Alonso: Going to McLaren was a good career move Tuesday 23rd February 2010 - PlanetF1.com In a candid interview, Fernando Alonso has revealed how his difficult stay at McLaren helped him to grow up both personally and professionally. Alonso enjoyed a acrimonious relationship with McLaren in 2007. He had a series of public spats with then team boss Ron Dennis while on the track he also had a couple of run-ins with team-mate Lewis Hamilton. He left for Renault after just one season at the Woking-based outfit. Three years down the line and the Spaniard, who joined up with Ferrari this year, admits there were pressure from both the team and media, but says it ultimately made him a better person. "2007 was very difficult but I learnt a lot personally," he said during an interview in the Guardian. "It was good for my career to take that step of joining McLaren and growing up. I learned how to work with a team and also to withstand the media pressure. The difficulties I had were coming from the team and the media. Now I am much more prepared for everything in Formula One - and in life as well." To make matters even worse, McLaren were embroiled in the Spygate scandal during Alonso's year there. The 28-year-old says he was more than happy to help the FIA. "With the spy history I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Alonso says. "But I was very happy to help the FIA discover everything." There have been suggestions that Jenson Button, who swapped Mercedes for McLaren this year, could find himself in a similar situation to Alonso this year, but the Spaniard is confident McLaren have learned from their mistakes. "Obviously I don't know how McLaren is now but if Jenson arrived in my time then, for sure, it would be very tough for him," he added. "But, hopefully, it's now better for Jenson because I learned a lot from that season and McLaren did as well." As for life at Ferrari, Alonso says rumours that he doesn't get along with new team-mate Felipe Massa are nothing but hogwash. "People are only writing these things because they know we are very strong," he said. "Felipe and I work for the team. After so many years of course I have battled with Felipe. It's the way it is - and we'll keep having these fights. But Michael Schumacher and [Nico] Rosberg will have fights at Mercedes. I am sure Lewis and Jenson Button will have fights at McLaren. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel will have fights at Red Bull - in fact they were fighting last year already. But no one talks about this. They talk about it with Ferrari because we are in a good position."
Steve, I agree. He is in a good situation now, one he very much wanted. As I posted in another threat, his driving should do the talking for now and its results that count. Why make waves when you havent gotten the racing end of it under control yet.
Too happy if you ask me. No, they talk about it because of your stellar team-mate relations track record. Where there is smoke...
With the exception of the Mclaren team and Hamilton when have we heard of our man falling out with people.
To be fair to Alonso, I seriously doubt he went to The Guardian and said: "Hey!, does anybody want to hear what happened to me at McLaren?". What will have happened is that The Guardian approached Alonso for an interview and he in turn gave honest answers to the questions asked. As for being happy to help the FIA uncover the blatant cheating that was going on, I say fair play to him, it shows a great deal of integrity and honesty from him. It shows how fickle F1 fans are though: Kimi was slated for not talking enough, Alonso gets slated for talking too much. Michael Schumacher gets slated for not being honest about Jerez '97 or the Rasscasse '06 incident, Alonso gets slated for being honest about cheating going on at McLaren and Renault. It appears that sometimes there's just no pleasing F1 fans!.
I'm curious when he displayed honesty and integrity... ...was it when he was happy to have and use the Ferrari data to his own benefit? ...or was it when the FIA found out after Ron Dennis notified them they had Ferrari data, when Alonso's attempt to blackmail McLaren failed? ...or was it another time? I must be confused.
I'm not joking in the slightest!. If Alonso genuinely told the FIA about the dubious activities that were going on at McLaren (as well as at Renault), then I give him full credit. At the end of the day, a man with no integrity has very little going for him, as far as I'm concerned!.
Ok you are serious!! would you mind replying to SRTMikes post then. I maintain FA should keep his clap trap shut, if he wants to drag up the past IMO he won't do himself any favours. It is laughable you think he was helping out the FIA for the sake of the sport. FA is out for one person... himself!
It's really funny to see how Alonso is saying all this positive stuff during pre season. Once the season starts, and if he gets beaten by Massa, or some technical issue, etc, i wonder how much he's gonna change his tune.
I was not involved in the incident so cannot give a timeframe as to when he came forward with his information to the FIA. My response is to the statement that he did eventually do the right thing and assisted the FIA in uncovering the truth. His reasons for giving up the information at his disposal, at the time that he did may have been out of spite or out of a crisis of concience, only Alonso can know the truth. As for Ron Dennis, did he not only come forward after Alonso made his threat?. The strange thing being that RD spent decades telling the world he was the only honest man in F1, that he was a man of integrity and honour and did things "the right way". Unfortunately Alonso is not perfect and could have dealt with the situation at McLaren a lot better and a lot sooner, but at least he didn't continue to try to blag his way out of the situation like some involved. I must say though, that I find it quite sad that he comes in for critiscism for (eventually) being honest about both the McLaren situation and the Renault scandal. It's a sad indictment on modern society where people would prefer he lied about the whole episodes so that the truth could never come out.
At no point did I say He assisted the FIA for the sake of the sport. By the same token, he didn't continue to lie to the FIA about what went on at McLaren when asked by them, unlike some others involved.
You certainly have a unique and fanciful view on how it went down. You judge RD to be a liar for "telling the world he was the only honest man in F1". How do you know that not to be true? He was the one that went to the FIA when Alonso tried to blackmail him. You presume that he knew about the Ferrari info all along - I don't think he did. If he did, all he had to do was reassure Alonso that he would be taken care of, and all would be well. Why would a man so dishonest as to knowingly use Ferrari data not be willing to do that, and instead go to the FIA and possibly cause the destruction of his entire team and empire, just in the name of honesty? Makes no sense, unless RD was telling the truth and he wasn't aware of the Ferrari info until Alonso tried to blackmail him. Alonso, however, DID know (admittedly so) about the Ferrari data. Furthermore he tried to blackmail Ron using it. By your own definitions of honesty, Ron is much more honest than Alonso, since Ron was the one who uncovered the whole thing, when Alonso was willing to keep it secret in return for favors. But in your post you bash Ron for claiming to be honest, while making excuses for Alonso for "eventually doing the right thing". There's obviously a strong bias there (either anti-McLaren or pro-Alonso), for whatever reason. The only time Alonso was honest about either the McLaren situation or the Renault situation was when the case had already blown wide open and he was sitting in front of the FIA (presumably after being assured he was immune from blame, by Max). Fact is, Alonso knew all about the Ferrari data. He was happily using it. He was willing to continue using it, and was even willing to blackmail his own team boss if that team boss didn't go further and break additional rules to favor him. As for crashgate... Alonso claims he knew nothing about it. Strange, considering even other teams and drivers (notably Massa, as well as others) immediately accused Renault and Piquet of deliberately crashing... and Alonso knew nothing and had no inkling that his win was illegitimate? Puhleaze. Alonso is probably the sleaziest little turd in the pitlane. His blackmail attempt is worse than anything Flavio ever did, worse than anything MS ever did, and ranks up there with what Stepney did. He has only ever stopped being a sleazy little turd when forced to by the FIA. The same cannot be said of Ron, who is of immeasurably more integrity than Alonso.
The dude and DeLaRossa were secretly using Ferrari test/set up info. Once the leak was becoming apparent he was first on the FIA's doorstep to rat out HIS TEAM in exchange for immunity. You know, the guys busting their chops to make him WDC. You may have been confused in the mass rally to burn the witch to have sorted out fact from fantasy. Alonso; Integrity. Honesty. Yeah thats the ticket. Someone pass the barf bag. Hammy seems to be the only one on the team that was not "in."
As usual Mike you beat me to the punch. Like I said before; Once Alonso is driving for Ferrari all his previous sins are forgiven with the Tiffosi. Saint Fred.
