FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[darwin dali]

Many observers interpreted a discussion between Dennis and Alonso on a park bench in the Bahrain paddock last week as a public message that McLaren has not forgotten about the double world champion amid all the Hamilton hype.

Dennis denied to reporters that the conversation was staged, but explained : "It was just a kind of paternal touch. We are privileged to have a double world champion in the car and the chemistry between the two is fantastic. There is not an issue between them and we'll make sure it stays that way. We want to win the world championship. We have the young PRETENDER and the champion and we owe it to them to give them equal opportunity."


Definitions of pretender:
noun: a claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title)
noun: a person who makes deceitful pretenses
noun: a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he does not hold

Two (and a half) of the 3 definitions for pretender are not very flattering to say the least. Even the first definition with the caveat of no just title is a bit iffy: LH has the same title that matters in the present: he's a driver for McLaren, not a number two (or so RD always professes is McLaren's policy).


But then RD was spot on and admitted that 22-year-old Briton Hamilton's impressive debut so far in 2007, and the reaction of the media, has probably left Alonso a little irked.

Dennis recalled : "The first three questions from the press to the drivers in Australia went to Lewis. I could just sense Fernando thinking, 'Hang on, I am the double world champion here'."

[Red Five]

Dennis recalled : "The first three questions from the press to the drivers in Australia went to Lewis. I could just sense Fernando thinking, 'Hang on, I am the double world champion here'."

Maybe he should act more like it then? Bernie said last year "we now have a World Champion that gives nothing back to the sport". The fact is that Hamilton is the Story at the moment and that's putting the pressure on Alonso because he's used to having a slower team mate in Fisico.

Back to the original point, I think that by saying Hamilton was a young pretender, he just meant that he's unproven in F1, whilst Alonso isn't, I don't think it was meant in a derogatory way at all, Dennis loves having Hamilton in his team and wouldn't say something that could destroy his confidence in public.

[Stephen]

Things are changing there, you could begin to see them competiting against each other on track. Alonso looked sick to the back teeth on Sunday in post race interviews, he's fed up being asked about the new boy. He sees himself as number one in the team, and the sport - at the moment, the press disagrees.

And the excuses have already begun:
http://www.forumula1.com/2007/f1/f1-new ... ed-alonso/

[darwin dali]

Back to the original point, I think that by saying Hamilton was a young pretender, he just meant that he's unproven in F1, whilst Alonso isn't, I don't think it was meant in a derogatory way at all, Dennis loves having Hamilton in his team and wouldn't say something that could destroy his confidence in public.

No, I don't think either that he meant it in that way, but RD is somewhat known for not always choosing his words wisely.

[Alien_SAP_Fiend]

Ron always manages to alienate one or other of his team members. Remember Montoya?

[madbrad]

Michael Andretti. Nuff said.