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[kitchen]

When the youngest double WC leaves your team, you can ONLY go backwards.

Nothing could be further from the truth my friend. Why is McLaren still at the front of the WDC? Why is McLaren ALWAY'S at the front of the pack?

Alonso is a great driver but he is not the 'holly grail' of current F1 driver's.

Out of all of the current drivers, who is better?

Maybe LH.

KR?

Massa?

Records and achievements

* Youngest World Champion: 24 years, 59 days in 2005
* Youngest double World Champion: 25 years, 85 days in 2006
* Youngest driver to start from pole position: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
* Youngest driver to score a podium finish: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
* Youngest winner: 22 years, 26 days at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
* Youngest driver and least number of races to score 500 points at the 2008 French Grand Prix
* Second youngest driver to start from the front row of the grid: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind Ricardo Rodríguez: 19 years, 208 days)
* Second youngest driver to set fastest lap: 21 years, 321 days at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix (behind Nico Rosberg: 20 years, 258 days)
* Second driver (after Michael Schumacher) to score 100 or more points for three consecutive seasons (in 2005, 2006 and 2007)
* Second highest number of podium positions in a season: 15 in 2005 (behind Michael Schumacher: 17 in 2002)
* Second youngest driver to lead a race for at least one lap: 21 years, 237 days in the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind Sebastian Vettel: 20 years, 89 days)
* Second highest number of consecutive podium positions: 15 in 2005-2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 19 in 2001-2002)
* Third highest points total in one season: 134 in 2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 148 in 2004 and 144 in 2002)
* Third youngest to start a race at 19 years, 218 days at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix (behind Mike Thackwell: 19 years, 182 days and Ricardo Rodríguez: 19 years, 208 days)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_A ... ing_record

Or, we could just look at the important parts:

* Youngest World Champion: 24 years, 59 days in 2005
* Youngest double World Champion: 25 years, 85 days in 2006

[texasmr2]

You have your opinion and I have mine right?

[EwanM]

Alonso is the best all-round driver on the grid and history will remember him as a very good champion. I don't see him being remembered in the same way somebody like Ayrton Senna will be however. Whilst I respect his driving, his personality leaves a lot to be desired. Even at Renault there were occasional rumbles of discontent.

Ditto, however who knows how Alonso, Raikkonen and others will be viewed in say 10-15 years after they retire?

I'd like to stress I am a big Alonso fan. But I'm not gonna rhyme off alot of his achievements and why I like him. No point causing arguments. Thanks for those who have come out and praised him though, be it if only his driving.
He was a great champion, and hopefully a great champion in the future.

[McLaren Fan]

Alonso may hold a lot of records as the youngest driver to do this, that or the other, but he holds these records not just because of his skill, but because of the changes made to karting rules that allowed kids to start racing earlier. When Senna won the 1988 title he was 28 years old. At the time, he was the youngest champion ever. In the 1980s, you had to do well to have a Formula One drive when you were 24.

[EwanM]

Alonso may hold a lot of records as the youngest driver to do this, that or the other, but he holds these records not just because of his skill, but because of the changes made to karting rules that allowed kids to start racing earlier. When Senna won the 1988 title he was 28 years old. At the time, he was the youngest champion ever. In the 1980s, you had to do well to have a Formula One drive when you were 24.

How F1 has moved into the hands of the young eh?

I mean even Damon Hill in 1995 was being called too old... yet he was still not that old. Mid 30s :S

[7UpJordan]

I believe one of the factors that has allowed younger drivers to be able to jump into F1 quickly in this day and age is the improvement of the driver's health and fitness.

20 years ago when Senna was setting the standards in F1 driver fitness I remember Berger saying "once Senna arrived, we could no longer take breathers during the middle of the race." and some drivers used to even smoke. James Hunt would always be craving a cigarette after a race, and Keke Rosberg was well known to have a cigar before a race. When the races were held at Jacarepagua - at that time the hottest race of the season with 100+ degrees fahrenheit temperatures - some retirements were due to driver fatigue, something we don't see in the modern day equivalent of the Jacarepagua heat in Malaysia and Bahrain. Nick Heidfeld went the entire duration of the 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix - also one of the hottest ever F1 races - without drinking any water!

Today just about every F1 driver is at their physical peak, even the least fit drivers would be fitter than the average guy, and it is all thanks to drivers like Senna and then Schumacher setting the standards of fitness.

Also another factor could be that back in Senna's days you needed a lot of skill and experience to drive a turbo-charged car, especially when you had over 1000bhp to control with your right foot and even gently feeding on the power was difficult. Before the turbo days when most of the field except Ferrari were running on off-the-shelf Cosworth DFV's there were drivers making their debuts at quite a young age, Niki Lauda for instance was 22 when he made his debut in 1971.

[EwanM]

I believe one of the factors that has allowed younger drivers to be able to jump into F1 quickly in this day and age is the improvement of the driver's health and fitness.

20 years ago when Senna was setting the standards in F1 driver fitness I remember Berger saying "once Senna arrived, we could no longer take breathers during the middle of the race." and some drivers used to even smoke. James Hunt would always be craving a cigarette after a race, and Keke Rosberg was well known to have a cigar before a race. When the races were held at Jacarepagua - at that time the hottest race of the season with 100+ degrees fahrenheit temperatures - some retirements were due to driver fatigue, something we don't see in the modern day equivalent of the Jacarepagua heat in Malaysia and Bahrain. Nick Heidfeld went the entire duration of the 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix - also one of the hottest ever F1 races - without drinking any water!

Today just about every F1 driver is at their physical peak, even the least fit drivers would be fitter than the average guy, and it is all thanks to drivers like Senna and then Schumacher setting the standards of fitness.

Also another factor could be that back in Senna's days you needed a lot of skill and experience to drive a turbo-charged car, especially when you had over 1000bhp to control with your right foot and even gently feeding on the power was difficult. Before the turbo days when most of the field except Ferrari were running on off-the-shelf Cosworth DFV's there were drivers making their debuts at quite a young age, Niki Lauda for instance was 22 when he made his debut in 1971.

Though I agree with everything you are saying, you have to look at the increased opportunities for drivers these days, as well as increased cash flow.
There are now countless series which are attempting to stake a claim as a path to F1. GP2, A1GP, F2, even F3 Euroseries.
It seems that there isn't the expected "route" anymore for drivers. Alot of this came into light when Button was drafted in at WIlliams, but you can see it had been developing in the mid 1990s.

[kitchen]

You have your opinion and I have mine right?

[AlonsoFan1]

Hm, I am glad to see there are other fans.
Let's hope he performs well in Hungary. Although I am quite certin Kubica will take home the gold.

[kitchen]

Hm, I am glad to see there are other fans.
Let's hope he performs well in Hungary. Although I am quite certin Kubica will take home the gold.

THE POLE ON POLE!

[Martin]

You have your opinion and I have mine right?

That's just a matter of opinion!

[AKR]

If Alonso stay's with Renault and I hope he will they could very well be a force to be reckoned with next year. I'm really looking forward to the new car's/rule's next year.

me too

i am an alonso fan whn hes in the renault, as long as hes not in the ferrari or mclaren i would support him as a driver, id love him to do a MS at renault but looks doubtful,

to me hes the best package driver, will be sorry to see him go

Michael Schumacher won 2 titles for Benetton which is now Renault. He then won 5 titles for Ferrari. Let's hope for the following then. Alonso won 2 titles for Renault (Which was once Benetton) and so I hope he goes to Ferrari and then wins 5 titles for Ferrari. What a perfect way for Alonso to replicate Michael Schumacher's successes. It would also be great because number one, Ferrari would win, number 2 Lewis Hamilton won't win, number 3 McLaren won't win either and finally Fernando Alonso is Spanish and a Spaniard winning would be great.

[bud]

Alonso is still talking crap about McLaren and Heikki im definitely not a fan anymore what so ever!

[Hanwombat]

WTF IS he saying about Heikki !

[bud]

WTF IS he saying about Heikki !

just that he is going to have a long career at McLaren if he does what they tell him to do, implying he is their puppet!

He rekns Hamilton gets all the strategic choices McLaren is the devil the usual Alonso talk in regard to McLaren.

I think he forgets Heikki was lighter at Silverstone and had pole and if it was dry probably would have won so i dunno where he gets his strategic BS talk from! Maybe from his lifetime supply of sour grapes from the fruit and veg shop that Flavio runs!