This one goes in the major BS file! Sure Fernando -- McLaren finishing 16th ever race wasn't enough incentive for Honda to improve. It was your "embarrassing" statements that got Honda cracking the whip! LOL!!! Alonso: Honda criticism key to improvement - PlanetF1 : PlanetF1 Fernando Alonso believes his strong criticisms of Honda engines has helped ensure the extreme actions McLaren need to become competitive again. The Spaniard could be heard raging on the television broadcast of the Japanese Grand Prix where he branded the power unit embarrassing and likened it to a GP2 engine which has a third less power than those in Formula One. However, Alonso insists that, while the coverage of his outbursts were blown out of proportion, he doesnt regret them at all.
Yeah, I'm pretty much with Toil on this one. Reliability didn't greatly improve after a major update and it's still immensely down on power. They'll need to make some dramatic advances over the winter to try to score a respectable number of points next season. All the best, Andrew.
Nope..typical Bs coming out from Alonso's mouth.....pretty sure it's true....he simply can't help it, it's not his fault, he was born this way, intestine plugged to his mouth!!!
Honda just repurchased their massive test track proving ground east of here in Mojave Desert near Edwards Air Force base.... Made the local news that 21 jobs being added-- that's about the size of a F1 team.
Interesting... Though you can add a zero to that number and then multiply it to come to the size of an F1 team
Article 10 of the FIA's 2016 F1 Sporting Regulations (From: Regulations | Federation Internationale de l'Automobile 2016 F1 Sporting Regulations published on 08.12.15) 10.6: No TCC [Testing of Current Cars (TCC) ] may take place: d) On any track located outside Europe without the agreement of the majority of teams and the FIA. And: 10.8: No TCC is permitted at sites which are not currently approved for use by Formula 1 cars. So are you suggesting that Honda are prepared to breach both of these sporting regulations by testing F1 cars at this track in the Mojave Desert? I can guarantee you that they're not!
I think it's really great that Honda improved this year, now we have a fair fight between McLaren, Sauber, Manor, and Haas!
Except Sauber are way ahead already. Would love to see Manor improve some, and if they could find some money they very well could - a very nice little team IMO. Haas is going to be interesting; With all the 'help' it seems they're getting from Ferrari who knows where they'll wind up? Cheers, Ian
Alonso also said he doesn't understand why the FIA tries to protect the small teams in F1, and added they shouldn't be in business if they can't afford it. Remarkable comment from someone who was given his first chance by Minardi, not really a major team. People have short memory once they have succeeded I suppose ...
+1 He has forgotten he won a WDC out of attrition and not being the fastest or best that day. Where was Honda's said turnaround?? The FIA should drug test Alonso.
This is so typical of Alonso that it was almost predictable. He cannot survive without being in the spot light, whether for good or ill. Of course, he always finds a way (in his mind) to paint himself as a hero of sorts. The indispensable man! Soon he will go away, and stay away.
Turnaround? What turnaround? The only thing that improved from beginning to end was the reliability, and even that still wasn't perfect.
Alonso following Senna's steps criticising Honda - Read Motorsport Nothing new. How soon people forget...
Nobody ever remembers anything less than glowing about Senna. I get that he tragically died a heroic track warrior, and that's sad, but the man was not a God or Saint. All the best, Andrew.
A few of us may remember Senna in less than glowing terms. Same thing for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. who the great majority of fans would boo at every race victory. NASCAR's perfect villain, the guy fans loved to hate. But, once he was gone, there was a collective sense of amnesia and all of a sudden, he was everyone's hero. The bigger question on this may be, just how much credit may a driver take for the success (or failure) or a particular engine package? To be sure, the McLaren-Honda combination failed to live up to expectations in its first season but recalling Honda's first entry into F-1 with Spirit Racing and Stefan Johansson wasn't exactly stellar either but by the time they were mated with the McLaren chassis, they were nearly unbeatable. These days however, it would seem that the driver's have less involvement in the development of the engines, which would be more down to the engineers and designers back in the factory. BHW
Very true. He was a pretty ruthless driver and very demanding (demeaning at times) of the teams. He is pretty close to a saint in Brazil though ; )
+1 x 3 I agree with the last three posts. To be World Champion requires a ruthlessness that few of us(thankfully) possess. Sometimes that ruthlessness in manifested on the track and sometimes off. To Alonso's defense I think that he races hard but always fairly.
Point is you can't be a nice guy all the time and expect to be a world champ especially if you aren't getting what you need from the team. Since it's Alonso, it's cause he's a d*** to some folks. Do you really think Vettel or Hammy wouldn't let their respective teams have it publicly if their cars were crap next year? I think Honda needed that kick in the tail.
