Would that include all the Massa worshippers who are judging him on the basis of Brazil last year? My opinion of Massa is based on his whole career and particularly on the degree to which he underperformed in 2006 relative to the car's potential. He didn't do a damn thing that ony one of half the current F1 grid couldn't do behind the wheel of that car. Put JB in that same Ferrari and he would have won twice as many races as Massa.
Robertson was already shopping Kimi to Ferrari by the time Alonso decided to go to McLaren. There are published reports that Kimi may have already signed by that time. I am sure Ferrari also realized that Flavio would never let Alonso go to Ferrari, not as long as he was Alonso's manager, and there was no point pursuing him. A lot more going on then you seem to understand. Pay more attention, I am sure you will catch up.
There is a separate thread here on FChat where Jean Todt admitted Ferrari never considered Alonso, wrong personality, except years ago as a possible test driver. But never to replace MS. Montezemelo "hates" Alonso. Todt does not find his personality to be good for Ferrari. Alonso and Ron Dennis should get along well.
Nonsense and you (of all people) know it. Alonso had long signed with McLaren. Todt making that comment is simply idiotic and sour grapes. Ferrari has a lot of clout, but at some point doors close. GTE, don't know what to say other than that you're currently not making sense. That's about the nicest thing I can think of. And no, I don't hate Massa. Be more careful what you say on here.
or u might get shot down by a Russian fighter i think we all should get a bit of fresh air in here guys chill a bit. 8 more days to go, i can't wait
Okydokey. You're quite right. Lost my humor. Not a good thing. In the end we're all Ferrari fans. GTE, c'mon over and have a beer. We'll toast to Massa. Yes, Massa. PS: The sky is falling on my head. Must be too many days without F1. Can't wait for Melbourne! Miraculix!
The recent issue of R&T has an article by Sam Posey in which he ranks the top 10 F1 drivers for this season. Very interesting. Ranks Alonso first. followed by Kimi, Button and Massa. Discuss.
I'm not a fan of Sam Posey, but I'd almost agree with him: Alonso>Kimi>Kovalainen>Button>Massa Of course we all know the driver is only half (or a quarter or eighth of) the equation.
Nope, not nonsense all. The conversation with Raikkonen started a long time ago, long before Renault could not decide if there were to continue with F1, long before Vodafone decided to leave Ferrari, and Vodafone was the primary motivation for Alonso to go to McLaren. Alonso is not liked by either Todt or Montezemelo. Alonso is not liked by Michael Schumacher, so when the idea of a teammate or a replacement came about in 2005, Alonso was immediately taken off the "let's contact" list. All three like Kimi Raikkonen. The real sour grapes could be Alonso's derogatory comments towards Schumacher last year, as it was no secret that he would like to have gone to Ferrari. But not Todt's comments, those were for real.
i remember reading somewhere, that Michael was present when sauber 1st ran Kimi a few years ago. co-incidently, both Ferrari and Sauber were testing at Fiorano at that time, and it was Kimi's 1st F1 test, and from what i read, Michael was extremely impressed by Kimi's abilities and highlighted to JT that he should be the one to replace MS himself in the future. i have a strong feeling that the Scuderia have been keeping an eye on kimi as early as 2002, or maybe even during the 2003 season, where he nearly beat MS for the title. IMO, Kimi peaked earlier than FA, and it's pretty natural for the Scuderia to look and think that he, not FA is the natural successor at the team for MS. another reason maybe they picked Kimi is due to the fact that he doesn't critic his team in public or go to the media, no matter how sh!tty the car is/was. thats just a thought tho
Heikki already #3 in your list..I do hope he ends up there. I think he's the next star..along with Kubica.. 24 hours from having his bell rung from crashing the R27 heavily at Bahrain, he went out and posted the second fastest time behind Massa. Impressive.. I hope he crushes Fisichella and sends him into retirement.....Piquet Jr will give Heikki a hard time I'm convinced. Button....Give him a great car and he will shine. Too bad he can't defend his position..
You are right Brian. What Schumacher first noticed about Kimi at that test session was not his speed, but that he looked like he was underaged. That story appeared in Autosport in an interview with Kimi's manager.
I predict this is the finsihing order for the WDC in 2007. I definitely rate Button higher than Massa in equal cars. It all depends on how good is Honda is this year.
Heikki is a star of the future, I think, but I have my doubts about Piquet Jr. I don't think he has what it takes, other than his surname.
Not this week. Currently in your time zone. Regarding the thread: Was checking out a newspaper stand with all the F1 mags (amazing how many there are in Europe). They all have one thing in common: The all ask who will win the title duell between Alonso and....<surprise!> Kimi Honestly, I haven't seen a single mag that even mentioned Massa. At least not on the title cover. Having said that however I have by now read several articles that give Massa huge credit. Swiss Blick has been saying this now for a while: http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/artikel57207 Particularly my beloved "motorsport aktuell" gives Massa a big chance against Kimi based on their driving styles: Massa is a lot smoother than Kimi and the author thinks that the new standard tires require smooth driving more than ever: The tires have little grip (no wonder they last forever) and the driver who can get the most out of it by being smooth saves time. The author actually thinks Kimi and Alonso both will suffer based on this. Recent testing reports seem to somewhat support this theory, however it also now seems that Ferrari did come up with an aero package that helps Kimi get along with the new tires. ...luckily we're now only a week away. The suspense is killing me.
Have to agree with you regarding Piquet Jr. He hasn't shown much yet. Didn't make Posey's top 10 either.
arrghh... tell me bout it. i just bought the lastest issue of F1 racing, didin't help to calm me down lol. i'm off to college guys. have a nice weekend ahead.
