When he came back to F1 he states he only did because he wanted a reasonable chance at a title. So seriously doubt it .
well he didn't have an option did he? Lotus had no hope in hell in paying him, so he probably figured there was an even slimmer chance of them finding the money to build a competitive car. There where talks with Red Bull, no idea what happened with them in the end and why the deal fell through. He was happy with the Ferrari deal, plenty of cash and they negotiated a PR deal he was happy with (ie as little as possible). He couldn't have known the car was going to suck donkey penis for this year either... He was only getting a base of 3 mil from Lotus, and early on in 2012 Lotus already had issues paying him and he stayed on for +- 18 months despite no payment (they owe him in the region of 25 million, part of 2012 and everything of 2013), so to say he was there for the dollar is far fetched.
come on. The fact that he didn't get paid, doesn't mean he didn't went there for the money to begin with. Which is fine with me. He is probably only human. What bugs me is that he is adding absolutely nothing to the Scuderia compared to Massa. So that isn't a lot. And Ferrari, or LdM if you please, could have seen that coming.
It might have been a bit of both. James Allison was going to Ferrari already so that might have been a deciding factor in him going to the (slower at the time) Ferrari instead of Red Bull. Of course the money is nice, probably double compared to what Red Bull was paying but I'm not sure if it was the ultimate deciding factor. He's got 150m + to his name, so an extra 10m isn't going to change his life. The fact that he's not closer to Alonso is bugging me as well as I know he can do it, but your last sentence is ridiculous. He's got a title for Ferrari, and we all saw what he did at Mclaren and Lotus. Should Red Bull and Mateschitz have seen it coming to that a 4x WDC has identical problems? Or Mclaren and Ron Dennis?
Alan Mcnish commenting just now on the kimi situation, saying that the car has been "moulded and deigned around Alonso". So those armchair experts saying that cars arent designed round a specific driving style anymore, there you go. He also said that both their driving styles are the polar opposite. Massas style was a bit closer to alonsos.
I don't understand how that works. Surely a bit of a suspension and wing change and it changes from an understeerer to and oversteerer. It works on normal cars!! So....what's the go?
I think you'll find that F1 cars aren't normal cars! The simple fact is: You CAN change the behavior of the car through a bit of suspension and wing change, but you then go against what the car wants to do, which inherently WILL cost time, no matter what you do. Same goes for ''changing your driving style'' some are suggesting. These guys have been driving with their own style for the whole lives and perfecting it. To then suddenly do the complete opposite of what your mind tells you to, it will also cost you time. See that like that test when they write the name of a colour in a different colour (ie spelling yellow but in the colour red), and then you have to say the colour out loud and see how many you get right (or wrong) in a minute. It goes against what your brain tells you. You can get it right, but it takes that fraction of a second more each and every time. If the chassis didn't matter and it was all a bit of play with the suspension and wings, we'd see Caterhams and Marussia's in the points more than the one time in 4 years, especially at tracks like Austria and Monza. Yet we don't.
In the meantime, Mattiachi has said he's confident both drivers will be racing for Ferrari in 2015, and says it's his job to provide them a car they can win races with.
you are completely correct. A car is a car. How the characteristics appeal to a individual driver, is down to setup and to setup alone. Anyone who states a car is 'designed' around a certain driver, are invited to point out specific components that are of a certain design just to suit a certain driver. Impossible. As you say, a wing is a wing, a spring is a spring and a damper is a damper. An easy and therefor poor excuse for failing to score points. I like how Eddie Jordan didn't hide his confusion as to why Raikkonen has such a big fanbase. Finally I agree with him on something.
That is a completely different subject. Money gives you the opportunity to develop. Development gives you the opportunity to built better components. The fact that there are backmarker teams is no evidence for the claim that a car can be designed to suit a driver.
Sorry. I forgot that you know more than Allan McNish (and many, many others in the racing world) who all agree that a car still is designed around a lead driver (especially one that has been with the team for over 4 years). Why wouldn't they design a car around the preferences of their lead driver? If that makes the driver more comfortable with the car (thus faster), in a sport where every bit of a second counts...why wouldn't you?
They design the fastest car possible. They tune it to the particular driver's preference. Alonso is just faster.
You can't design a car to certain preferences. You can set it up to certain preferences. There is a big difference.
I think it's far more complex that you are willing to admit. Consider weight distribution - a fundamental design parameter, once the car is built there is little room to change it outside the designed range. Yet, slight variations in weight distribution have a large effect on handling, and driver style and preference depends a lot on weight distribution. One of the struggles for Mark Webber at Red Bull in the last two years was that Vettel preferred a different weight distribution, the car was designed around that preference, and with Webber being a taller, heavier driver, they could not use enough ballast to re-balance the car for Webber's preference. As shown above - they can, and they do, design a car to certain preferences. Even cockpit layout can be varied for a driver preference during the design stage (seat angle, steering wheel height, foot height, pedal locations/mechanisms). Mercedes will say that Hamilton's first year at Mercedes was impacted by driving a car designed with Rosberg's input, and that it would be his second year, when he also had input into the car design, that Hamilton would show his value and capability. What do you know, Hamilton has performed better in this year's car relative to Rosberg than he did last year...
If they spent any time fine tuning the car for Alonso it would have been better spent getting the design right first.
You can't be serious, asking a bunch of Italians to organise some stuff? Hopefully Mattiachi and James Allison will kick everyone in line in short order and deliver a brutal 2015 machine. This year is hopelessly lost.
Best not to respond directly to that on a Ferrari forum but let's just say if you limit the talent pool in any arbitrary fashion your liklihood of success diminishes.
any well designed racecar leaves room for weight distribution, but of course, a big part of it is incorporated in the design. Probably not to the level in which it has a significant outcome for a driver. F1 cars are heavily regulated. You know where the engine will be. You know where the gastank will be. You know where the driver is going to sit. Most of the weight distribution comes from the specific layout that any car has per regulation. In other words, I don't buy the claim that Raikkonens troubles are down to weight distribution. Same goes for Webber. Much of the difference between him and Vettel was down to Vettel being a better driver. No shame in admitting that. Hamilton didn't do too bad last year, did he? It is really quiet a stretch to put any difference between Hamiltons performance last year and his performance this year, down to his involvement in the design. Besides, what would that involvment be? When they are designing next years car, the driver is busy racing the current car. Hamilton doesn't sit at the CAD-computer or whatever. He drives the car and gives his feedback. Again, it is all mostly down to setup. And yes, you can change cockpit layout, paddleboxes, seatheights (Rosberg recently changed his, sitting now higher in the car). That has nothing to do with the fundamentals of the car.
Obviously it is easier for you to argue that cars aren't designed with a drivers preference in mind, even if people like Allan McNish straight up say so because the only logical explanation is that it doesn't fit your agenda of Kimi hatred. I honestly don't care if someone likes or hates a driver but I do when simple to comprehend facts are ignored. I suggest you read up on some F1 design and whatnot so you can make a more informed opinion.
I didn't read all the posts, so this may be redundant...Kimi's not going to give a sh*t driving the crap that Ferrari has put him in. Ferrari should be embarrassed and ashamed of the F1 cars they have been producing. Time to roll some heads, and then some.
