Alonso is at it again:

Domenicali needs to shut up too then, because he consistently echoes exactly what Alonso says to the media which is, “For me it’s vital we deliver a good car for all of us, because his frustrations are our frustrations,” said Domenicali. “If you are not able to give a fast enough car to a driver who is fighting like hell, it is then very important that we focus on how we develop the car for the future.”

1 of many similar quotes from Autosport...folks seem to have difficulty distinguishing between being factual+realistic and emotional+whining.

 

...is complete and total nonsense. The opposite is true.

 

Care to expand on that thought?

 

What's there to say?

Alonso throws his team under the bus every chance he gets? How is that a sane remark? As I said, the opposite is true. Every chance he gets, Alonso declares his dedication for the team and that he is more than happy to honor his contract (until 2016). Sure there were some signs of frustration, but that is only normal for the high pressure environment in which success is not only hoped for, but simply expected. Throwing his team under the bus every chance he gets? Some people should try to just read the articles they are provided with:

"Alonso very happy at Ferrari after Red Bull Link"(28 july 2013)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23484208

"Alonso denies being angry at Ferrari tactics"(7 September 2013)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23484208

"Alonso happy at Ferrari" (31 octobre 2013)
http://www.gptoday.com/details/view/469337/F1_2013__Alonso_happy_at_Ferrari/

to name but a few

 

I must be OD'ing on triptophan.
I thought that your comment was in response to something I wrote. But since I agree with the above...
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Italian Grand Prix: You?re really idiots! Mamma mia guys - Alonso | F1 News | Sep 2013 | Crash.Net

?Idiots? or ?geniuses?? Alonso adds to tension within FerrariJames Allen on F1 ? The official James Allen website on F1 // F1 News // James Allen on F1 ? The official James Allen website on F1

I honestly don't buy him saying he meant Geniuses later. A pathetic safe, as even if he did say geniuses, it was meant to be sarcastic. Equally bad.

My point is simple: saying stuff like this is completely wrong to handle situations like this. Maybe Alonso feels different but it has never worked and never will work.

He did it at Renault (even though they where winning). He did it at Mclaren (they where winning, but he didn't like that Ron didn't bow down to His Alonsoness), and now he's doing it at Ferrari. Guess what: Even Schumacher has said that this is not doing him any favours with his team, and many of the team are falling out of love with him. Their hard work is not being respected by him, in a very public manner.

What this could ultimately mean for him, especially if he does get beaten regularly by Kimi next year, he'll throw another hissy fit and he'll quite simply be replaced (there are others, Hulk, Bianchi, perhaps even Bottas). And where will he go?
Red Bull don't want him (they're doing quite fine with Vettel, himself alone scored enough points to win both titles, and with Riciardo back up it's all good).

Mercedes don't need him (the Hamilton/Rosberg combo is harmony...both incredibly quick and very good friends).

Lotus DO want him, but have no staff, no money, and with no money and good staff you can't keep building good cars.

Mclaren maybe want him back, Ron Dennis said at the end of 2007 that he won't be surprised if Alonso would be back (one does wonder how to read into this...maybe he'll want him to crawl back only for Ron to laugh in his face). Mclaren could perhaps face being the new Williams if stuff doesn't turn around soon. New Honda engine in 2015 could be a move of genius or a further fall down the ladder. They're already saying 2014 will likely be a test year...

In other words, if he wants to keep being relevant in F1, he might have to start playing nice next year, or at least know when and where to vent his anger. I suggest a big, soft room, with lots and lots of colorful plastic balls.

 

Come on. You are jumping out one single incident. He could have easily blown out over the tactical decision made by Chris Dyer in Abu Dahbi 2010. Cost him effectively his title, and Dyer his job at Ferrari (now working for BMW in DTM), but he didn't gave a peep.

at Monza nothing more than a moment of frustration happened. Very understandable, given the circumstances. The team didn't make a fuss about it. Alonso didn't make a fuss about it. Some people outside the team made a fuss about it, with no other apparent reason than the wish to create controverse where is none to be found.

Hardly constitutes as 'throwing your team under the bus every chance you get'.

What exactly is Alonso doing at Ferrari? As far as I can see he is taking that car to finishing positions where it shouldn't be given it's qualities. There is a reason why many of the F1 pundits still call him the best driver.

As I said, totally untrue. The opposite is true. If Alonso is saying anything about the team, he is stating the obivious: there is work to be done. No one inside the team thinks otherwise.

Complete speculation. As you know, I am quite confident Alonso will quickly make Ferrari remember why they have sacked Kimi before.

you should quite smoking that stuff. It isn't doing you any good.

 

I can't be bothered finding more stuff, really. I could've added his seeking for a job at Red Bull too, but this is not true by any Alonso fan.

Is the car that terrible or is Massa maybe not as good as he used to be? Massa has never been the same after his accident IMO, and when Alonso demanded him to move over in Germany, they neutered him there and then. I've never said Alonso is not a good driver, quite the contrary; I've said countless times that he's is one of the best if not THE best currently. I strongly dislike his character and strongly like Kimi as a whole, I'm simply hoping Kimi will beat Alonso. I'm a fan of Kimi not because I think he's the best but because I like him as a person. Some on here think that if you're a fan of a driver must mean this driver is immediately the best driver in the fans' eyes....

We'll have to agree to disagree. He's done it before.

And that's your speculation. They sacked him, but then also paid him many millions to not race for a year. And hired him back. What does that tell you? Being an untalented ice cream eating retard is probably not it. Or is, if you can't see beyond your dislike for him .

Won't be the first time Ferrari has sacked a driver (Kimi, Prost, both World Champions as I'm sure you're aware). And as I said, this is only IF Kimi significantly beats Alonso.

 

LOL. Why don't you research why he had to publicly announce he was happy at Ferrari over and over...

 

First of all, nothing happened in Germany. Massa was told by his race-engineer that Alonso was faster. Probably to make him move over (the message was not lost on Massa), but an order it certainly was not. Nigel Tozzi said all the right things at the Fia Motorsport Council. Too bad they have no problem in interpreting the rules into something they are not.

In the same race Vitaly Petrov was told to switch gears earlier in order to make it to the finish. Now that is an order, and also an order aimed at influencing the outcome of the race. Nobody in their right mind would call that against the rules, although it clearly is, in a literal sense. No wonder the rule is scrapped.

Anyhow, and driver who feels 'neutered' by such an incident, should go home to mommy and have his milk and cookies. No business in F1. In fact, I would have sacked Rubens on the spot after Austria 2002. I would have dragged him out of the car myself.

ok cool. Finally some agreement.

I don't know Alonso personally. He doesn't show much of his personality in interviews. It is said he is a pleasant guy with many friends in the paddock, but very tough when there is business at hand. I like that. Kimi on the other hand seems uninterested. To many it defines his 'outlaw' character which brings him so many fans, but to me it is unacceptable when you go out and sit with stripped down overalls behind a cocktail on some yacht at Monaco right after retiring your car. Or take out an ice cream, already in your civilian clothes when you have only just left the car. And I strongly believe he purposely ended his race at Abu Dahbi. He isn't that bad to drive into a Caterham like that.

You could at least point me to some sources that prove your statement.

Contractually obliged. It only tells me how much they wanted to get rid of him. They were willing to pay him for doing nothing.

To me, it is a mystery. There was only one clear choice to take over from Massa and that is Nico Hulkenberg. Young, extremely fast, dedicated to the job of being a formula 1 driver and very media friendly. Plus Ferrari have good memories of fast Germans. But perhaps Ferrari will set the record straight sooner than we expect.

 

Chris Dyer is working in DTM for BMW now? I thought he was still at Ferrari...

 

Perfectly stated.

 

Exactly DJ.

 

I have no words for this.

Agreed.

We'll disagree on this too. IMO The stuff that Kimi does exactly solidifies his character. His engine went for the umpteenth time whilst racing for Mclaren...I'd also get a bit fed up. If my yacht was parked just up the road, I'd rather go there instead and drink some beer with my friends than go to to Mclaren to ''debrief''. RE the Abu Dhabi incident, Van der Garde just kept turning in when Kimi was already in the corner. Backing out would mean Kimi had spun, so he continued and hoped Van der Garde was aware of a MUCH faster car behind him and use his mirrors to see where this car was...

Mclaren 2007.

Perhaps. They told him take the 15 mil and not race for a year or race for another team. Kimi was already a little sick of the politics in F1 and tried rallying for a bit. Took the 15 mil and had some fun...

I agree that Hulkenberg would have been a fantastic addition to Ferrari. In fact, the contract was almost signed, then they heard that Kimi was maybe looking for a drive. Hulkenbergs contract negotiations dropped of pretty quickly there and then. Has to be a good reason for that:

1) I don't think it's that Kimi LOVES playing 2nd fiddle as some think he'll do
2) definitely not cheaper than Hulk. Kimi is getting the same as Alonso, and a lot of freedom. I heard a rumour that he'll also be allowed to do rallying with Fiat, although I'm unsure in the truth in that one (Kubica).

IMO it must mean the talent, and perhaps a doubt from Ferrari that Alonso will stay on after 2014, and them needing a star driver. Vettel and Ham are both not available.

Also, when Allison got signed to Ferrari, a few people got their hopes up for Kimi to come back in 2014. Many rubbished it...I quietly hoped for it. Apparently he was influential to take Kimi to Ferrari...

LdM also had to swallow his pride to sign him. He (or any ''big bosses'' in Italy) rarely do that, especially in a public company.

Surely all this must point that Ferrari indeed think he has some sort of talent in his nutsack to re-sign him?

 

+1

 

And I think it is also to put some preasure on Alonso. Massa was not a challenge for Alonso so without the preasure of a competitive team mate (especially in qualifying) he might not give 100% throughout the season. Not few had the impression that the motivation in the second half of the season faded a little bit as he could not win the WDC anymore but still beated Massa constantly, with Raikkonen he must propably fight harder to stay ahead of him which helps a lot for the WDC. Even if not winning the WCC a second place still gets more money than a third...

 

because like you, internet media, insist there is controverse where there is none.

 

left a year ago through the backdoor.

 

Sure, and earth is flat...It starts getting ridiculous, Alonso was told to shut up in twitter by his boss because there is no controverse, both parties are using publicity to talk to each other. If someone still thinks that there is no controverse at all should take off his red eyeglasses and face reality. I do not think that you have to be an insider to see that there is something going wrong...Just remember the McLaren year of Alonso, he is someone who needs the full backing of his team to be good and feel comfortablel and for me backing sounds different...Signing Raikkonen does not sound like Alonso is the clear No.1 either as I do not think Raikkonen is just hired for helping Alonso and getting some points for the WDC.

 

If there truly was something wrong, Ferrari and Alonso would have part ways. He is simply too expensive to hang onto a contract both parties would rather end. Signing Raikkonen is probably done simply because Alonso sees no problem in that. Why would he? He will easily beat him and remain the clear number one. Besides, Ferrari are obliged to hire a number two. Who are they going to hire for the second car? Surely Alonso understands that it needs to be a driver of some quality. Only if it were to keep points away from the true competition and to have a shot a the manufacturers title. You can say a lot about Alonso, but he is no idiot.

 

Mate, it's like talking to a brick wall. He has obviously made his mind up: Raikkonen sucks and Alonso is king and best friends with LdM.

 

I think the controversy is pretty simple, imo; Ferrari have always maintained a policy that drivers not complain about the car/team publicly. Fernando has expressed frustration in varying degrees throughout the season, mostly by comparing the Ferrari to the RB9. Alonso wants to not only win, he wants to be recognized as this generation's best driver. While many continued to say that at the start of the season, most are realizing that the only true measure of that are wins. The more Seb wins, the more frustrated Alonso (and Hamilton) become. Both have blown up at their teams during gp's because they can do nothing about Seb and the Bull.

I think that at this point, Alonso will drive for the team in 2014 that gives him the best chance to capture a WDC, but I don't think Seb will go along with that so it will be the next best team. I could see a reunion with McLaren if they get their stuff together. I could also see Ferrari if they give him a winning car next year.

(What's unfortunate is that Ferrari built a competitive car in 2013 that was developed around the rear tire construction. When that changed, they were dead in the water)

 

+1

 

Just because they do not split means that everything is OK??? He will EASILY beat Raikkonen??? Maybe you might have seen a different season but according to my informations he was even beaten in qualifying 8 times by Massa and I doubt Massa is quicker than Raikkonen. This means he has to pass Raikkonen in the race if he is in front of him and I doubt that Raikkonen is waving him by...So Raikkonen will certainly get more points for the WCC than Massa but I am sure that he will be in front of Alonso more often than Massa at the end of the race taking points of him as well, not just from competitors. So I am sure that Raikkonen is a help for Ferrari winning the WCC but not for Alsono winning the WDC and guess what is of more importance for Alonso...

 

One week into the post season and already the tone has turned a tad ugly.