FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[Mr Alcatraz]

But you preceeded it by posting:

Oh come on! Ferrari will think nothing of compromising Felipe's race if it better's Alonso's.

And I'm saying regardless of where the money comes from Alonso is one of the top three pilots in F1
And all the whining you Brits do will never change that reality!

[bud]

And I'm saying regardless of where the money comes from Alonso is one of the top three pilots in F1
And all the whining you Brits do will never change that reality!

That's right you Brits, Here is proof of Fernando's Piloting credentials.

[racechick]

But you preceeded it by posting:

Oh come on! Ferrari will think nothing of compromising Felipe's race if it better's Alonso's.

And I'm saying regardless of where the money comes from Alonso is one of the top three pilots in F1
And all the whining you Brits do will never change that reality!

I think youre mixing things a bit here.

First and foremost, being a Brit has nothing to do with why I support Lewis. Ive stated that several times on here. Ive supported him for many years-before F1 and its purely because of his driving.

Secondly I was explaining the sponsorship issue because someone else brought it up. Personally I think Ferrari would favour Alonso wherever the money came from. Alonso demands it.

Thirdly. I agree with you. Though I don't like Alonso, he is one of the top three drivers.

[Mr Alcatraz]

But you preceeded it by posting:

Oh come on! Ferrari will think nothing of compromising Felipe's race if it better's Alonso's.

And I'm saying regardless of where the money comes from Alonso is one of the top three pilots in F1
And all the whining you Brits do will never change that reality!

I think youre mixing things a bit here.

First and foremost, being a Brit has nothing to do with why I support Lewis. Ive stated that several times on here. Ive supported him for many years-before F1 and its purely because of his driving.

Secondly I was explaining the sponsorship issue because someone else brought it up. Personally I think Ferrari would favour Alonso wherever the money came from. Alonso demands it.

Thirdly. I agree with you. Though I don't like Alonso, he is one of the top three drivers.

Girly I've been watching F1 since 1967 I know the ins and outs of the competition. Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel are in the positions they are in on merit, the same way Jackie Stuart, Emerson Fitapaldi, Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve, Niki Lauda and especially Nigel Ernest James Mansell that used Ricardo (you don’t mind pulling over for me Patresi since you are my punching bag). All favored the driver that exhibited the propensity for being faster. The only difference now is the number 2 pilot makes like $20 million a year. The little BS details that you Brits get sucked into by your tabloids doesn't pass muster with me. Massa should be glad to have had the opportunity to drive for Ferrari. Hamilton’s (who’s talent is tremendous) is a freakin’ mess, and Vettel has tremendous talent and the fastest car by a long shot. If you want to hate on Fred that's cool with me, because I just enjoy F1 regardless of who is the fastest, and admire every single one that made it to any F1 team

[GRHinPorts]

Seems pretty straightforward to me that Alonso is a superior driver to Massa. And that the Spaniard is one of the Top 3 drivers out there. Therefore it makes perfect sense that Ferrari would gear their operations to maximise Alonso's chances.

However the fact is that to date in 2011 the Ferrari has not been the fastest car (by some margin) and I would want to see a lot more evidence than just the Silverstone race to be convinced otherwise. Therefore its not really possible for Ferrari to run two cars at maximum race pace and therefore their strategies are geared towards ensuring advantage to Alonso, often (certainly at both Valencia and Silverstone) to the detriment of Massa.

Thats all fine and dandy as things currently stand as will enable Ferrari their best chance of taking the championship fights to Red Bull. I do however think in the long run having a No.2 driver so cowed into submission that he knows he wont be allowed to win will be bad for both Ferrari and Alonso because I reckon the level of demotivation must call into question that driver really laying it on the line for the team, and this has consequences for the team in terms of ultimate race pace and car development.

[spankyham]

Hi Mr A and welcome to FORUMULA1!

As self confessed Tifosi, there are times when I read some stuff that grinds my wheels. And a bit of it can come from media bias. But, always remember that, when you weigh it all up there is bias in all directions, for and against. And, yes, some does come from Britain, but some also comes from continental Europe that's biased against British teams and drivers for no good reason as well. It's best just to ignore all that sort of poo.

As for people posting here, I've got to say that RC is a genuine fan of Lewis and there's nothing wrong with that. I also don't think Nando would be first on her birthday party invite list, but, she never fails to give him his due credit as a driver. All pretty healthy stuff as far as I'm concerned.

RC, if Lewis does ever find his way into a SF seat I've got your first Tifosa T-shirt ready (hopefully you won't notice it's wet)

[AlonsoFormula1]

Yes i think he could do it, iff he keeps up the pace. I am a huge fan of Alonso, and i think he has the expireience of driving to win.

[f1ea]

Unfortunately (for the challengers) vettel is waaaay too consistent. There's no use for giving up, but chasing down this particular season would require an epic almost unimaginable fight. Not impossible, but very difficult. I'm sure we all hope someone can challenge Vettel...

[billindenver]

I think the championship is likely out of Alonso's reach at this point, unless Vettel pulls a Hamilton on the season. Last year, Seb was entirely capable of doing so...and nearly did. This year it seems to me that he is in much better control of his emotions. I guess Vettel does "give a toss" and like any professional, has actually put some effort into improving his flaws. With that said though....Button did push Vettel into a mistake to grab a win so if the Red cars have the pace to push Vettel....perhaps he does have it in him to throw a championship away. I doubt it, but it's possible.

I'll be happy just to see someone...anyone.... challenge Vettel. It looked for a while there like Hamilton might, but that seems to have fallen apart which is entertaining in itself. Not long ago, the McLaren mob were declaring Hamilton the only driver capable of challenging Seb this season. At least those noises have died down now.

[What's Burning?]

^^ You manage to put in three digs against Hamilton in a thread discussing Fernando's ability to chase down Vettel this year. You've excelled your usual skills with this one.

[What's Burning?]

Hi Mr A and welcome to FORUMULA1!

As self confessed Tifosi, there are times when I read some stuff that grinds my wheels. And a bit of it can come from media bias. But, always remember that, when you weigh it all up there is bias in all directions, for and against. And, yes, some does come from Britain, but some also comes from continental Europe that's biased against British teams and drivers for no good reason as well. It's best just to ignore all that sort of poo.

As for people posting here, I've got to say that RC is a genuine fan of Lewis and there's nothing wrong with that. I also don't think Nando would be first on her birthday party invite list, but, she never fails to give him his due credit as a driver. All pretty healthy stuff as far as I'm concerned.

RC, if Lewis does ever find his way into a SF seat I've got your first Tifosa T-shirt ready (hopefully you won't notice it's wet)

I second everything Spanky said, except I'd leave out his sexist comments about a wet t-shirt.

[f1ea]

Vettel looks absolutely in control. Last season he was not as mentally strong, and obvioulsy the car was not so dominant; add the pressure of Mark was having a great season, and you got a real tough job which he managed to pull, with (honestly) not as many mistakes as it seemed.

^^ You manage to put in three digs against Hamilton in a thread discussing Fernando's ability to chase down Vettel this year. You've excelled your usual skills with this one.

[bud]

^^ You manage to put in three digs against Hamilton in a thread discussing Fernando's ability to chase down Vettel this year. You've excelled your usual skills with this one.

You have to give him credit where it is due, he is the best at what he does, no question!

[killem2]

As much as I don't particularly enjoy Alonzo, I hope he comes back to challenge seb in points. Really I hope anyone does lol. I just want a really close race in Brazil for the championship again ;D I don't want vettel winning it 4 races before the end of the season.

[vaptin]

Ferrari is not preoccupied by Alonso? Let's look at that.

1. They paid off Kimi Raikkonen to make way for Alonso,
2. They have ordered Massa to let Alonso past, most notably at Hockenheim last year,
3. Massa was ordered to jump out of Alono's way in this years Australian GP,
4. Santander, a Spanish bank, pay the bills,
5. Tyre strategies appear to be to the detreiment of Massa.

I rest my case m'lud.

The defence speaks:

1, Kimi was (and still is) generally uninterested in f1, or maybe he just doesn't like it. But that's clear as he's had plenty of opportunities to race for another team, and he's refused all of them. Can't blame Ferrari for getting rid of him.
2, It was a strategic decision, made for the championship, quite a good one too. Massa was too far behind to be considered a contender, Alonso they thought still had a shot, it's similar to team orders imposed in 08, (in favour of Massa over Kimi) and 07 (Kimi over Massa).
3, No he wasn't, he admitted it himself that Alonso got past
4, A WDC and WCC upstages that, so they won't through away Massa's chances for that reason, or support Alonso if they don't have belief in him delivering.
5, Priority goes to the driver with track position in the race, which tends to be Alonso rather than Massa.

I'd say Ferrari have been nicer to Massa than he deserves by keeping him in a race seat.