perfectlap

Ferrari would be stupid to pass on Alonso. Its the perfect place for him. They have no problem building a team around a high maintenace guy who is without question fast.
They've got deep pockets to pay him and I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see Pat Symonds land the #1 spot at Ferrari, he's valuable enough that they would overlook the Briatore connection. That could be Schumacher/Brawn all over again.

Piquet and Briatore may have done Alonso a big time solid.

Ritter v4.0

Call me crazy but if i were Ferrari I'd offer the seat to Kubica over Alonso.

A.Wayne

I would have loved for Briatore to sing like a Diva , it would be interesting to hear all the setups between him , Brawn, Symonds , Shoo etc .....


Yes the WWF1 has been exposed , i wont take full credit for knowing it all these years ...
Stay tuned likkle ones , now watch as Barrichello forgets how to win against the recovering speedy Golden Spoon

GNR996

has this been posted yet? some interesting reading.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/for...e-hearing.html

A.Wayne

^^^^

This time Ecclestone’s whole business model is on the line. Blind eyes cannot be turned. If — and it is still if — Renault are guilty, the sport is in jeopardy unless the punishment is harsh. Otherwise Formula One is no more a sport than wrestling.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/for...#ixzz0RNANaygm

ew928

Kewl.

Will the drivers, mechanics and team managers have cool nicknames.
And the grid grrls be scantily clad like the ring grrrls in wrassling.

Nelsinho 'I crash for you' Piquet
M 'park my ride' Schumacher

George from MD

"Yup. Totally agree and as VR pointed out, I think Ferrari awaits to see what sanctions and evidence is presented at the hearing next Monday to determine what to do with Alonso.

Is this guy, Alonso really worth all the headaches?

I mean, I used to say Alonso was really good in the car, but a headcase out of it. Now I question how good really is in the car. Let me explain:

1. 2005 WDC: Alonso wins after rule makers find a way to stop the Schumacher Express and decree a stupid 1 tire for the entire race rule. Michelins are superior to Bridgestones for longevity and he wins easily.

2. 2006 WDC: Alonso builds a huge lead, but after discovering Renault had an illegal mass damper, all of a sudden he can't drive as well and chokes the lead ala Jensen Button in 2009. Schumacher eventually overtakes Alonso in the points lead, but tragedy strikes when Schumacher's engine blows up while leading the race with only 16 laps to go in Japan (2nd to last race of the year). Alonso flips off Schumacher in his car as MS pulls to the side and Alonso regains the point lead and the WDC.

3. 2007 McLaren: Everyone hails Alonso for "Finding 1.5 seconds in the development of the McLaren and is said to be a set up god only to find out that he was using Ferrari secrets including pit strategy, fuel loads, brake components, etc. The 1.5 seconds was actually found in the Ferrari dossier.

4. 2008 Renault: A particular person called the Renault a "Donkey Cart". But by the end of the season, Alonso was hailed as a great developer of the Donkey Cart as he had won 2 races toward the end of the season. A year later, it's discovered that at least 1 of those 2 wins came in a deliberate race staged by upper management of Renault F1 Team where Alonso's teammate was sacraficed and ordered to purposely crash into a wall risking his own life for a Fernando Alonso win. A win in a meaningless race where Renault was no where near the WDC or WCC.

5. 2009 Renault: Alonso ZERO WINS


Brilliant in the car, faux champion or con man? You decide.

Ferrari should quickly look at Kubica as their 3rd driver, especially given the fact that Massa might not fully come back. Kubica is a brilliant driver, moved to Italy at the age of 13 from his native Poland to continue his karting career and pursue his dream of driving in F1. He's knows the language, culture and would fit in well with Ferrari."

You. nailed. it.

perfectlap

^ Is Alonso worth it?

If you asked Ferrari and Benetton if they would do it all over again despite all the Schumacher, Briatore and Brawn monkey business do you think for even a split second they would say no? Hellllls no. They'd probably even write it into Schumacher's contract "shady driving and technical rule breaking REQUIRED". Alonso is fast as hell and consistent in races. I recall in his very first Jaguar test at Silverstone he was blazing fast with zero prior experience in the car. I still think Lewis is quicker and better for a team though..

This whole episode leaves little doubt in my mind that Briatore was up to no good at Benetton with the illegal pit stops, tampering with the refueling rigs, the illegal "scroll down to the second screen" traction control b.s., all that stuff that the stewards found but Max and Bernie dismissed or gave nothing more than token sanctions for.
The guy was amusing but every bit the top drawer cheater that the guys at McLaren and Ferrari are.

p.s.
Alonso is guilty as hell in all this. No way he doesn't say "gee what a coincidence my pit stop and Nelson's crash on two drops of petrol in my tank. Man I'm lucky!"
But regardless, F1 needs him and Ferrari would go nuts for him. And they can barely find driver's fill their Ferraris right now...you gotta be kidding me. Remind me again why Montoya, Hakkinen and Schumacher aren't still driving?

ltc

In proper equipment, I still believe there are current F1 drivers who are "as fast as hell", just like Little Miss Sunshine.

There is nothing special about LMS, apart from the fact that she seems to ruin everything she touches.

Much like Fisi, if Luca picks up the phone and says to a driver of their choice "I would like you go come drive for Ferrari"....most are going to say 'yes'.

Long term, it is still one of the most coveted seats on the F1 grid IMHO.

Trucho-951

It was all a ploy to retain Alonso. Renault needed to finish at least 4th in the constructors championship or Alonso would be able to exit the team without any penalty.

A.Wayne

Bwaaayyy ,,, Don't hate , don't hate ....

Lewis such hate is clouding your senses ...... Alonso is the best and has passed all the required test , same as Shoomacher , remember him that other scrounge , that did all the same before . The only thing missing from Alonso resume to be like Shoo is for him to park his car blocking the track in Q3 , circle closed , done deal


+22000000000000000000000000000000

ltc

Why does it seem as though every F1 discussion in which you participate always ends up with a reference to Schumacher?

I start a topical yet seemingly innocuous thread regarding the sudden emergence of Mercedes teams like F1India (and the performance of the Brawn and recent McLaren) and even THAT thread requires a Schumacher reference?

I now see why there are so many reported posts and PM's sent regarding this constant F1 equivalent of "It's Bush's Fault" in this forum.

Frankly, I expect it in the P&C "forum", but not here.

Enough already.

If there is no reason to bring Schumacher into a discussion, please don't, otherwise that post will be deleted.

multi21

^^^^^ Super Moderator putting his foot down ^^^^^ ltc, you've effectly saved RL countless TB of space by banning Wayne from any further Schumacher references.

(Hey Wayne, Lauda doesn't think what Schumacher did at Monaco is even comparable)



Lauda: 'Crashgate' worst scandal in F1 history
17 September 2009


Former World Champion Niki Lauda believes that the race-fixing disgrace involving the Renault team in last year's Singapore Grand Prix is the worst such case in the sixty-year history of Formula One. The Austrian claims that the act is 'not comparable' with the much-discussed Michael Schumacher-Rascasse incident of 2006.





Niki Lauda, triple World Champion of the 1970s and 80s
The Renault team announced on Wednesday that both Team Principal Flavio Briatore and Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds are no longer part of the outfit which is attending an FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) hearing over the 2008 Singapore race-fix claims by Nelson Piquet Jr. and Sr.

"When I first heard the accusation that Renault had asked Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately, the question was whether it was true or not," Lauda wrote to The Daily Mail. "If it was true, then it amounted to the worst thing that has happened in Formula One; there is only one other incident that comes near - Michael Schumacher parking his Ferrari on the racing line at Monaco in 2006 to block Fernando Alonso's last qualifying lap - but, really, even that is not comparable."

Having raced to world titles in 1975 and 1977 for Ferrari plus a further crown for McLaren in 1984, Lauda despises such tactics. "This time it was about manipulating a race," he continued. "There was also the obvious danger to Piquet, other drivers and spectators.




Lauda is appalled by the manner in which Team Principal Briatore approached the situation
"What also really upset me at the weekend was what Flavio Briatore was saying - he denied it all. His messages were murky, even making comments about Piquet's (Sr.) private life. It was unbelievable. And now, because Briatore has been sacked, we must assume the allegations against Renault were all true.

"Certainly, I would never have crashed on order: firstly because sport is sport and secondly because, in my day, I could have hurt or killed myself. My Nürburgring crash in 1976 was big. I got straight back in and drove as soon as I could. Others were not so lucky. Some died. We do not want a sport where we are putting lives at risk for all the worst reasons."




At present, a return to F1 looks unlikely for Nelson Piquet Jr.
Although Niki understands Nelson Piquet's eventual willingness to commit to the instructions, he by no means sees the Brazilian as entirely innocent. "Why did Piquet do it?" Lauda pondered. "Remember, he was a young driver - more of a child than a man - and was put under pressure by the team, who told him what he must do in order to get a new contract. When I drove we were men and would have said no.

"Yes, the McLaren spying scandal two years ago was extremely serious but mechanics have always discussed technical data among themselves. This, though, is new. The biggest damage ever. Now the FIA must punish Renault heavily to restore credibility in the sport."

perfectlap

Any driver with ambition would have done what Piquet Jr did. you only get one shot at F1.
Getting back in is nearly impossible. And the fact that this scam was being run my Briatore and Symonds no less and your OWN manager to boot, who have at least four championships between the both of them, was a test even seasoned veteran would have had a hard time passing. I can see where the kids confidence and ego was just oblitterated after watching Alonso celebrate the sham he just enabled. Had it been Schumacher he would have kept on driving/winning like it were nothing.


p.s.
Regarding litle miss sunshine, there are maybe five drivers in the world who were capable of pulling off two championships against Schumacher/boot licking team mate/Ferrari with an experienced top drawer Renault team mate no less.
The guy is a head case for sure but he might well be one of the most consistent drivers since at least Senna. Which is what I found so astounding about Hamilton's pace and composure against him.

ltc

p.s. p.s.

I think your statement above should also be placed into context (re: Bridgestone vs Michelin and the change in tire rules, the mass damper, and the general overall efficiencies/peformance and reliability of both cars at the time).

Were it not for the rule change (generally acknowledged to have favored Michelin at the time, based on tyre performance and longevity) and the very out of character Ferrari engine failure at Suzuka, it would have been a very different view.

While I agree that LMS is one of the worlds' top drivers (it is F1 afterall), what I have seen in her 'team building' character does provide one for a severe moment of pause.
If, as you say, she is one of the top 5, then perhaps one of the other 4 could produce similar (WDC) results with a bit less "collateral damage" to those around her.

What I never saw from LMS was something that Schumacher and Brawn (the master of in race strategy changes IMHO) could seemingly do at will....gap the field by tenths of second per lap (and sometimes more), as needed, in order to make a strategy 'work'. A truly impressive feat of driving and strategy combined.