- 27 Apr 14, 04:38#400381
After the agony of defeat, success will be sweet!
wrote:">Alonso– A True F1 Great?
In sport, success is often measured by wins and losses.
Legends such as Michael Schumacher, Valentino Rossi, AP McCoy and Roger Federer have risen to the top, winning every title possible in their respective sports.
Despite this, there are those that display the very characteristics and attributes that has earned these men the often over-used term legend, but never quite gained the kind of global superstardom as the aforementioned names.
In regards to Formula One many have come close – Giles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson, Clay Regazzoni and Stirling Moss are all remembered as great drivers, but could never lay claim to being the World Champion.
It is for that reason that current Ferrari man Fernando Alonso is not only the best driver to have graced the F1 circuit in the past decade, he is one of the greatest of all-time.
Alonso can be filed under the rare sub-heading of a double World Champion as well as someone who has never received the critical acclaim he richly deserves – a legend in F1 history.
As the best driver on the current roster, Alonso’s consistency and performances in cars not expected to compete mean that his legacy has been secured.
Already in 2014, the Spaniard has illustrated his natural talent behind the wheel, achieving results he probably shouldn’t have considering the car he is driving.
Ferrari are not the force they once were and have been unable to reproduce the kind of Championship winning car that saw them win eight constructors titles in ten seasons between 1999 and 2008.
That is in part to the drastic changes in the rules and regulations in Formula One this campaign including smaller engines, a 100kg fuel limit and the introduction of eight-speed, fixed ratio gearboxes among several others.
These changes however have not fazed Alonso, who has been out-performing the rest of the grid over the last five years.
Even during his rival Sebastian Vettel’s period of dominance in the World championship race, Alonso proved he was still a serious threat despite entering his tenth season.
This was no more evident than in 2010 at the Singapore Grand Prix when Alonso, in his first season with Ferrari achieved the Grand Slam in F1 of pole, fastest lap, win and lead every lap of the race.
His last Grand Prix win may have come nearly a whole year ago, but the 32-year-old’s threat should never be dismissed.
Most recently at the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes stranglehold at the top of the standings was tested, when during Friday practise Alonso proved faster than both Nico Rosberg and early favourite for the title Lewis Hamilton.
The race itself also provided more evidence that this F1 Championship is not set in stone.
A podium finish in Shanghai saw significant improvement from the previous in Bahrain with Alonso claiming: “On the personal side I had a fantastic weekend, probably at the level of 2012 in terms of driving and feeling comfortable.”
The 2012 season is often regarded as his best in F1, taking what was considered the fourth or fifth car on the grid to the brink of winning the World Championship, narrowly missing out by three points at the final race of the year.
Due to the lack of Championships since 2006, Alonso has become somewhat of an after-thought, instead taking a back seat to the likes of Vettel and Hamilton however his contribution to the sport of F1 is truly worthy of the kind of praise commonly given to Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher.
Ultimately, drivers will judged by the number of Championships they are able to win, but no matter what the future holds for Fernando Alonso, his position as one of the best performers in Formula One can never be disputed.
In sport, success is often measured by wins and losses.
Legends such as Michael Schumacher, Valentino Rossi, AP McCoy and Roger Federer have risen to the top, winning every title possible in their respective sports.
Despite this, there are those that display the very characteristics and attributes that has earned these men the often over-used term legend, but never quite gained the kind of global superstardom as the aforementioned names.
In regards to Formula One many have come close – Giles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson, Clay Regazzoni and Stirling Moss are all remembered as great drivers, but could never lay claim to being the World Champion.
It is for that reason that current Ferrari man Fernando Alonso is not only the best driver to have graced the F1 circuit in the past decade, he is one of the greatest of all-time.
Alonso can be filed under the rare sub-heading of a double World Champion as well as someone who has never received the critical acclaim he richly deserves – a legend in F1 history.
As the best driver on the current roster, Alonso’s consistency and performances in cars not expected to compete mean that his legacy has been secured.
Already in 2014, the Spaniard has illustrated his natural talent behind the wheel, achieving results he probably shouldn’t have considering the car he is driving.
Ferrari are not the force they once were and have been unable to reproduce the kind of Championship winning car that saw them win eight constructors titles in ten seasons between 1999 and 2008.
That is in part to the drastic changes in the rules and regulations in Formula One this campaign including smaller engines, a 100kg fuel limit and the introduction of eight-speed, fixed ratio gearboxes among several others.
These changes however have not fazed Alonso, who has been out-performing the rest of the grid over the last five years.
Even during his rival Sebastian Vettel’s period of dominance in the World championship race, Alonso proved he was still a serious threat despite entering his tenth season.
This was no more evident than in 2010 at the Singapore Grand Prix when Alonso, in his first season with Ferrari achieved the Grand Slam in F1 of pole, fastest lap, win and lead every lap of the race.
His last Grand Prix win may have come nearly a whole year ago, but the 32-year-old’s threat should never be dismissed.
Most recently at the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes stranglehold at the top of the standings was tested, when during Friday practise Alonso proved faster than both Nico Rosberg and early favourite for the title Lewis Hamilton.
The race itself also provided more evidence that this F1 Championship is not set in stone.
A podium finish in Shanghai saw significant improvement from the previous in Bahrain with Alonso claiming: “On the personal side I had a fantastic weekend, probably at the level of 2012 in terms of driving and feeling comfortable.”
The 2012 season is often regarded as his best in F1, taking what was considered the fourth or fifth car on the grid to the brink of winning the World Championship, narrowly missing out by three points at the final race of the year.
Due to the lack of Championships since 2006, Alonso has become somewhat of an after-thought, instead taking a back seat to the likes of Vettel and Hamilton however his contribution to the sport of F1 is truly worthy of the kind of praise commonly given to Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher.
Ultimately, drivers will judged by the number of Championships they are able to win, but no matter what the future holds for Fernando Alonso, his position as one of the best performers in Formula One can never be disputed.
After the agony of defeat, success will be sweet!
