What top driver doesn't though? Seb the same. Kimi the same. Ham the same. Rosberg the same. Max the same. I guess maybe the only one is Rici.
I don't think anyone has left behind a trail of aggravation as much as Alonso, and the man is a miserable grumpy sod. I will never understand why Ron Dennis accepted him back at McLaren; the guy is highly toxic and can destroy a team with his attitude.
He was only "considered" toxic with his first stint at McLaren. He worked well with Ferrari and gave it is all. He left Ferrari because Honda dangled a carrot and the Ferrari, at the time, was not quite fast enough. If Honda had been able to make a 3/4's decent engine like they once were capable of, this move would have looked like a wise one. Unfortunately it wasn't, but hardly Alonso's fault. Remember none of us have actually met the guy! Pete
Logically, Porsche will be the ones to step up and offer Alonso a deal he can't refuse and he'll go over to WEC sports cars and Le Mans where he will have a long prosperous career. You gotta know Mark Webber was telling him about all the fun he was having driving for Porsche. BHW
You seem to forget that not only he played the prima doña at McLaren that cost them a title, but he also ratted on the team that got fined 100M dollars. That would be enough to put most teams out of business. Then, he went back at Renault and ratted on them about the Singapore crashgate. that cost Renault to have to sell the team and sack the principals. Then, he kept bad-mouthing Ferrari for close to 5 years, and left them in strange circumstances. He was happy to accept a huge retainer at McLaren, only to throw fits and tantrums in public agàinst Honda that pays him. The man is a liability, with no loyalty or ethics.
I have a different view of McLaren and Alonso's first round, and I personally think McLaren never wanted him and treated him poorly from day one. Strange considering he was a 2xWDC. I think by near the end of the season he had enough and went to McLaren to get it sorted, they didn't so he did. Would never have happened if Ron had not lost his driver management ability. I don't remember this. Personally I think he has been remarkably calm and heck of a lot quieter than I would be. Honda's engine is a joke. Button gave up, at least Alonso keeps trying ... Pete
Yes, we see it a different way. Alonso came to McLaren with 2 WDCs under his belt, and assumed that, teamed with a newcomer (Hamilton), he would have preferential treatment and be Number One. Hamilton was Ron Dennis' find and his protégé then; he proved to be competitive from the start and a handful for Alonso to deal with. Ron Dennis had dealt with intense rivalry in his team (Lauda-Prost, then Prost-Senna) and didn't give Alonso the preference he expected. Alonso's pride was wounded by that, and the atmosphere within the team deteriorated from then on. Alonso didn't display a massive superiority over Hamilton that year, and the challenge was too much for the Spaniard to deal with. It ended up in acrimony, and a lost WDC, for sure.
I don't think he burned any bridges at Renault and Ferrari, and obviously the burned bridges at Mclaren were overcome and they're doing their best to keep him happy. If he wasn't one of the best, if not the best on the grid, they wouldn't be doing everything they could to keep him happy on top of the money. The Honda is ridiculously bad, I don't think anyone could have foreseen it being this bad in it's 3rd year. It's worse than the year old Ferrari despite no longer being hampered by the token system which is, quite frankly, pathetic. They should at least be on par with a year old Ferrari in both performance and reliability but it has neither. They need to bring a completely updated spec each race at this point and forget about the grid penalties. If Perez can go 18th to 7th it shows you can overcome being at the back of the grid in this generation cars, so they need to get performance in the PU period, everything else be damned. Even if they have to change it at the start of every race and be at the back of the grid to make it to the end, that's a better proposition than it blowing up. It'd be one thing if the Honda was fast and blew up, but it's the slowest PU on the grid and it still blows up. I honestly feel bad for Alonso as he's dragging that POS close to the top ten and it's a back row car with that PU. I'd take him in the Ferrari over Kimi for sure, Kimi is past it at this point. I think whatever he had left in the tank was used up winning a race in the Lotus.
How many times have we seen this story play out. Yet people give alonso unlimited passes because of his perceived talent. Blows my mind how anyone would want him at this point
LOL, Let's hope so. We'll see McLaren surge and Renault tank. Alonso is a team killer. He will never again achieve success in F1 no matter who he drives for.
I will never understand why Ron didn't give Alonso number 1 status. Would have guaranteed a WDC, and also helped Lewis learn and yes he needed to learn, as we all do. There was no issue between Alonso and Lewis at the beginning with Alonso helping to setup Lewis' car. The issues started when LEWIS disobeyed team orders and did not help Alonso during qualifying and remember told Ron to "go swivel". Alonso lost it and the rest is history. Now Alonso being older and more mature, should not have lost it ... but he is also a passionate racing driver, and simply did. So many forget that even though McLaren never treated Alonso well (ie. #1, etc.) it was actually Lewis that started pulling the team apart with Alonso finishing the tearing ... Funny also how every team that Lewis goes to ends up having driver spats/wars (remember Nico and Lewis fighting like toddlers) ... and yet Alonso is the anti-christ! So blind are the English Pete
1Million percent agree!!! He may have a driving talent, but his off track behavior just kills any trust in the guy. as much as I hate to say it, going back to Ferrari with Vettel and replacing Riakkonnen is the other option... doubtful, but it is out there. I think Renault is the only viable option for Alonso, Mercedes would be an outside chance... I think Bottas will get that seat in 18.
Hmmm. I see to remember it much more differently. Alonso came to McLaren as the defacto World Champion, and Hamilton was reared by McLaren so it was his big break. Everyone thought that Alonso would establish him self over Hamilton, but it was really the opposite. Hamilton that first year was cool, calm, polite, and followed the company line to a T. Conversely - it was Alonso, who came un wrapped, could not take being shown up by a new comer. Ron Dennis is not to blame. Its his job to grow the best drivers for McLaren... he did that with Hamilton. its almost the same story that happened in 84. Lauda was getting $2.5M, and Prost was getting a couple hundred thousand.... Dennis and team loved Prost - he was the bargan and was the better driver. only in that case Lauda - kept his cool where Alonso did not. I've met Alonso, briefly ... not that impressive. as is typical, he's got a huge ego ...and you know instantly that he'd doing you a favor to say hi.
That was his choice; Dennis recruited Alonso and promoted Hamilton at the same time. He knew Lewis was talented, and not one to be kept on a leach, so he let them fight among themselves. Alonso was outraged that a young driver could show him so little respect, and put him in the shade at any opportunity. Alonso's pride against Hamilton's cheekiness !!
I actually do not agree with that, I think it was Dennis´fault... As a boss you have to get the best out of every team member and the best result for the team. Helping Alonso getting the WDC and raising Hamilton as his crown prince taking over in the second or third year would have been best for all participants...McLaren would have won the WDC and WCC instead of having nothing and a driver leaving in anger. The first problem was that Lewis was actually too good too fast, nobody expected him challenging Alonso in the first year. When Ron saw that I am certain he prefered Lewis as it massaged his ego that his young protegée could win in his car and that he does not need an expensive ex-champion to do so...It shows both the superiority of his cars and his intuition for the young talent. You can blame Lewis for "starting the "riot" against Alonso" but as a pupil you only do that when you know upfront that the chances are good that you get away with it. If Ron would have teached Lewis his limits in the first year I think this would have been good for McLaren and for Lewis as well as a lot of his character is based on the fact that he always enjoyed the freedom to do as he pleased without having to fear any consequences. And now he is in such a powerfull position that Toto does not want to show him his limits as well as one could easily see highlighted in the last race of 2016.
Alonso should go back to Renault. More chances to have a competitive car than the lemon that he drives now.
I agree...but he is still stupid fast and the kind of guy that can put the 3rd or 4th best car in a position to win. That sounds like the right recipe for Renault.
Yep well said. Again for William and others, Alonso and Lewis were getting just fine until Lewis disobeyed team orders. Ithe was not his pace that upset Alonso at all. Heck the 2007 McLaren was a good car, anybody was going that one be quick in it (other than Stroll). Look at Bottas in the Mercedes now, looks like a superstar. Ron should have disaplined Lewis for going against the team and they, heck maybe even Lewis, would have won the WDC. Pete
What's the record for number of driver moves? His tally so far is Minardi Renault McLaren Renault Ferrari McLaren Renault?
BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Formula One | Alonso punished for Hamilton move At the same time don't forget Hungary..
I always thought that Nando would wind up going back to Renault. The disaster that is McLaren has just sped the process up.
Correct, but Alonso blocked Lewis in the pits in retaliation because Lewis refused to give Alonso a tow. Both drivers during qualifying were supposed to give each other a tow to improve their qualifying performance. I don't remember this, but by this stage Alonso was well pissed off with Lewis and the team. Okay I'll compromise ; both Alonso AND Lewis are difficult drivers for any team, as we're Senna, Prost, etc. Pete
As usual the British BBC only told the second half of the story, just as when "Nico threw BACK the hat"...In their summary you only saw Nico throwing but not what happened before and in this article absolutely nothing is written about what made Alonso do so.
