Can Renault really win with Alonso?

First off I would like to point out that there are a lot of people here that know way more about F1 history than me so this could be a stupid question.

Basically I was thinking about Alonso going back to Renault and the effect it would have on F1 in the next couple of year. For Alonso to go back, Renault is going to have to shell out some serious cash out of their budget which is much smaller than Toyota, Ferrari, and Mclaren. So now lets assume they have a top driver, they still don't have the money to develop the car the way the other top teams do. Plus their budget is even less now do to the buyout of Alonso and his salary. On top of that Ferrari will still have Kimi, Mclaren will still have the wonder boy Lewis, and Renault's car is already slower than the Ferrari and Mclaren. Then you add Brawn at Honda into the mix, and you could have 4 teams that "could" win + the possibility of BMW getting good. I admit Honda still needs a driver, so why wouldn't Honda do everything they could to get Alonso now? They can pay Brawn all he wants and give him a huge budget, but no driver in the last few years has equated to no wins. Is it really likely that Renault can compete with Ferrari and Mclaren now with Alonso driving? Especially when you consider their second driver won't be as good as Mclarens or Ferraris which will hurt them in the WCC.

On another note, I thought Ron Dennis said Alonso couldn't even go to another constructor? If he can wouldn't he be better off at Honda for the reasons I mentioned above, or BMW since they seem to be the third fastest team. BMW could be fast especially with a WDC driver at the wheel.

Any thoughts?

 

not exactly "Mr. Current Events" are you.....?

Alonso has been released by McLaren, so he can go to any team he wants to......and Renault has already got the money to pay him from outside sources....
right now, it's a standoff between Renault's CEO wanting 3yrs from Alonso and Alonso only wanting 1yr so that he can be free to go to Ferrari in 09......

personally, I'd like to see him at RBR for a year, then Ferrari.......

 

Honda dont need drivers they need a car that works.

 

Well I think the assumption I was making was that Brawn would handle that in the next couple years

 

Well that whole thing had me confused, because the threads get all mixed up depending on when people post in them. I knew he had been released by Mclaren, but then I read it was only to non-constructors and then I heard different so I was really just confused. As for the money, regardless of how much they get to pay alonso, their budget is still in the 200s right?

 

Agreed. Both Button and RB are capable of winning races and I think Button may still have the ability to pull off a WDC with the right car under him.

On the topic of budgets, Renault has proven it doesn't need a large budget to beat Ferrari or McLaren. They've always done more with less and I don't think that'll stop now. They're a very innovative team and are responsible for many revolutions in F1. Turbo charging, springless valvetrains (sp?), etc... Don't forget they were able to make the mass damper work where both McLaren and Ferrari failed with it. If anything I think having less helps spurs innovation.

I like Brawn and Honda but that relationship won't bear fruit for another season or two. Granted with the wind tunnel now properly calibrated this years car should be where last years car should have been, they still have an up hill climb. Renault showed promise toward the end of the season and I think should be strong next season.

Besides Alonso is a driver that can drive above his cars performance. If he wants to, needs to, he'll wring its neck and get the speed.

 

Agreed back +100

 

I really hope he does.

 

what he said.

 

For anyone that things a big budget is what is required to succeed in F1, I have one word for you: Toyota.

 

+1

I think the engine on the car is good but the chassic dynamics/aeros are a total disaster.

 

+1000

same case with To-Yoda.

 

Ralf Schumacher was saying that To-Yoda's certain approach and culture led them to where they are today. he says that in a team like that, individuals are not allowed to be bigger than the team, thats why they never approached Brawn or even made an offer for him. they were afraid that Brawn was and will come bigger than the team. i would say same situation with Mike Gascoyne few years ago.

i must say, if this is true, this is indeed a great move by To-Yoda. towards packing up and leaving the F1 scene.

 

Budget matters. One word F-E-R-R-A-R-I

Another word: McLaren -$100m

 

Alonso and Renault could be quite competitive in 2008. Not just because of Alonso, but because Briatore will bring Reanult back to a level near 2005 and 2006. He is a very bright guy. Renault is a strong team. That's why 2008 will great for the F1 fan.

You called Lewis Hamilton a wonder boy. I can't agree, not just yet, not after one season in what is/was the best chassis in 2007. Anyone who thinks Lewis is a wonder boy, actually wonder man is better, after one season, probably suffers or did suffer from premature ejaculation.

After two, better three seasons of the same, then I will call him superman.

Now? Really lucky is a better description.

 

Of course Ralf is going to say whatever it takes to make excuses for his own pathetic performance.

Trulli didn't appear to have anywhere near the difficulty that Ralf did. I would take anything that soon-to-be DTM driver says with a grain of salt.

 

i disagree Ted. yes, Ralf's performance has been questionable, but do remember, he scored Toyota's highest finish this season, a 6th place. Plus, it was not like Trulli totally blew Ralf away, in reality, Trulli was struggling as well. i think it's a whole diff scenario if Trulli did perform better, say like Fisi-HK situation. if it was HK-like performance Trulli did, then yes, i'd agree with you.

the only thing about Ralf is, he 100% doesn't deserve the amount on his pay cheque.

 

Ralf consistently qualified lower than Trulli, and because the Toyota wasn't too reliable they missed out on a lot of good results. Toyota know a lot more about his driving skill than we do, so I think they made the right decision.

 

To answer the original question, yes, Renault can win with Alonso. I don't think it could happen his 1st year back with the team, but definitely the 2nd year and onwards. Renault would build the team around Alonso, just like they did when he won his 2 WCs, and he is the type of driver who can achieve success with such an environment.

 

I think its definitely possible they win next year. Mclaren very-nearly-almost did win this year, when last year they were absolutely appalling. Also remember, Renault started work on their 2008 car midway through 2007. Which kind of sucks for Heikki and Giancarlo.

 

Sure it's possible, I just think it is unlikely.

 

Weren't we supposed to know it it was confirmed by now? Flavio said it will be known "the day after tomorrow" on Monday.

 

Maybe he's only 45% sure now.

 

He's Italian, that could mean tomorrow is actually next week. Or he knows, and he's not telling yet.

 

Haha. I forgot to take that into effect.