Hamilton says Vettel bigger Challenge than Rossberg...

30 March 2017

Jean Alesi expects Ferrari to shine again in China



Jean Alesi thinks his former F1 team, the great Maranello marque Ferrari, is finally ready to challenge for the title. The Frenchman, whose only win for the Italian team was in 1995, said Ferrari's decade-long wait for a world championship could now be over.

"The step into the new regulations was very unclear," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "There were a thousand doubts about what Mercedes or Red Bull would do. But after Australia, I now expect Ferrari to confirm that performance in China. The ease with which Vettel followed Hamilton in the race was astonishing, while Hamilton had no chance to follow Vettel. When a car is good from the beginning, the development is also easier," Alesi added.

However, former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore thinks it is a little early to say Ferrari will definitely fight for the 2017 crown. "We will get a clearer picture in China," said the Italian. "The Ferrari victory was great, but Melbourne is a special circuit and I still expect big things from Red Bull and Mercedes. In an ideal case, we will have a three-way fight for the championship."

Another former Ferrari driver, Italian Ivan Capelli, is also cautious about Ferrari's Melbourne showing. "I think the victory had a lot to do with Mercedes and Red Bull taking a step back with their suspension," he said. And former Toyota and Renault driver Jarno Trulli concluded: "Ferrari's initial position is right, but each of the top three teams has all the resources they need to develop efficiently through the season."

 

+1

 

+1

 

Having the ability and courage to defend your title? F1 is littered with one time wdcs whose legacies are insignificant when compared to the multiple wdc community.

 

Defend a title LOL. So his personal decision is lack of moral strength. I guess you missed what it took for him to do it. His family appears to be a large consideration. Ive noticed many cowards avoid the deep emotional ties needed to forge a good family. Appears Nico is both a WINNER of the WDC and a man willing to invest time in his family. Defending a title is the last thing that matters in life.

 

What does he have to loose??? His followers will agree with him whatever he says and those against him will not...so no matter what he says it does not make him look bad with those who follow him.
Just look at the British online magazines in the comments under every line he says...When he complained about the exchange of datas his followers were sure that Nico only won the WDC because he copied the setup of Hamilton all the time. So no matter how stupid a comment might sound to outstanders it is fuel for his fanbase...

 

Utter garbage. Ref Michael Schumacher for a good example of how it can be done x 7

 

Don´t you think Schumacher actually is a very bad example under these circumstances?
He had his career on No.1 and wanted to enjoy his family after that and look what happened...So he might be rather an example that one should not wait to do what is most important in your life and apparently this is family rather than F1 in Nicos...I don´t understand why people still bash him now that he is history...It´s his decision and neither you nore Lewis have to have the same preference but one has to accept that.

 

Spot on.

Haha!

 

1 title or 7 means zero. Nico left on his terms. Thats a life well lived to include his family. Garbage is your attitude towards a man who is a WDC and the effort to achieve it. He did not stop until he achieved his goal. Thats dedication and thats how it works in the real world. Nico also won in a team that appeared at times, to want LH more so to win than Nico.


Here's a tip - LH lost so move on. Nico has.

 

What rubbish. I put Nico at today's F1 top table, such as it is. Recall Lewis' first WDC? On the last corner of the 2008 Brazilian G.P. he passed a middle-runner into fifth place that won him the championship from Felipe Massa who had won the race thinking he was world champion. And Lewis' only other WDC's were in an utterly dominant car. This past season Nico won nine races to Lewis' ten, in 2015 he won six to Lewis' ten and in 2014, five to Lewis' ten. So poor Nico only won twenty races from Lewis in equal cars. Either he was improving each year or Lewis was deteriorating each year.

I would agree that neither of them has yet shown that they deserve even to be mentioned in the same breath as Juan Manuel Fangio or Jim Clark or Michael Schumacher or Alain Prost or Ayrton Senna. But if Nico had still had the fire in his belly and not retired, I for one would not have bet a lot of money against his winning another WDC from his teammate.

 

+1

 

Yep! exactly...

 

Exactly. Makes no sense.

 

Concur.

 

Thanks for the tip, but it isn't needed. I don't care about the fact that LH lost. That's history and Nico won fair and square. I have no idea why you might think I have an issue with that?

As for our respective opinions on Rosberg - we will just have to agree to disagree. Let's move on.

 

He said he accomplished his life goal. He won the WDC, has more money than he knows what to do with, and wants to spend time with his family. If i was in his shoes, i'd absolutely do the same. He beat "one of the best" fair and square and thats all he needed to for himself.

James hunt-Won his WDC and proved to himself thats all he needed to do.
Kimi Raikonnen-Won his WDC and now is just here for the ridiculous paycheck.

 

That sounds sour grapes to me, and certainly not fair to Rosberg.

That he choses to defend his title or not, the fact is that he defeated a triple WDC in a fair fight, and not many people can say that.

 

We are all drifting off topic. Let's park it and let the thread get back to Ham v Vet. I personally hope it's a good season long battle and that Vet wins it in a thrilling Abu Dhabi finale.

 

If vettel starts winning consistently, elton will moan and moan until he threatens to leave, and if bottles gets a grip on the car after a strong Aussie GP, this time around, even toto woof won't be there to ask elton to stay.

 

Nah - not true on Kimi. In fact he said he would only continue in F1 with Ferrari and isn't willing to go to another team.

He also makes peanuts compared to Vettel.

 

I can't imagine Rossssssberg putting up much of a challenge sat on his sofa in Monaco watching his old mate on the telly.Must be killing him watching Bottas step into his stiletto's to challenge Lewis without raising a sweat,which took Nicole the best part of 20 years to achieve.

Nicole is history,Lewis is still trying to make it.

 

LOL!

Bottas was the second loser of the race; Hamilton the first loser.

Both losers.

Let's see Bottas win some races.

Most people never achieve what Nico did...given 20 years or 200.

 

They all fall back on Nico rather than looking at the loser who didnt or couldnt figure out the car or track in Baku, make starts work or say, work a bit harder, not jet around the world etc. This week he said he was staying home to focus to be ready for China LOL. So proof his travel and lack of work ethic hurt him last year. All that clearly not Nico's fault.

Nico made his luck by staying focused on winning. LH not so much. Thats an LH problem. Period. Now that he lost he figures he should work harder. An Einstein he is not.

This year wont be about Vettel or LH in a battle. There wont be one. The battle is qualy and turn 1. Nothing else. Passing is difficult and traffic will ruin your race via increased tire wear. I wish we had potential racing actually past turn 1. Do harder tires matter if the airflow within 2 sec of your opponent ahead ruins them anyway? Mistakes will cause passes not skill given the new aero. So you sit behind your opponent unable to pass praying he misses the next corner or locks up. Then, maybe you might get by. Nico's not missing much Id say LOL.

 

+1. Nico was worthy of last years title, elton wasn't. Nico could easily have won at least one of the other two as well had Mercedes not been so biased towards elton