... going back, tracing through Alonso's resume, what becomes apparent to you? Have a good long sobering look; see for yourself: Fernando Alonso - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It becomes painfully evident, nobody in F1's fraternity, or F1's press corp analyzes any of this stuff. But, five gets you ten Marco Mattiacci has... Denote, a deviation in trend, a structural break about mid-season, 2006, where it appears Alonso's performance abruptly tapers, to that of an average, typical F1 driver. Up until mid-season, 2006, Flavio Briatori's Renault was the only team which effectively capitalized and optimized mass dampers. With these mass dampers, Fernando dominated F1, like no driver ever before. Mid-way through the 2006 season, recall, Max Mosley's mass damper ban. At Ferrari's insistence, mass dampers were vetoed, via a slapdash, far-reaching adjudication arbitrarily declaring them a "movable aerodynamic device," for which to hoist Michael Schumacher back into championship contention. What becomes apparent, examining Alonso's F1 resume is, unaided by mass dampers, Alonso's performance regressed to the role a typical F1 driver. Remainder of the 2006 season, ex post Mosley's mass damper ban, the only race Alonso won, Japan, occurred a function of Schumacher's mid-race engine detonation. Since Max pulled the plug on mass dampers, Alonso responded with an abrupt change in behavior. Suddenly, he began busying himself with off-track initiatives, announcing he's joining McLaren for 2007, where he attempted to politically fortify himself, manipulating and disadvantaging teammates to elevate himself in world championship standings; over-relying upon teammates and test drivers to develop the car. Over time, this newfound defensive behavior became his modus operandi. Sans mass dampers, Fernando was never the same guy. Likelihood looms Ferrari principals (e.g., Mattiacci) only recently uncovered these revelations; likelihood looms, whatever McLaren-Honda's agreed to pay Alonso, is too much. No room for argument; no two ways about it: on paper, Fernando Alonso is overrated. Without mass dampers, Fernando accomplished nothing more than would any archetypical F1 driver, under his peculiar set of circumstance. Without Marc, Pedro, Jarno, Giancarlo, or Felipe, odds are Alonso won't be able to effectively advance McLaren's Honda program, to any extent comparable to what he was able to accomplish, with Renault circa 2008-09, or Ferrari 2010 to present - asj.
First of all, let me state that I'm not a particular fan of Fernando and his boorish behavior. It was I who coined the term "Alonshole" after all. In response to the information you're providing, I don't think it gives close to a full picture of FA's tenure in F1. It relies heavily on statistics, which don't paint an accurate picture in an attempt to rebut the thoughts of many that he is the best driver on the grid. I can only think of 1 season that Alonso drove the best car on the grid, and that was in his single season with McLaren. In the Renault years, the car was under-powered but made great use of its traction control to get rocket starts and then was balanced enough to defend effectively in the corners. The reason he loved Flávio and Renault is that he was unequivocally the prima Donna of the team. McLaren was the complete opposite, so he left. Ferrari has not been the best car in any season he's been on the team. His first year,it was Red Bull, but hey struggled with the Webber/Vettel battle resulting in many mistakes that kept the championship close. Thereafter, it's been RBR and now Mercedes. Car does matter, and I believe that Alonso gets more out of his than any other driver. Unfortunately, fate rewards good timing and he has beenin the wrong place at the wrong time since his Renault championships. But to call him overrated is not fair, in my book.
I feel the same. Really do not like Alonso, ever since the theft of Ferrari's data. But, I would rate him as the best driver on the track taking a loser car, and a loser team, to the best humanly possible finishes.
In the 13 years he has been in F1, he has finished outside the top 5 in WDC 3 times with 5 different teams....Yeah, he sucks. While I am not a particular fan of the guy, I respect him for what he has done. Kimi has been there the same number of years, lucked into a WDC by virtue of taking over a well developed car and has been outside the top 5 in WDC 5 times with 4 teams.
In my book Alonso is one of the few top tier drivers. But he was matched by Hamilton as a rookie. I'd like to see K. Magnussen beat him!
The history of the Formula 1 drivers championship in one line. Alonso, like Ickx, Peterson, Amon, many others... could have won more than they did, but that´s the way it is. Alonso at least has won twice so far and still is in the game, he can´t complain compared to others. The rest is just twisting the stats looking for a pattern.
Too bad FA didn't go to Williams. Ahem. Massa beat him last 2 races fair and square. Not that those results mean much.....I think Ricciardo may be able to beat FA regularly given equal machines. He may just be the most talented driver in F1 right now. I would certainly rate Hamilton as an equal or above. But these types of analysis are pretty iffy given the nature of the dominance of the machine in the results in driver standings. Hard to not put Vettel among the best but he damn sure hasn't come to grips with the newest RB. So much influence with car characteristics and the synergy with their drivers. I wish Alonso the best in providing future driving entertainment in the field, wherever (if) he lands on a team for 2015.
I don't like alonso at all but to say he's overrated is pretty nuts. Now that being said his reported 70m lb contract is absurd for any athlete as I don't believe anyone is worth that kind of money.
Everybody pretty much knows i hate the guy but i would never question his ability as a driver. You just have to watch his batle against Shumi in Imola 05 to know he was something special. At the time, it was clear that after Shumacher, both he and Kimi where ahead of the rest...by some margin i would add. I always believed (and still do) Kimi was the best of the 2...Alonso won the title in 05 but Kimi was considered the best dribver of that year (just as it had happened in 79 with Gilles and Jody)...in both cases, reliability decided the championship, and the faster driver lost. Kimi had no car to fight in 06, but he kept being the best in my book, i believe he would have probably won the title that year if he was in Shumi's place. Kimi always made less mistakes tna Alonso and was considered faster...Alonso was more comited and worked harder but Kimi was ahead in pure talent....07 was not Kimi best year IMO, but he was clearly the best of the field, Mclaren didn't lose the title, he and Ferrari won it. Alonso seems to adapt better than most drivers to any sort of car, and i believe this is his biggest asset, while someone like Kimi needs a car with some caractheristics in order to extract the maximum out of it, but if has this sort of car, than no one will match him. Now i see guys like Ricci, and Hulkenberg (i believe they are both better than Bottas) and it´s hard to measurevthem against more established drivers, but i believe thay probably are just as good as Alonso and Kimi, Hamilton and Rosberg. Alonso as been and keeps being a to driver, nobody can deny that, and it would have been difficult for anyone to do any better than he did at Ferrari, but again, for the last 5 years, they did everything to please him, and i'm pretty sure many things in the car where done according to his driving preferences. I have no doubt that without him, Felipe would have done much, much better, as i am sure that with a diferent car, Kimi will be a very diferent driver next year...he already showed something in Brazil, when for thr first time he felt reasonably confortable with the FIAT
Absolutely. I don't know why people give a serious response to this thread and the OP, when his history here is of obnoxious and abusive ranting troll posts. This one is no different. Don't feed the troll!
The Renault team had a better grip on tyre management and the issue became decisive as the season went by. McLaren lost one championship just because of tyre problems. Alonso was, I believe, managed by Flavio Briatore who brought him at Renault and looked after him. No surprisingly, they worked well together.
I love this guy's threads. I don't always agree, but they're well researched, thought out and written.
... once a given, the seemingly iron-clad, water-tight assumption of yore, purporting Alonso as F1's best, fastest driver suddenly springing leaks, this universally accepted, far flung assumption that Fernando Alonso remains F1's premier driver no longer holds water. Sugar coat it how you will, no gentle way of putting this, Alonso's been summarily fired from Ferrari. Face facts: Fernando failed. Miserably. The promise Sebastian Vettel represented to Red Bull, delivered in hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades, the best Alonso could deliver to Ferrari's brain-trust was, one excuse, right after the other. Where principals at Red Bull are now considered geniuses, for having recruited Vettel? A far different story at Ferrari, just about everyone caught in the mainstream of Alonso's recruitment, has since been summarily fired. Creamed, his doors blown off by Sebastian Vettel, 6 years in a row, were the aforementioned assumption Fernando walks on water widely held, deep inside the bowels of Ferrari, Mattiacci would not be not be showing Alonso the door. Were the aforementioned assumption Alonsoness is next to Godliness widely held, with Zetche, Lauda and Wolff at Daimler-Mercedes, they wouldn't have poached McLaren's problem child, Lewis Hamilton, instead. Would they? When Zetche, Wolff and Lauda had opportunity to poach Alonso from Ferrari, they snubbed him, opting instead to ink Rosberg, to a long-term contract. Similarly so, when it came to light in 2013 Fernando had been whispering in Adrian Newey's ear, petitioning for Mark Webber's seat, were the assumption widely held within the Red Bull ranks Fernando was still indeed first-rate, Horner and Marko wouldn't have slammed the door in Alonso's (and Raikkonen's) face, opting instead for Ricciardo. Would they? Though outside F1, starry-eyed bobble heads far and wide cling to the universal assumption Alonso is F1's premier driver, it is beneath the surface, within F1's ranks, this is clearly not the case. Diffuse evidence spatially looming of a paradigm shift, specter that Alonso remains F1's best, fastest driver no longer endogenously held, the Italians, English, Austrians or Germans, inclusive, we coincidentally find Fernando Alonso's stock is indeed in a free-fall, world driver's rankings no longer listing him a top 10 driver. Add insult upon injury, Claire Williams is now officially on record, that she wouldn't touch Alonso with a ten foot pole. Rightly so. Scorched earth, bridges still burning behind him, for Fernando it's been one severed relationship, right after another. The return of Alonso to McLaren, indicative of George Washington signing a pardon for Benedict Arnold at West Point, things are so awkward for McLaren and Fernando, to avert the prospect of either party losing face, McLaren must now undergo a top-down re-org to avert the inevitability of Alonso, having to look every one those McLaren technicians and engineers he sold out, straight in the eye. In returning to McLaren, Fernando will soon be serving himself a heaping helping of humble pie. Were it not for Honda, cold day in you-know-where McLaren principals would ever be caught, red-handed, re-signing Alonso. It is only by the grace of Honda Alonso hasn't by now worn out his welcome, in F1. It's a sour, bitter pill for McLaren principals to have to swallow, that Alonso's return is now imminent. The McLaren people deserve better - asj.
As usual the way you evaluate Alonso is against his teammate. He has fared well in that department except against Hami Who is beating Nico. Who was MS's equal. Fired ? Over Kimster ? I think not. He left.
The thread starter should explain how he's managed to finish in 2nd place 4 times in since 2006 (2013, 2012, 2010, 2007) and in the top 5 the otherwise. He's consistently put that SH*T Ferrari in a championship position time and time again. Ya, what a terrible resume, who would want him? People need to think before they post these DUMB threads as FA trumps all of the current formula 1 drivers. He's no Senna but we likely won't see anyone with that talent in the near future. No room for argument; no two ways about it: on paper, Fernando Alonso is overrated. Without mass dampers, Fernando accomplished nothing more than would any archetypical F1 driver, under his peculiar set of circumstance. I guess We'll see how Vettel gets along next year....
Grip meister aero kid Drift mate Aussie newbie Cold-side Compressor Twins (Quadruplets) POS Boss You sort them out. If Honda McLaren gets the hybrid power plant right next year (which they should, cold-side cough cough) I want this thread replaced with a "The car matters" thread where the poster has to write the line "cold-side compressor" 100 times to be allowed to post. I have learned that Alonso could be a dirty player and butt-hole, but you can't deny how hard he has driven since he got to Ferrari. 3 cars teams could piss everyone off.
Interesting posts here. Everyone agrees Fred is good but nobody seems to like him. "I'm no Alonso fan but..." Hilarious
Alonso is leaving Ferrari because the Scuderia is rebuilding from scratch. He knows he doesn't have too many seasons left as a top-level driver, so he wants to go to a team with s better chance of winning today. I don't fault him for that. Ferrari wants to lock down a top-level driver to rebuild around, so they get Vettel (who hasn't signed a contract for the same reason as Fernando...if he inks, the Alonso's contract has been breached and he gets a big payday not to drive next year). Both parties are getting what they want, but neither wants to be the one to cancel FA's Ferrari contract. Can't they just split the difference and move on? (From Ferrari's standpoint, I can understand not wanting to pay for someone who made it clear that he didn't want to be there)
Why? He is highly rated among all directly involved in F1 for his driving skills so I do not think that we are wrong in this forum pretenting he is good. Unfortunately this alone does not make him a likable person person (at least to me) and although he might be a great driver I have less problems cheering for Ferrari without him than with him...
