a huge fight for the Championship; Lewis, Kimi, Massa, Alonso, Jenson, Vettel, Kubica etc. Alonso is probably the best complete driver, thought the fastest would probably be Kimi in my opinion. On his day, no one can catch him. Lewis to regain the title though!
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@115 "Hamilton.. competitive and aggressive in a poor car" Err i seem to remeber he was very uncompetitive at Silverstone i.e in the last three or four, and falling off the track regularly through agressive drive is hardly something to be complemented! And asking to give up in Germany (suggesting to save the gearbox means he wanted to retire the car) because he was a lap+ down due to over agressive driving in an uncompetitive car which after contact with M Webber had damage. Exciting? definitely not, he is going to struggle badly with larger full fuel tanks and no KERS next year so expect him in the midfield for most of the season as Mclaren even with massive amount of money thrown at development this year have not got a competitve car without KERS. Raikonenn with his experience and talent, when he wants to turn it on, will give Lewis something to worry about as hopefully they will give Kimi equal status, otherwise if Mclaren keep Lewis as Ron Denis's blue eyed boy then it will be a waste of Kimi's talent and i can see him taking the money and riding in the back seat until his contract expires. Unfortunately historically Mclaren have always favoured one member of its driver team over the other. Perhaps now that Ron and his dictatorial style of management has been eradicated from the team and Martin Whitmarsh who does seem both honest and open but with the urge to win will be that breath of freash air Mclaren need, so far this season that seems to be the case. I think Vettel is still too inexperienced and keeps making too many silly mistakes and if he sorts himself out and calms down a little next season i think he could well be another WDC in future. If he doesn't calm down and keeps making those silly little mistakes he will be another Fisichella whom everyone in the paddock thought at the time of his arrival he was going to be the next best thing since sliced bread. And as we have seen that was not the case.
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@70 What utter rubbish. There is nothing to stop a team running longer on hard tyres now. How does refuelling prevent them from doing that? They don't do it because it generally does not work. Refuelling in recent seasons has been the only thing adding anything to the at all of interest to some races and I think you will find it is mickey mouse circuits and daft aero rules that are putting paid to racing as well as all this endurance rubbish.
As for Schumacher struggling more with long runners on hard tyres I doubt it would have made any difference as he seemed more than capable of still winning when any rule change designed to stop him was thrown at him. After all they would have hindered the other 'lesser' drivers just as much if not more.
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Sorry Andrew, & most of you chaps out there, but Kimi's not going to Mclaren.
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@114 He wouldn't have if the Ferrari engine hadn't given up when Schumacher was leading the penultimate race.
Sorry but as good as Alonso is he is no Schumacher!
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@90 Sorry but at the end of the day Lewis all but showed Alosno the way in his rookie year.
You can come up with this and that etc. etc. but the fact remains a two time WC was given a driving lesson by a complete F1 rookie. I have no allegience to Hamilton but it sure was funny to watch.
That drivbe in Fuji in the rain was amazing especially when you think Alonso stuck his car in the wall.
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I'm not sure leaving Renault is such a great move, I'm convinced they will have a good season next year. New management, new drivers, and a lot of reputation to restore. It just doesn't make sense for them to stay in the sport if they aren't going to challenge for the title, and lets not forget Renault has an amazing track record in F1 after all.
Also, comparing the Torro Rosso/Red Bull performance, I know which engine I'd rather have in back of a car.
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OK, I'm tucking into humble pie but still, Ferrari are idiots! Since '07 Alonso has proven to be an arrogant git who expects his teams to revolve around him.
As far as the Lewis haters are concerned, NONE of us expected him to give Alonso a fight in '07 but even then, anyone who expected Alonso to be given undisputed number 1 status does not know how the team works! The drivers have to beat each other fair and square and Alonso underesimated Lewis just like the rest of us. Deal with it.
Alonso may be a double world champion but the only way to keep him happy would be to make a guy who himself only just missed out on the '08 title by the skin of his teeth into a subserviant number 2. It will not work.
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@123 First i am not a Lewis Hater but i have to say that from watching F1 since the 1960's that Mclaren, especially under the rule on Ron Denis have never given both drivers equal footing they always give one driver an advantage over the other, often by fair means or foul. One of the reasons i have never really been a Mclaren fan. As i said in my last post, with Martin at the helm i hope this changes and next year could be an exciting competition between a very talented and experienced driver and a talented aggressive driver. If Lewis can accept that he has to prove himself to the team to deserve his place there and not be given it on a plate then i think it will be a very vlose run thing between the two of them. Anybody remember the fun Prost & Senna had at Mclaren together :)
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Rosberg at Brawn as well. Finally (hopefully) getting a car to match his talents.
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Ferrari's image has been squeaky clean of late, and yet Alonso has a very dubious track record in terms of personal composure in a team, which does leave a question needing to be answered, but overall this is a great move for both teams. McLaren have always tried to maintain the equality with the drivers to maintain the competitive edge. Ferrari, on the other hand, have a team culture which has traditionally produced better results when having a clear No1 driver. Different ways for different teams.
What is certain is that these moves have worked out well for BOTH teams. The only one which may be disappointed is Massa. But having said that, Massa has always been motivated when he is expected to under perform.
Kovalainen has been solid, but he is not in Hamilton's class. Raikkonen is however, and I hear a lot of talk about Alonso having to prove himself, but not much about Hamilton, and it could well be that Raikkonen brings him back down to earth. It is not an outrageous thought.
We still have to consider Brawn as the favorites. Any team is only as good as their last season. I know people with disagree, but the fact is that Brawn are scoring more points than anyone else. And it would not be outrageous to think of Rosberg winning, and if Renault put a good car together, then Kubica could easily crash the party. We haven't even got on to what Red Bull or Williams are capable of, and I am putting my money on Force India to win at least one race next year.
I personally see this as one of the most complete driver line up's in F1 for a long time. And with drivers like Hulkenberg on the horizon, I see the good times continuing. We can already see F1 morphing into a different sport than it was in Schumacher's era, like it did the era before that, making the usual comparison's of one champion rather redundant. The only use of commentators comparing one generation of drivers to another is to pass the time waiting for the next Grand Prix.
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The news that Alonso has joined Ferrari is the best thing i've heard in ages regarding F1, i look forward to the 2010 season with great relish.
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Alonso has not won a race all season and has only made 1 podium that I can recall -- last weekend. It's placing a lot of faith in Ferrari -- that produced a mediocre car this year -- to argue it'll be him and Hamilton will fight for the title in a Golden Age next year.
[That being said, Renault arguably botched the season by ending up on the wrong side of the KERS divide, which seemed to be a literal weight upon them and Ferrari (and to some extent McLaren) this year. But a few more podiums would go further to convincing me it's car and not driver. After all, his podium presence is equivalent to Force India or BMW -- much less Toyota, who has made it occasionally (even though their drivers don't seem to like each other -- their drag race to the next curve at Monza, followed by the outside car headed into the gravel trap was priceless) -- and you'd be hard-pressed to get anyone to buy those cars are equivalent to the championship leaders. Either Renault was real bad or Alonso is not quite what is being suggested. And, all fairness, I kind of like his aggressive style....]
Hamilton supporters could make a more convincing case. He has done well enough late in the season where it would be foolish to rule out him busting out of the gate next year like Jenson Button this championship. He qualifies well and if this is going to be a stop-less championship next year taking P1 every weekend will be of big importance next year.
But, as some have said, if they follow through on getting rid of fuel stops, heavier fuel-laden cars may also play into (or out of) certain hands next year just like the diffusers did and the KERS didn't this year. Aggressive drivers like Hamilton (recall his Monza crash on the last lap) and Alonso, given heavier cars, may be risky in a way tenths-shavers like Button who try and run smooth laps over and over may not be. It may be a year that favors boring driving and reliable cars over virtuosity.
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Then again, Renault was so third-rate this year they couldn't even secure the tire to the car.....
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I think Kimi and McLaren will prove a stronger combination than Kimi and Ferrari. The McLaren was never a consistently good car throughout Kimi's last spell there, they had a lot of reliability and development issues. I'd be surprised if they weren't right at the sharp end from race 1 next year, and will give Raikkonen a great car. As Fisi and Badoer have proved, this year's Ferrari should not be a car which a race win and 4 straight podiums to its name, but Kimi has man-handled it up there-he hasn't had the credit he deserves.
I honestly think there's nothing to choose between Alonso, Massa, Hamilton and Raikkonen. Brawn and Red Bull shouln't be too far off, and perhaps Kubica if he finds himself in a decent car too. With no fuel strategies to get in the way, we should see these drivers going wheel-to-wheel regularly. More fuel means more weight, and longer braking distances, so better overtaking chances. Cars will all be a similar weight so there's no advantage to be gained by pitting later, and it makes sense for everyone to use the hard compound tyre first, which will last longer with the heavy fuel load. So it should just be raw racing, and it will take a stroke of genius for anyone to really dominate.
The last time races were like that the field was covered by 7 seconds, not less than 2 as is now the case at most tracks. Taking all that into account, I can't see how next season won't be a classic.
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Hamilton will only be considered great when he has the balls to say ta ta to the team that has breast-fed him all this time and win with another team...
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64 - Saints19 - Well, I went and checked some stats as you asked. In 2009, until Massa's accident, Kimi had outqualified Massa 5 to 4. Perhaps you should check some stats yourself, eh?
Also, Luca Montezemolo himself said that Massa "deserves" to have another chance in the car because he got injured. But I guess it's more about money, as someone suggested, and not another emotional decision like Badoer was. I was wrong. And I do rate Massa, too, by the way, I just think Kimi is much better.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I seem to remember in the 80's that with no fuel stops tyres were the deciding factor and often there would be 30 second gaps in the first three alone. Remember Mansells win in 1987 when due to vibration he stopped for tyre change making up and passing his team mate over who was 30 seconds in the lead at tyre change, and went on to win the race. Somehow i really cannot see the closeness we have had between the field this year continuing and would not be suprised to go back to bacmarkers being a lap or more behind at the end of the race. I think no refuelling is going to be a tough ride for the newcomers next year and the teams that are consistantly underperforming this year. We will have to wait and see, but it seems f1 is going through circles as the FIA do not, under the leadership of Mr Moseley, seem to be making any positive advances. An example is KERS this if it had taken off just have mirrored the turbo/atmo cars of the 80's where turbo cars took all the top spots and atmo cars followed on just out of the points. Bring on Ari Vataanen a new perspective might help f1 go forward and not remain stagnant and carry on going round in circles. Let designers/strategists like Ross Brawn, Adrian Newey et al push f1 forward rather than silly attempts to allow power benefits under the eco banner waving (KERS) 40-50 million per team in development costs alone is hardly eco friendly nor helping with the cost cutting in this time of recession. Anoter MM idea barely even thought through past the brownie points stage for MM and all the financial burden laid on the teams. Lets see the superlicences cut by 75% to a sensible level, after all what does the FIA do with all the millions it accrues from drivers fines to teams etc. I for one would like to know exactly how the money they receive benefits motorsport, rather than some vague motorsport safety fund. Come on FIA you are a french motoring organisation after all not a world goverment, Max may think he's a politician, how about a breakdown of your accounts so the fans can see the benefits you are supposedly providing for next season. Mr Ecclestone covers the near bankrupting of the circuits, Max & the FIA what do you do exactly for all this money that goes into your coffers.
As i am unlikely to get a response for fans reading Andrews great blog Answers on a postcard please (oops sorry slipped into 80's TV for a minute there) seriously if Andrew would be up for it how about a discussion on what the fans think the FIA does for all that money and do we think we are getting our moneys worth or does the bulk go to pay for what seems to be fast becomming a white elephant due to it's inability to change and adapt. Please Max if you do reply dont play the broken record about safety, I remember watching when you were running that fairly unsuccessful March team, when the only man actually pushing for safety measures was Jackie Stewart, who if it was in todays F1 you would have suspended his super licence and banned him from racing for daring to say boo to you. Sorry for wandering off topic but i can see next year heading towards 1980's & 1990's racing where towards the end of the race drivers were to worried about wrecking their tyres to overtake, Mansell losing WDC due to tyre exploding etc.
Sorry to ramble on will shut up now to give someone else a chance
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Oooh, a breakdown of the FIA's accounts... well, we'd all love to see that! Trouble is, there's as much chance of that ever happening as R Branson shaving.
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RE# 131 "Hamilton will only be considered great when he has the balls to say ta ta to the team that has breast-fed him all this time and win with another team..."
You really don't like Hamilton or Mclaren do you - why is that i wonder, is it because they are capable of beating your beloved Alonso ?...and with regard to your comment above, why would Hamilton leave ? Looking at the wilderness that Alonso has been in for the past few seasons this only goes prove why he should stay put !
Oh and by the way, Ferrari are THE biggest players in the game of F1 for having team orders and favourite drivers....ask poor Barrichello....!
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I think next year will be as undecided as this, all because of the ban on refueling. Massa, Alonso, Rubens, Vettel and Kimi are known to be hard on their tyres and with the extra weight of full tanks are likely to have to 2 stop or even 3 stop.
As next year there are few technical changes, just how quick can the Mclaren car be without kers?
Ferrari are now concentrating on the 2010 car which needs to be very different from the 2009 version, look at how difficult it has been for Fisi to get to grips with it.
The top drivers next year will be the ones who can adapt their driving to the heavier cars and this may not be the current big names.
Alonso to Ferrari? He should have asked for a test drive first.
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After reading that Alonso asked McLaren to run Hamilton dry so could win and his general prima donna antics when Hamilyton joined McLaen, I wish nothing but ill on the man and his new Ferrari team.
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What about Massa? Will he tolerate being treated as Number 2, since Alonso has already shown that he requires No 1 treatment.
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REF f1Junkie66
"Delicatus ille est adhuc cui patria dulcis est.
Fortis autem jam cui omne solum patria est,
perfectus vero cui mundus totus exsilium est."
-He whose own homeland is sweet to him is a mere beginner.
He to whom every soil is as his native land is strong.
But he to whom the whole world is a place of exile has achieved perfection.
-Hugh of St Victor c.1127 Didascalicon, bk.3, ch.20.
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I just cannot wait for Kimi to ruffle a few feathers at Hamilton GP!
He'll turn up, outperform Lewis in every way, then do his jellyfish personality impression to the media, grab an ice-cream then fall asleep somehere in the paddock after frollicking with a couple of track side beauties...priceless....
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COME ON THE ICEMAN
If kimi moves back to mclaren he will win the championship next season show lewis whose boss.
Early championship prediction
1 raikkonen hopefully!
2 alonso
3 hamilton
4 massa (depends on his fitness levels)
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I'm not sure about this, neither Mclaren no Ferrari have had particularly good results this year so I don't see it being simply a fight between Hamilton and Alonso. If Brawn and Red Bull go into next year as they have done this year, we might not be too bothered what Ferrari and Mclaren are doing lower down the field.
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Alonso's move to Ferrari is probably as much about economics as it is about the racing. Ferrari will attract the Spanish sponsors and also have a think about how many Alonso fans will be buying Ferrari merchandise!
As for the racing next season and who is going to be top dog in F1, I think it's far too early to tell. But I hope Massa makes a storming comeback as he deserves some good fortune, and also I hope Button and Brawns are competitive and can challenge for wins
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Alonso was (and still is) the clear number 1 driver at Renault but when he moved to McLaren and had a team mate who was just as good as him he struggled, fell out with the team and ultimately left.
If Ferrari can make a good car then I think Alonso could easily win the championship but Massa is good and I just wonder if the McLaren situation will arise again.
I'm a little bit surprised they are keeping Massa and letting Kimi go. Massa hasn't won a championship and is a bit of an unknown quantity after his accident. Kimi won the championship at Ferrari and has won for them this year. For me they are letting the in form driver go.
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Re #118, tiggerspp
You appear to have missed my point - a compulsory stop for fuel precludes a driver from nursing a single set of tyres through an entire race, thus denying him the advantage of having NO pitstop. Hardly the same thing as a long stint before the currently inevitable pitstop...
And as pointed out in #134, the refuelling-free 80s provided some great racing!
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Yet another piece brimming with waffle and inaccuracy by the BBC's F1 blogger-in-chief.
"the best two drivers in the world"
Who says they are the two best drivers in the world? Have you decided that personally?
"Think of James Hunt against Niki Lauda, Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher taking on Mika Hakkinen"
Don't put Hunt vs Lauda as a duel alongside the others, it's a no contest. It simply does not exist. Hunt got the most flukey championship when Lauda was dominating the season but missed 3 gp's and withdrew from the last one - and still only just nicked it on the dying laps.
"in the races where it was possible to make a direct comparison, Hamilton was faster than Alonso slightly more often than it was the other way around"
How exactly do you draw upon this conclusion? Especially when you admit yourself that during the last THREE gp's (not two as you imply) Alonso from top dog mysteriously became as slow as Nakajima - and despite all that PLUS that nonsense penalty in Hungary that amounted to a handful of points it finished all square.
"It would be a surprise if the Finn beat Hamilton over a season"
No it wouldn't. Only if the car was built to Hamilton's liking (not a remote possibility nonetheless)
"Jenson Button - arguably the leader of the second string of drivers"
I see you've made expert use of 'arguably' there but is that your personal opinion or a general consensus? How have you decided that Button is THE LEADER ahead of Vettel, Webber, Kubica, Barichello, Rosberg, Glock etc? That's quite random now ain't it? Have you got a comparison measure that you can give us? Because the only one I've got is vs Rubens whom he's really struggled to outdrive in the last 3 seasons.
"...behind Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen"
So these is the '1st string' of drivers? And is that another random veredict of yours? For instance where is Massa? Why is Hamilton or Kimi in there and Massa isn't? Massa who beat Kimi for nearly 2 seasons running; and in 2007 vs Hamilton on similar machinery proved to be the better driver of the two, thumping him in no less than 7 gp's (compared to Lewis's 5), making way less errors and without the 20 points lost in Hungary & Singapore would have won the championship by a country mile.
I understand that your views represent the standard of your target audience but it's becoming quite embarrassing of late. For your own good Mr Benson - sort it out.
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Great to see Alonso get the drive for Ferrari. Raikkonen might quit F1.
Kubica might move to Renault. What do you think will be the drivers line up for 2010 for all teams. I would like to hear who you think will drive where.
It's Schumacher and Hill all over again.
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Looking forward to the next season and agree that the prospecs for driver battles is immense. Given that the other main ingredient in the melting pot is the quality of the car and a lot of posts have the proviso that McLaren and Fezza have to both be competitive I wonder why we never see a blog about the engineers and who is moving where. For me I would always prefer to meet an engineer than a driver if I was given the opportunity to spend an afternoon in the company of one or other.
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Lauda was hardly a playboy like Hunt was.
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@124 I think the one time Ron Dennis showed bias in driver relations was between Hakkienen and Coulthard in the late 90s and Dennis eventually admitted as much - it was due to DC having come in right after Hakkinen's big crash in Adelaide '95.
I cannot believe McLaren would have been willing to give any rookie, even a much hyped one who McLaren had a relationship with for years such as Lewis, the golden boy treatment. Even if so, why hire a double world champion as his teammate - that's asking for trouble.
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It will be interesting to see which Ferrari driver is faster. I think if Ferrari have good car, Felipe can outpace Fernando but if the car isn't good then only Fernando can battle for victories.
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Nibs-I think your more guilty of what you accuse Mr Benson of than he is.
"Massa who beat Kimi for nearly 2 seasons running..."
2007 Massa's 3 wins compared to Kimi's 6, 110 points to 94. Sorry, no contest. It was only after the Turkish race in 2008 (round 5) he got the better of Kimi.
"2007 vs Hamilton on similar machinery proved to be the better driver of the two, thumping him in no less than 7 gp's (compared to Lewis's 5), making way less errors and without the 20 points lost in Hungary & Singapore would have won the championship by a country mile."
Lots of anomalies here:
1. You mean 2008; 2007 Hamilton anihilated Massa.
2. He took 6 race wins to Hamilton's 5, and even 1 of those was Spa after that ridiculous penatly for Hamilton (See Alonso-Klien at Suzuka 05 for proof it was the wrong call to punish Hamilton-you'll need ITV version with Ted in the pits to get the crucial information).
3. You can't claim that Massa would have won in Singapore. The issue with the lights could have happened at any pitstop, it was not caused by the safety car. And please remember Hamilton had poor luck a puncture in Hungary
4. Way less errors? Massa=Malaysia spin under no pressure, 5 (YES, 5!) Spins at Silverstone, hit Hamilton into spin at Fuji.
Hamilton=poor start and hitting Alonso at Bahrain, tagging barrier at Monaco, pit lane thing at Montreal, crossing chicane at Spa(error of judgement rather than driving error), outrageous move at Fuji. I don't see way fewer errors by either man there.
I can't take the views of some who gets their facts that wrong seriously.
Massa is still too prone to incidents, Alonso doesn't have bad days, or rushes of blood to the head; Massa will very quickly have to get used to a number 2 position at Ferrari. He will be the best rear-gunner in F1.
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"Yet another piece brimming with waffle and inaccuracy by the BBC's F1 blogger-in-chief." from nibs
Its his opinion which obviuosly isn't yours. I loved to know who the "target audience" is, people who don't agree with your waffle and inacurracy I suspect. Everybody is entitiled to an opinion but quit the insults suggesting he is aiming them at a lower standard of fan yourself.
Its you who is the embarrassment.
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"Lets Hope Kimi does not join McClaren as he is a PR nightmare that is the reason why Ferrari kicked him out with 1 year left on his contract!!!
Kimi is Moody and Mumbles and has NO personality which you have to have to be taken seriously in this sport.
Kimi gives F1 fans nothing."
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Kimi is a living legend, he is absolutely hilarious! Yes he appears less than enthused in interviews but he's a driver who can't be bothered with the media, he's not moody at all and has a brillaint sense of humour.......how can you dislike somebody who:
a) is the fastest man on the grid
b) has won a title
c) gave the funniest response when asked what he thought of Schumacher's retirement award
d) leaves the Monaco GP to drink champagne on his yacht.
Hilarious. He's a legend and fans love him for his wit.
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Alonso or Kimi will win next year....
Lewis is too smug, it's like he thinks he's Schumacher. And what is with "Team Hamiliton", we're gonna end up with a new Posh and Becks at this rate! Yes, Lewis is fast and he is very talented but he makes too many mistakes which everybody seems to forget. Alonso is the complete package and beat Schumacher in a car that shouldn't have been beating the Ferrari. Alonso's performance is always above the car in which he drives. Massa will not beat him. Lewis will try and fail, his only main rival is Kimi in 2010.
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The drivers line up of 2010 I reckon will be:
Ferrari: Alonso,Massa
McLaren: Hamilton,Kubica
Brawn: Button,Rosberg
Red Bull: Vettel,Webber
Renault: Heidfeld, Grosjean
Toyota: Nakajima, Kovalainen
Force India: Sutil, Liuzzi
Williams: Barrichello, Hulkenburg
Toro Rosso: Buemi, Algasuri
Campos: De La Rosa, Trulli
Team USF1: Wurz, Partick
Manor: Carroll, Paffett
Lotus: Fisichella, Petrov
What do you reckon people feel free to have your say on who will drive next season
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#158......Your prediction is already flawed. Fisichella is signed to Ferrari for 2010.
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Hmmmm, double World Champion moves to Ferrari from Renault (read Benetton) team. That's got a familiar ring to it. I like Massa a lot but I am still not convinced that he would still be a Ferrari driver if he did not have his accident. PR wise there was no way they could move him away after that. What would be your preferred lineup, FM/FA or FA/KR? It would only be FM/FA if you were once again looking to concentrate on a No1 (FA). Felipe, while not contracted as a No2 like Rubens was will have to dominate very early for the momentum to gravitate towards him. If it had been FA/KR, Felipe would have moved to a "lesser" team and I fear that his WDC chances have got a whole lot harder now either way and his chance may have gone as his perfect opportunity was in the MS retirement/Raikonned development at Ferrari/Hamilton inexperience/Alonso at less competitive team window. A window which has now been firmly shut.
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Excuses....Excuses......Excuses.......ha ha!!!
This goes out to ALL the Lewis haters....especially you Carlonso....we've been here before i remember!!!
I've posted this message before....but I'll post it again...because you can't hide from the TRUTH!!!!
We saw a 22yr old rookie in his 1st ever season with no experience in a top team like Mclaren where there is pressure to perform at the highest level......pit his wits against the youngest 'Double World Champion' who saw of Michael Schumacher(G.O.A.T)- Fernando Alonso........
We saw Lewis Hamilton take Alonso to school in every department...
1. PURE DRIVING ABILITY - he was often quicker than Alonso in the same car - no excuses!!! Even Schumacher said he was often quicker....
2. MENTALLY - We all know that Alonso is so mentally tuff, you don't go head to head with Michael Schumacher, come out on top and not be tuff...but we all saw with Lewis Hamilton a rookie at the time he wasn't fazed by Alonso in anyway shape or form....It was quite clear as time went on Alonso was becoming more and more rattled on and off the track.....It was a shame to see a 'Double World Champion' trying to use is achievements to gain status against a rookie who's been with Mclaren since he was a boy.....Do your talking on the track not with your mouth!!! The manor in which Alonso conducted himself that season was pretty shaby and lacked CLASS.....Shame really!!!
No wonder Ron Dennis and Mclaren got rid of Alonso he was SURPLAS to requirements anyway....ha ha ha lol!!! they realised that give Lewis Hamilton a decent car and he will cause serious damage...1st year he lost the championship through in experience and team blunders...but it was a learning curve...after that heartache he come back the following year and won the title - METTLE - plain and simple....at 23 a true champion with great maturity....McLaren have spent millions on Lewis, because they saw that RAW potential, hunger and desire!!!! And now Lewis is repaying them back....What a story...ha ha lol!!! Ron Dennis a man with great vision....
It's funny when i read some of the statments about Lewis....he's been found wanting this year, he's poor in the wet, he's only winning races because everyone else is so poor, he's got know respect for massa, Ron Dennis messed up with Alonso, he's to corporate, he's not a real champion, he's only won this many races etc...the list go's on....Loving this debate lol..!!! So many different views out there.....so good to see.....
When it's all been said and done Lewis is the current World Champion and is only 24 - he's only going to get better with experience....thats the beauty!!!
Stop the hating...where's the lovin
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Ever since Alonso threw his toys out of his McLAREN this has been on the cards.Personally I hope Massa stiffs him and Lewis spanks the pair of them.What will Alonso do if he is not top dog and Massa beats him or, god forbid ,wins the Championship!In the real world though Ferrari just may not be that competative in the future under the new rules and Alonso will suffer accordingly.Talk like this of the head to head racing is very premature and I suspect journalist hype,Alonso is good ,but not a patch on Schumacher,Senna Prost etc.Time will tell but Hamilton will ,I think ,be the one to beat.
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I don't have too long a historical knowledge about F1's legacy in replacing drivers, but has a World Champion, less than 2 years since his title, ever been treated so shabbily?? I have always been a Ferrari fan, but somehow when Raikkonen started driving for them, I started becoming a fan of his. If he does go to McLaren, I might actually consider supporting him; something I never thought possible!
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Andrew,
As many others have pointed out, next year or later it may not be just Hamilton vs Alonso. It could be even Massa vs Raikkonen (if he is McLaren) or maybe Button vs Vettel. Hasn't this year taught us anything?I think you are just talking up to create some sensation.
The eras that you talked about (Hakkinen or Schumacher etc) were times when only one or two drivers (one or two cars) were good. This grid has no exceptional driver that stands above others unlike those times. Give any driver in this grid a good car (Kubica, Vettel, Sutil etc), they can win Championship just like Button is doing now.
I don't think many of us will be surprised if Kimi does better than Lewis over the season. Care to explain why you hold on to the minority view? In fact I would think if Kimi is motivated to prove a point to all others, he will most likely do better than Lewis who is prone to do mistakes under pressure.
Finally as some others pointed out, why under-rate Massa that you don't even mention in your list?
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#158: I echo someone else's comment that Fisichella is committed to Ferrari. Of course, Alonso was committed from Renault in like fashion, but I think at his age these last few races in a Ferrari amounted to a career victory lap. He'll be available if Massa is out or something happens, but I assume that he contracted with them knowing it was just a few races and then out to pasture.
It has been generally quiet on the USF1/USGPE front but I keep up enough with US' Indycar series to be able to tell you that the rumormill over here is that Danica Patrick is pursuing a NASCAR apprenticeship of sorts (drive in the second tier for a year and then move up) and is being mentored by a driver who switched from open-wheel to stock cars himself. If she's content to spend her career making endless left turns then so be it, but that rules her out of any immediate F1 future. And the fact is that while she is a consistent driver she only has one win -- on lucky fuel strategy at the Motegi oval -- and while talented is better known than other drivers in part because she is a woman. There are several drivers ahead of her in the Indycar championship who would be better in F1 (assuming they will not spin their tires and crash into the pit wall coming out of stops). And one of the key questions with USF1 is if they will be a US entity in name and a few other things or whether they intend on getting one or both drivers from the US as well. That speaking to your mention of Wurz.
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Promal- Damon Hill was sacked for 1997 despite winning the 1996 title. I think the deal with Frentzen was already done before he secured it. But it's interesting to wonder how much support he had from Williams, when they knew Villenwuve was the 1 staying on.
I know Mansell was replaced by Prost for 1993, but I'm not sure if he voluntarily left because he didn't want to partner Alain (Still some ill feeling from their days as Ferrari team mates).
If he'd stayed on, would Hill ever have made a champion? Mansell could have stayed to partner Senna in 1994, So Hill would have replaced Senna, as David Coulthard did, but then where would Coulthard have been? You could say Mansell's Indycar move changed the F1 decade...
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Carlonso wrote:
Hamilton will only be considered great when he has the balls to say ta ta to the team that has breast-fed him all this time and win with another team...
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I admit I haven't read every word on this blog but this surely wins the 'Most Stupid Statement' award.
Looking at your name I'm sure you've quite a collection of those. Congratultions.
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#158
I think Danica Patrick has just resigned with her Indycar team, whilst still looking at NASCAR. Marco Andretti could be a half candidate. Don't discount one of the well-established Brits with a good following out there though perhaps Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson. Maybe even Aussie Ryan Briscoe or New Zealander Scott Dixon. Juan Montoya has huge American following and would attract interest, but I think, sadly, he's too committed to ovals now.
I think Anthony Davison will be in either a Lotus or a Manor. Takuma Sato could make a return too. There's talk of letting in the re-named BMW team too, so I think Christian Klien will race there. I can't believe you think Nakajima would be at Toyota, but not Glock. I can't recall a single Japanese Toyota driver in their 8 seasons so far.
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Has anyone told Filipe that he will be expected to play the number two role, just like Rubens did with Schumacher? If not and he does what Lewis did in 2007 (which he might) then we can expect Alonso to be off again in 2011!
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E-Type, I can see your point above but think Carlonso was pointing out the fact that Lewis has been given a competitive car so it has been (relatively) easy for him to pick up good points and the champ, whereas others have won champs in cars that really weren't expected to be the "cream of the crop". Fans like seeing drivers win in different teams, it shows class. People seem to criticise Alonso too much, he is always up there in his Renault and this year he is once again out driving his machinary. And before you all start I am not a Lewis hater, I merely like to follow drivers who have been in less competitive teams and working their way up, it seems more deserving anf the drivers are more humble. Lewis is good and I would love him to win again but he has to earn it more to win people's respect. To some people the respect is more important.
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Re the 2010 Line up - Kimi won't be retiring just yet and will go back to McLaren. Kubica will be at Renault with Kovalainen who has spent alot of time with Bob Bell in Suzuka. Glock has done enough lately to keep his place at Toyota.
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The big if in this article is right at the beginning, where Benson says if the two giants can get back to the front. Ferrari are do for a spell in the wilderness and all the signs have shown this year that it could happen. Not to sure about MClaren. I think they could still be up there next year.
I'd just like also to question the comparisions, which both carry the assumptions that Alonso is and Hakkinen was great champions. I might remind Andrew that both Hakkinen with his 2 titles and Alonso with his had an awful lot of good luck riding with them, and Hakkinen had some downright manipulation going on with his wins--Coulthard being ordered to give him the win in the first race and the mysterious sudden snails pace that Coulthard adopted during one very wet race, which caused Michael, who was winning by a country mile to crash into him as he came round to lap Coulthard--and, I think I'm correct here, didn't Michael break his leg in Montreal and didn't drive for the rest of the season when Hakkinen won his 2nd title.
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Michael had luck too though #172, I think drivers make their own luck through gritty determination sometimes. Unluckiest drivers include Coulthard, Webber and Massa.
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Micheal had Ruebens yielding on more than one occasion to hand him the win....also in America when only six cars could race that day, played right into his hands.
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Also, what about all of Michael's indiscretions? Taking Jacques out and losing all his points that year, parking his car on the track in Monaco Quali to be sent to the back of the grid......
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I do not know why Mclaren want Kimi back. He was rubbish last time he was at Mclaren a few years ago! Did he even win a single race? Most overrated driver on the grid in my view. Hammy will serve his backside up on a plate next year at every race. As for Alonso vs Hammy - no contest. Hammy beat him in his first season as a rookie! Hammy will go to be double WC next year and at 28 Alonso's career can only go one way -and that's not up.
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Carlonso,
I actually agree with you re winning with more than one team (comment 131)
BUT
It's Lewis Hamiltons 3rd season in the sport, give the guy a chance to try and win elsewhere before shooting him down. Also hasn't Alonso only ever won titles with one team?
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I am not sure that Alonso at Ferrari will 'herald a golden age'. I think Fernando is a good driver but not a great driver and he is no Michael Schumacher. The two world titles in 2005-6 were won by a whisker. Kimi Raikkonen (2005) and Michael Schumacher (2006) were unlucky not to win as they were beset by reliability issues with their cars at the time. I still can't help feel that Ferrari are making a mistake in letting Kimi go as I think he's better than Alonso.
I hope Massa and Alonso have equal status within Ferrari so that we can see a straight fight between them. I also hope that Red Bull, McLaren and Brawn build on their performance in 2010 and Renault improves as we could possibly see as many as 8 drivers vying for the title next year. What a prospect that would be!
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brightSpeedyGonzalez wrote:
Fans like seeing drivers win in different teams, it shows class.
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If Lewis is already in a winning car driving for a team that has a habit of producing competitive cars I hardly see the point of leaving that winning environment to drive for a, respectfully, lesser team just to earn 'respect' as you put it. I think through dint of his performances he has plenty of respect already. He is a WDC who is bold, brave and often brilliant. If that doesn't earn some peoples' respect then they are not worth bothering with.
Who knows what will happen in the future. Very few drivers have driven for one team their whole careers so it might well happen one day. But to leave McLaren just to satisfy a few malcontents would be pure folly.
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#178 Kimi is probably out and out quicker than Alonso, but over the course of a season I'd rather have Fernando in my team. His work ethic and commitment are much better, and as a result he's much more consistent, and never really has a bad day. Raikkonen can fly on his day. Suzuka 2005 is a race he shouldn't have won from 17th. OK, Alonso had to drop back and let Klien back through, but he still would have been behind KR at the flag. But his performances at the end of 2008 were dismal, and Alonso even managed a win at Fuji in an inferior Renault. I don't think Kimi's head would ever be in the right place to take an uncompetetive car to a win like that.
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#CNW0429
I think Alonso is a talented driver and no doubt works hard. However by Japan GP last year Renault had made great strides in performance and there were a few incidents at the start that may have benefited him indirectly e.g. Hamilton braking too late when battling with Raikkonen, etc. Kimi Raikkonen has also proven he could achieve good results in uncompetitive cars. For example in 2004 he won the Belgium GP in a McLaren, which was mostly uncompetitive that season. He also scored quite a few podiums from near the back of the grid in several races in 2006 and the McLaren that year was terrible.
I also question Alonso's temperament, which I have noticed can affect his driving at times. When things go absolutely right for him he is quiet and happy but if not he has tendency to complain and throw tantrums. He even accused Renault of not 'supporting him' when he was having a bad race at 2006 Chinese Grand Prix and he certainly he was driving more erratically in 2007 at McLaren when Lewis Hamilton was giving a run for his money, Fuji 2007 being an example. There also circuits which he seems to have an anchilles heel such as Montreal and Indianopolis where he was even outperformed by his team mate Fisichella during his Renault days.
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I think Lewis will benefit from the competition and pressure that having Kimi as a team mate will inevitably bring. If Lewis can get rid of the errors that dogged him over the last two seasons, he has a chance next season. I know everyone will see the very best of Lewis Hamilton next season.
He should marry Nicole over the summer. What a life...
Alonso at Ferrari will make F1 over the next few seasons the most competitive in years and the driver who prevails over that time period has got to be truly exceptional. Even MS at his best wouldn't have it easy. Never in Formula 1 has there been this depth of talent in one season and we are going to see some breathless races in 2010 - as long as barmy Ecclestone doesn't come up with another of his hair brained ideas.
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Congrats to Alonso, after few tough years and a terrible one at McLaren he finally landed at a place that can truly make him a legend. But we have to wait and see...
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@147 No didn't miss your point at all but there is no compulsory stop for refuelling currently in the regs. The only reason for the stop at the moment is the 'a set of each type of tyre requirement' and that is still in the 2010 regulations so there will be at least one stop anyway which makes your argument superfluous of course.
However before this two types of tyre rule was introduced teams were free to run a full race with no stop. The fact they didn't probably tells you something about how quick that might be compared to a couple of stops ;-)
As for the racing in the 80s being great I agree, but it had nothing to do with no refuelling and a whole heck of a lot to do with less refined aero and more reliance on mechanical grip not to mention better circuits.
Glad we have cleared that up now :-)
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Alonso is overrated and is presumptuous on his part or anyone else’s to compare him to Schumacher. If he was so special why did he not dominate Hamilton while at McLaren with the same equipment knowing that Hamilton was on his first year in F1. We've heard stories like this before about Alonso when he made his move to McLaren that it was the most exciting move in F1 for years. If he is so good why should Renault resort to cheating at the scale of manufacturing a crash to let him win a race. If he is so good with all his years at Renault he would have built a team and a car around himself worthy of wining multiple championships. He arrived at Renault at a time when they had a strong car and he won 2 championships in a strong car. As a driver, team leader and technical adviser, etc.., that Schumacher apparently was, Alonso has failed to deliver at Renault. I always used to hate Schumacher while he was racing but I know now that I hated him because he was so good in all aspects of F1. Schumacher did things that were way outside his job description and he did them very well & consistently. I am certain that F1 world and for that matter Ferrari will find it very hard to find anyone of the same caliber, especially not in Alonso.
Trouble seems to either follow Alonso or he just carries trouble with him. We have seen both teams he spent his time with in the last 3 years to suffer badly. I would not be surprised to see his relationship with Ferrari & Massa to grow sour pretty quickly by the middle of the season in 2010.
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So Kimi has not been at Ferrari as long as Massa wins in 1st race in a Ferrari , wins title in 1st year .. ...and gets kicked out !! Dont get it ...oh I know he is not a yes man ...good luck at Mclaren
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176) bazza001
KIMI WON NINE RACES IN HIS PERIOD AT MCLAREN AND WOULD HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 05 If THE CAR HAD NOT CONSTANTLY BROKE DOWN.SO PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT
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Reading the pile of comments on this blog it seems to me that even if Fernando Alonso was to be victorious in the five years to come, the vast majority of British F1 followers would call him lucky. Save for his pay, I've seldom seen a driver with such bad luck as him, though (I've been watching the races since 1976), and yet he's still there.
There's no such thing as the 'perfect' driver, given that the sport itself is anything but perfect. It is thus very easy to focus on someone's weaknesses only and to deny any accomplishment, especially if that person is not from your country. But in the end, the results will prove lots of people wrong. The best of Alonso is still to come, whether you like it or not.
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"Lets Hope Kimi does not join McClaren as he is a PR nightmare that is the reason why Ferrari kicked him out with 1 year left on his contract!!!
Kimi is Moody and Mumbles and has NO personality which you have to have to be taken seriously in this sport.
Kimi gives F1 fans nothing."
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Just what F1 needs, personalities that can be taken seriously. Like Max and Bernie. What on earth will these professors address from the podium next season in the post-race presses?
Meanwhile, back in Paris, any young prospects in the FIA International Court of Appeal? Someone from Oxford? Will any team top McLaren's $100 million fine? Interesting times.
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Alonso is overrated and is presumptuous on his part or anyone else’s to compare himself to Schumacher. If he was so special why did he not dominate Hamilton while at McLaren with the same equipment knowing that Hamilton was on his first year in F1. We heard stories like this before about Alonso when he made his move to McLaren that it was the most exciting move in F1 for years. If he is so good why should Renault resort to cheating at the scale of manufacturing a crash to let him win a race. If he is so good with all his years at Renault he would have built a team and a car around himself worthy of wining multiple championships. He arrived at Renault at a time when they had a strong car and he won 2 championships with a strong car. As a driver, team leader and technical adviser, etc.., that Schumacher apparently was, Alonso has failed to deliver at Renault. I used to dislike Schumacher while he was racing but I know now that I disliked him because he was so good in aspects of F1. Schumacher did things that were way outside his job description and he did them very well. I am certain that F1 world and for that matter Ferrari will find it very hard to find anyone of the same caliber, especially not in Alonso.
Trouble seems to either follow Alonso or he just carries trouble with him. We have seen both teams he spent his time with in the last 3 years to suffer badly. I would not be surprised to see his relationship with Ferrari & Massa to grow sour pretty quickly by the middle of the season in 2010.
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Blimey, you're all very unforgiving!!
Ok, so Alonso made some mistakes in 2007, but that was an isolated year in a team he was desperately unhappy at. We all make mistakes, and it amuses me that Hamilton's indescretions have been swept under the carpet.
This is not an attack on Lewis, just facts: He ran to the press in Monaco in 2007 because he was beaten by Alonso. He held Alonso up in Hungary, ignoring the teams request for him to let Fernando take his turn on strategy. The rest is history.
I don't think Alonso's temprament will be an issue at all next year and it hasn't been since he moved back to Renault, in fact, Alonso has been exemplary when you take into account the weak car, the poor results and no involvement in the championship fight.
And as for trouble following him, come on now, you can't blame Alonso for Renault being ineffective over the last few years, that's just plain ridiculous.
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Oh, and as for the whole race-fixing saga, Alonso wouldn't have won the race unless those pitlane penalties hadn't have happened, in fact, he would've only finished 4th..........and he was exonerated from any involvement in 'Crashgate'.
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I like many Massa fans am getting pretty annoyed at people constantly overlooking his talent. I remember before the 2008 season saying that I thought Massa would win the world championship, everyone laughed at that, but look how Felipe proved not only my friends, but the entire F1 scene wrong and showed, particularly with his drives in Brazil and Hungary last year why he is capable of winning a championship.
As to whether he will be healthy enough to drive fast again, if anything I think it will make him quicker, as Luca Di Montezemelo says as well. What many people overlook is Hakkinen had a similarly big accident in Adelaide in 1995, and 4 years later he was a double world champ.
Continue to doubt Massa's ability if you wish, but just watch him prove you wrong.
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Renault with Alonso at the helm have won only 2 races in the last 2 seasons and one of them of course was won through cheating by his team! I hardly call that an effective contribution by someone who claims to be the best driver on the grid!
If Massa still has his head screwed the rigth way after his accident, he will give the Spaniard a run for his money. With any luck he might even outpace him.
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I disagree with Andrew's view that in lewis' first season Alonso couldn't perform to his best because he was effected with falling out with the team and therefore we cannot compare lewis and Alonso. Hamilton was facing the same pressures as Alonso and the whole team were affected (plus baring in mind that this was lewis's first season) so clearer Lewis is better than Alonso. Just think - put Alonso in his first season and theres no way he would have got as many wins and podiums as lewis did.
Lewis to destroy everyone and schumachers record - he's clearer the best driver ever to hit the track!
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Taking back on what I said. on #158#. Toyota will be Kovalainen and Glock. Raikkonen might reitre. Marco Andretti might join Team USF1 alongside Wurz. Ferrari said that I don't mind if Fisichella joins another team.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR PREDITIONS OF WHERE EVERYBODY WILL BE IN 2010? i would like to hear them.
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Great season in prospect. Let's just hope the contorversy fades away, and that the cars are evenly matched. I fancy that Kimi could beat Hamilton over the season because of the refuelling ban, which means light cars in qualifying, and less overtaking because everyone will be on the same loads. Massa is still perhaps one of the most underrated drivers on the grid, which surprises me. He blitzed Kimi in 2008, and yet he is still regarded and second rate. The accident might make him slower, but a brush with death might make him realise how short life is and make him faster. We can't know yet. If Massa starts strongly, Alonso will be rattled, unless Ferarri have made the Brazilian a rear gunner once again....
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@185.
"Alonso is overrated and is presumptuous on his part or anyone else’s to compare him to Schumacher."
People make the comparison because Fernando is the only man in the field to win two titles when Michael was still in the field. Alonso's the man on the grid to beat because he has so far been the most successful driver currently racing. Yes, this may change but until it does you can't blame people for speculating on his chance to take more titles now he is moving to a more competitive team adn the parralel with Schumacher's career (2 titles before Ferrari!) is not a ridiculous one to make.
"He arrived at Renault at a time when they had a strong car and he won 2 championships with a strong car."
Totally disagree with this, he joined Renault in 2002 and since he arrived the car got better and better. There's no denying that he puts in a lot of effort with the team and will always get the best out of the car he drives.
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@193.
How did Massa prove everybody wrong in 2007? I don't recall him winning the title.......second place doesn't go down in the record books!
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drivers 2010 line up
Mclaren hamilton,raikkonen
ferrari massa,alonso
renault kubica,grosjean
brawn gp button,rosberg
red bull vettel,webber
toyota glock,kovalinen
williams barichello,hulkenberg
force india sutil,liuzzi
torro rosso algesuari,buemi
campos de la rosa,heidfeld
us f1 wurz,andretti
lotus senna,petrov
manor carroll,paffett
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Oh dear...
This blog has turned into a mud wrestling event with both Alonso and Hamilton fans slugging it out, which is a pity because I think Hamilton is a lovely young man, with his dad ever present in the paddock, and often graced with the presence of a beautiful young woman in a highly successful pop group. I'd rather see lots of TV shots of her than, say , the mechanics in the pit wall, because - let's be honest - they don't quite the va va voom that she's got...
But....as it's F1 and not an episode of "Friends"...in terms of racing...
Kimi is better than him...
Alonso is better than him...
Vettel,given time, will show he's better than him...
Kubica, when he gets the right car finally, will show that he's better than him...
These are just my humble opinions...
This is going to really really disappoint some of you, but I don't hate Hamilton. His rookie season was remarkable - just a shame it was offset by Maclaren's machiavellian treatment over a 2-time world champion, and I put that squarely on Ron Dennis' shoulders.
If those of you have cared to read my blogs (E-Type) you'll see that I have a great respect for him as a racer and his driving abilities. I have more then once mentioned that he is probably the greatest driver in the wet. What I cannot STAND is the corporate juggernaut attached to him, and that's one main reason why I would LOVE to see Kimi back at Maclaren again, because he is the total antithesis to all of that nonsense... while Kimi acts on being a Stepford husband Lewis just IS...oh, and did I mention that Kimi is a better driver ??
E- Type
If you did bother reading the blogs then please see REF 141.
At some stage in Lewis' career he will need to get out of his comfort zone...His background is unique to other drivers. (Alonso, after all, started off by driving a Minardi...Kubica is still waiting to drive the right car!!)
If you are having trouble just reading however, I have a "Speak and Spell" Texas instrument to aid you - something I found whilst rummaging in the attic. Looking at your name, "F" comes after "E" - I'm sure you have a collection of some of those words.Congratulations.
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Dear BBC,
Given the sensitive nature of certain comments being misunderstood or misconstrued I can understand why REF 133 was pulled. It was only to use PPL72's previous comment on Raikkonen's personality away from the media spotlight...
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REF 161 digitaldappadon
Why are you re-hashing an old blog?
It was rubbish then and it's rubbish now....
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Carlonso your lack of common sense shines through your writing. Alonso could not beat the rookie Hamilton in the same car despite having been in F1 for seven years. In his rookie year Hamilton comprehensively thrased Alonso in Canada and Indiana. Hamilton has consistently thrashed Kubica throughout their career. Kimi was an opportunist world champion and has never beaten Hamilton in a race to date where Hamilton has not made errors. The beauty about Forums is any idiot can post absolute rubbish, but fact is fact.
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Common sense.
Hmmm...like the common sense for Hamilton to unveil his diamond encrusted number 1 helmet at Monaco, only to be be driving a complete lemon of a car that got him no-where.
I don't know who his corporate agents are, but I found that whole episode distasteful and quite frankly vulgar.Not even the likes of Schumacher went to such smug depths...
That corporate stunt failed spectacularly and it made Hamilton unfortunately look a bit of a git.
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205 - You seem to forget that Hamilton's car has been better than all of his competitors......some might say even at McLaren ;)
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REF 204:- Carlonso I couldn't help re-hashing that one - it's just PURIFIED poetry especially for you.....but then again you do lack common sense...Lol!!!
Carlonso......people are trying to help you come to terms with reality like REF:-205 pointed out some FACTS like.....
'Alonso could not beat the rookie Hamilton in the same car despite having been in F1 for seven years'
'In his rookie year Hamilton comprehensively thrased Alonso in Canada and Indiana'
I know it's hard for you to digest these FACTS......lol!!! But thats life....
Just to make you understand some more FACTS....the reason why there is such a coporate juggernaut attached to Lewis is because he's the youngest F1 world champion of all time....yes of all time....
'TAKING' a record previously held by Alonso - another FACT for you!!!
I'm re-hashing - talking about is diamond helmet again....Like REF 205 said 'The beauty about Forums is any idiot can post absolute rubbish'.....
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Alonso must have the most deluded fan base.
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Without the banned mass dampers Alonso would be nobody.
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Wonder how long before Alonso needs Massa to crash so he can win?
Surely he had been involved before team felt need to take such drastic measures.
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@184 Tiggerspp
Fair cop, I was living in hope that the compulsory tyre stop was also gone.
However, your assertion that teams could have no-stopped this season and chose not to is irrelevant - the advntage gained by running light far outweighs the time saved by not stopping. Things get much more interesting when everybody is carrying the same weight and has to choose between higher performance (stoping for fresh tyres) or track position (staying out).
I'm afraid your explanation doesn't entirely "sort it out". There's always more to a situation than a dogmatic statement (including this one!).
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209. At 02:59am on 03 Oct 2009, maisie82 wrote:
"Alonso must have the most deluded fan base."
Judging by the dribble written by most of the so called die-hard Hamilton fans I don't agree.
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My Line UP FOR
Mclaren: Hamiliton
Ferrari: Alonso, Massa
Renault: Kubica, Grosjean
Brawn Gp : Button, Rosberg
Williams: Hulkenburg, Barrichello
Toyota: Glock, Nakajima
Toro Rosso: Algesuari,Buemi
Red Bull: Vettel, Webber
Force India: Sutil, Senna
Campos: De la Rosa, Petrov
US F1: Speed, Wurz
Lotus: Trulli, Heifeld
Manor: Paffett, Sato
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Hello Andrew. It seems to me that for at least the past couple of seasons decisions have been made to ensure that championship is not decided until as late as possible in the season. I think this meddling is ruining a sport I enjoy and I'm beginning to question whether it is worth shelling out the large sums of money it takes to go to grand prix.
Am I imagining a problem that doesn't exist or is this a real issue, do you think?
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Sorry I FORGOT TO PUT Raikkonen at mclaren
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Whats the betting Ferrari get into trouble next year with the FIA for cheating.
Of course FA is always innocent and not involved ;-) but there is a pattern starting to emerge?
Maybe its just me......
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REF 217
When Jean Todt gets elected FIA President, I think you'll find Ferrari will get away with absolutely everything ;)
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REF 216
I thought you had the original McLaren line up spot on!;)
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I think you may be right. We are definitely in for an intriguing battle for next years championship, only to be made aware that the KERS technology will be banned and refueling will no longer take place.
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