Alonso's fate gets complicated

+1

As I said earlier somewhere: MS cracked a few times when the championship came down to the wire. Nothing wrong with that, it is quite understandable. But don't hold this against a rookie like Lewis.

 

98. The big crash was due to yet another moment of severe brain fade on Coulthard's part. DC dropped the throttle out of a turn and Schumi clouted him...he couldn't avoid the accident.

 

As I have recently said to my son who has just started driving ... you need to be in control of YOUR car at all times because you never know what other people are going to do.

MS could see a car up ahead (yes the spray and the fact that his visibility was reduced would have indicated that there was a car there) thus he should have taken CONTROL and backed right off until it was safe.

Yes DC did a strange move, but heck it's motorsport, fault lies with MS IMO.
Pete

 

I don't hold it against Lewis, my attitude is more "I told you so", ie. he was not top draw yet. And again why the best thing for Lewis would have been a lower level team or very firmly placed in McLaren as a number 2. This would have removed the pressure and allowed him to grow at the right pace. He still would have created a lot of interest, but without the punch in the chest collapse of the season. Poor guy that must have really hurt his self belief.
Pete

 

As long as it hurt Dennis I'm ok.

 

Back in 1966 there was confusion at the end of the Le Mans race where the Ford that crossed the line first was eventually given 2nd place and the win was given to the Kiwi pair Bruce and Chris. The Ford driver Ken Miles was pissed right off and a member of the Ford team said: "Never mind mate, there is always next year" ... Ken Miles died not long after and thus there was never a next year.

Now I'm not saying LH will die tomorrow, but this might have been his best chance and somebody should have worked harder with him to protect him from fncking up like that ... if next year turns out to be average, then this missed chance will become as big as Greg Norman nearly winning the US Open (golf) but eventually never being able to and now too old to have a chance.
Pete

 

...I never said Schu was perfect, but he made less mistakes and took better decisions, including who was the second driver...

...and he was cool under pressure for sure, but he made mistakes...just like everyone else...and yet he scored 7XWDC

 

...I didnt even saw Lewis as a Rookie...it might be his first out in formula 1 but he was certainly an accomplished driver, apart from being Ron´s extra-matrimonial son...

...his mistakes, his ego, and his judgment werent close to a rookie...he did made mistakes out of his own overblown ego...like a full grown WDC...a rookie with a "humble" approach would have made some other mistakes...maybe lesser gross ones...?..maybe

 

Whatever way you look at him rookie/accomplished you have got be blind or stupid not to realize he is an amazing talent and doesnt have to prove much more to be top draw thats IMO..

 

...I never said he doesnt have something special...

 

Ahhh... here's where your logic and (I'm assuming here) lack of direct involvement with racing fails you. No driver, rookie or not, is humble. It takes a HUGE ego to strap on a helmet, fire suit, boots and gloves get in the car and say to yourself "me FIRST." It's just that some drivers come off a little less arrogant than others and we interpret this as humility. To get in any race you first must feel you are better than everyone else there. Otherwise why are you doing it?

Don't fault Lewis or any other driver for his ego it's as much a requirement as the helmet, suit, boots, gloves and car.

 

agreed...Im a lousy race circuit driver. ...but Im a pretty good drag racer...Ive felt the helmet and

And maybe I just used "humble" wrong...maybe less DIVAlike...?

...maybe less...flashy?...maybe more stealth?...like the first 3 or 4 races...that´s what I mean.

I was hating the fact he was going to be WDC without having the scars that prove you worthy...just pushing Alonso around wasnt proof enough...besides ,that turned out really easy to do.

 

LOL

 

At least in the first half of the season until Alonso too found his way with the Bridgestones (same story as Kimi).

All these guys are egomaniacs and divas. Some hide it better than others. That's one of the reasons why I like Alonso: You know the guy is not trying to hide anything. He wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind. For better or worse. I always liked outspoken drivers more than the PC ones, where you know they're just blowing smoke.

 

There's a fine line between being outspoken and being an ******. If you're trying to build a relationship with a new team it's not very productive to badmouth them at every oppotunity. Think of it this way. If your girl asks you if she "looks fat in this dress", would it be smart to say "of course you do dear"?

 

Alonso didn't badmouth his team for quite a while. Only when it became apparent that they were not giving him the #1 status he started to become more critical.

In Hungary he decided to leave the team. But because he didn't have an easy way out of his contract, he deliberately made some very strong and negative statements in the hope they would fire him (basically the same approach Stepney tried at Ferrari in February). Those negative comments coupled with the WMSC hearings did the job and McLaren-Mercedes no longer wanted him as a driver. He was let go, but that was actually his goal after realizing that #1 status was not an option.

The man is no idiot. He does a lot of things with calculation. Not unlike Prost.

 

To compare Alonso with Prost is ludicrous but that is just my opinion. Alonso is a 'snake' but I do not dispute his skill only his moral's.

 

Ferrari fired Prost for making derogative statements about their car. Prost often used the media to get his side of the story out and to destabilize his team mate. He had a lot of complaints about his teammate Senna. Suit yourself, but I find the comparison fitting.

 

...but I guess there is a line to be drawn somewhere...look at MORRONTOYA...he was all the big mouth you love, all the politically incorrect...to a point he was so stupid and agresive he had to go, and he should have gone way before when he broke his shoulder jumping in the dirtbikes...and the guy was as fast as he was stupid.

What I beleive is that the more you learn the game, the better you play...and Alonso is getting to know the game, but making mistakes that put him in impossible possitions everywhere...he over-reacts at the slightest chance...and In my humble opinion, is dooming his talent, his time, his age, his teams...nothing good comes from it.

look at Montoya, he is a great example of WHAT NOT TO DO when in a big team or Formula 1...he was in 2 big teams, he had 2 great cars and a heavy right foot!!!...and he is now the moking of F1.

...And Alonso is no different aside the all important crown...Alonso is not an Idiot in a Montoya way, but he certainly did some foolish-stupid-things this year altogether...he´s doing things a-la-montoya and that is just self-destructive.

calculated or not, it has left nothing good on his side.nothing.

 

Indeed I liked Montoya, but the fine line is not so much about what you say, but whether you perform or not: Alonso delivers the bacon, Montoya didn't. Or at least not consistent enough. Add to that a bunch of stupid accidents plus his "injury", which really was his wife forcing him to wait out the birth of their child and you understand why that blew Dennis' patience.

Berger was another outspoken driver, but didn't deliver the goods. That's not gonna work. Big mouth AND podiums is tolerated.

 

I agree with you about the comparison. It's funny how Prost and Alonso both reacted the same to having faster teammates. Cry rather than shut up and raise their game.

 

Thanks. *If* Alonso ends up with no seat for the 08 season, then the parallels go even further: Prost rather took a sabbatical than being denied #1 status.

 

agreed...podiums are the beacon!..and Alonso has the consistency, he might have brought consistency back, look at the times before him, nobody gaved a damn about being second, third, fourth...getting in the points, F1 was like a banzai race to the 1 spot or nevermind...and he won 2xWDC doing the lesser mistakes and taking the car home on the points...on that Alonso knows his game.

but his dark side is crushing the jedi side and is costing him bigtime.

and YES!!!...I hated Berger, I couldnt even hear him talk...and Prost was stupid even as a manager, he sat out just to find a number one seat just to leave no doubt...I liked him on track but apart from that...what a wreck...

I think Alonso has seen the F1 world from head to toe now...he can come back really strong if he finds a way to pull all that experience together...if he doesnt, he´ll be sitting on the horn of the bull...and that is gonna leave a mark.

...you think he should have a British or German manager?...I think that will help his temper, someone more cold-brained than another very latin spirited manager...

 

I couldn't stand Berger. I like outspoken drivers but they have to deliver. He was just outspoken.
I don't think Prost was stupid as a driver. He got 4 titles in a time where he had competition from people like Lauda, Senna and Mansell. I didn't like him being squeamish in the rain, but otherwise had no beef with him. As a team manager he clearly sucked. Driver turned team manager rarely works.

Sad thing is, I once read an interview with him about his time as a team manager and whether he would do it all over again or do something different. Normally when people are being asked that question, they usually say it was all worth it and they would do it again if they could. Not Prost: He hated every moment about it and considers it the biggest mistake in his life. Sad.

I don't know anything about his manager to say whether that guy is already trying to calm him down or goes along with his tantrums. BTW: Currently Raikkoenen has the best of the managers in the field and it shows: He is the 3rd richest F1 driver ever (MS and Irvine being 1st and 2nd).

 

Alonso Manager is spanish, very calm and quiet but goes along with him on every issue...he thinks as long as spaniards are supporting his driver, everyone else will...he has even come forward to the spaniard press and revealed many things from his tensions within the McLaren team, and crying foul from them when Lewis started with his own agenda...I think a change of Manager will help him big time.

...not only on the financial side, but smoothing his raming attitudes towards everything that moves when he´s mad.

...or maybe a couch for Anger Managment?