He's even better than that!
What he said. Remember Alonso made the car he was driving in 2005. Just as MS made the Ferrari that led him to his victories in 2000 and thereafter.
Yeah, but few can blow up a motor after qualifying, start last, and get up to 2nd or 3rd. I question if MS and FA can do that, and Kimi has done it on more than one occasion. He has proven greatness - when the car works (exactly the same as MS has - when the car works).
one thing to keep in mind is that Michael has rarely made the mistake to be so much further down the order then his car is capable of; wheras Kimi has had unreliable engines (and other components) that force him down there.... yet his car+ him have proven to be amazing. i seem to recall in 2004, when the other teams had finally cought up to the Ferrari's pace; Michael had gone wide, and qualfied 9th... then actually passed (not just pit stop stratagies) 8 of those in the field. and that isn't as impressive as what Stefan Bellof was able to do... much like Kimi; he would start 22nd or so, and end up 2nd... only to be disqualified later... the 80's were tough years on F1 rules/governing body...
On the contrary, MS has proven his greatness IN SPITE OF his car on several notable occasions: Spain 1994 - 2nd place despite running the last 43 laps stuck in 5th gear (even included a refueling stop) Belgium 1995 - Won a semi-wet race from 16th on the grid after rain halfway through qualifying Spain 1996 - Won in heavy rain by nearly a minute in the Ferrari F310, a car universally regarded at the time as the ultimate piece of crap. Raikkonen has not yet shone the ability to step up in an inferior car whereas MS spent much of his early career doing just that. Schumacher's 94 and 95 titles were won in Benettons that were inferior to the all-conquering-Adrian-Newey-designed Williams-Renaults. Until last year, MS had been the dominant driver in the dominant car for so long that most people forget the early years, and how he got to where he is. As for the question of FA's competence, the same questions were asked regarding MS over a decade ago, and the answer is still the same: a resounding YES. Alonso is to Raikkonen what Schumacher was to Hakkinen - the more complete racer vs. the supposedly quicker qualifier. Now, as for FA's decision to go to McLaren, well........
Schumacher had an inferior car last year and he wasn't a contender for the championship. 96 Ferrari was a dog you agree...but what we had in those days was the ability of a driver to make a difference. We've lost that in recent years, now if you don't have a car under you, you're stuffed, where as in the past if the driver dug deep he could overcome some of the deficencies.
Yes, he's talented. But a key to his success, specially at his age, is in his response to the question by an interviewer just prior to the start of the Spanish GP, asking whether he felt a lot of pressure in front of his Countrymen, to which he replied "no pressure, just motivation". In his case it's probably true.
He's that good. Of course he still would have been in the same boat as MS last year if the roles were reversed.
We can all argue until we are blue in the face, and we ALL have valid arguments, so the last thing I will (hope to) add here is, regardless of if someone, some car, some team or some motor is 'worthy' of it, SOMEONE will win the championship - someone has to - if not one person, then another one will, and as far as I can tell, the ONLY one (WDC champion) I would even remotely question is Lauda's in 1984, the rain-shortened Monaco race year, where Prost got half-points, and lost by a half a point to Lauda. I can't argue any other WDC's because I don't know much about them prior to about 1967, so don't throw Moss or Fangio at me please. And don't start with me: I LIKE BOTH LAUDA AND PROST.
The only one who was lucky IMO was Rosberg in 1982. Everyone else were good enough to earn it. Sadly many others who were good enough to earn it died before they could - E.g. Ronnie Peterson.
My face is blue..... (LOL) I always thought Clay Reggazoni was damned fast, as was Carlos Reutemann, and a few others like Carlos Pace, J-P Jabouille (sp?) was fast at times, but so were a lot of people, but alas, I'm digressing back 25+ years, going back further, Pedro Rodriguez, Francois Cevert.. The thing is, 25+ years ago we'd see a middle-of-the-pack car do really well in every race, someone unexpected, but today, that seems to be a non-issue, it's usually the same 3-4 guys fighting for the same top-4 spots.... then a fair gap, then 16 other 'equal cars', then a large gap, and the other 4-6 cars..... Anyone else notice this ?
I don't think FA will mimic the career of MS, but he is very quick and very reliable. I also think he has the best overall car at the moment, as evidenced by wishy-washy Fisi placing very high with questionable talent, thanks mainly to the Renault. There is no question the Renault gets the best jump off the line by a clear margin.
If FA wins a world title next year in the Mclaren then I would really believe that he is as talented as everyone thinks he is. Until then I believe his Renault car and team is a main reason for his success now. Hell even Fisi which is in my opinion a disastrous driver got few 1st place and podium finishes with the Renault package.
