- 18 Sep 10, 12:39#215938I've been meaning to watch this properly for a while. Two things to say first - if you don't follow the spanish press or speak to spanish people then you can't really know exactly how much they hate Hamilton. I do, and it's an obsession with them. And you just can't compare the sort of vague dislike that some brits have towards Alonso with the absolute blanket hatred that most spanish fans have towards Hamilton. I'm not criticising - it's just a fact.
And second point of interest is that this programme proved very controversial in Spain. F1 is televised on "La Sexta". This programme (El Hormiguero) is transmitted on "Antena 3", a rival station. The guy who presents the "La Sexta" equivalent of El hormiguero, a guy called Buenafuente, complained bitterly on his Twitter that La Sexta paid an enormous amount of money to show F1 and Alonso shouldn't have appeared on another channel. This led to Antonio Lobato (the spanish equivalent of Brundle and Jake combined) to have to make clear that La Sexta don't pay Alonso anything to speak to them before the races etc. (Some of the UK guys will remember that Brundle often comments on how difficult it is for him to speak to Alonso - that's because he only really talks to Lobato).
Anyway, back to the programme. Well the first video they talk about Monza, how it feels to be on the top step of the podium and what it's like to follow another car closely.
In the second video they talk about fines for speeding in the pit lane. All of it littered with semi-suggestive puns and slightly mindless comparisons with normal driving. They also talk about the speed - the fact that you can only start in first gear, and that you can hit 130km/h in first gear. Alonso talks through a lap of Monza, all the gear changes and corners. Then the presenter takes the piss out of the fact that Alonso has his thumbs insured for €10 million. The presenter asked whether the hostility between him and Hamilton is real. Alonso replies, to general hilarity, that it's all a lie. He then says that he and Hamilton are clearly rivals, they're not the best friends in the paddock, but that the feud is greatly exaggerated.
The third video they start talking about some of the stats and logistical details of F1, including the number of people involved, the cost of transporting them and the fact that all the pieces of the car designed specially by ferrari. He then gets a big laugh by asking Fernando where he buys his underwear. They talk about protective equipment, including neck exercises used to strengthen the neck muscles. The puppets make some jokes about Alonso coming on the programme before Hamilton, and what's the point of having such a cool car if he can't fit a girl in the passenger seat. Then they have the 'truth machine'.
1) Is it true that Fernando has been scared in a Madrid taxi. False "I don't take taxis" answers Alonso.
2) Do F1 cars have ash trays. False
3) Is it true that instead of speaking normally through the car radio, he just goes "blah blah gah blah". True
4) And then something about hiding in his car some sticker so Hamilton could see it.
4th video. There's the game with the 5 contenders for the championship (with Hamilton's dad - lol) plus Massa, for some reason. Fernando is visibly taken aback at being kissed so much - and actually says so!! Love all the jokes about the safety car - they're still pissed about Valencia!
In the race, the presenter warns that he's competitive, but it's Alonso asking how many laps. And he looks visibly miffed when he moans "you mean that you already know the lap?".
5th video - not sure what the science thing is all about - the first experiment is a nitrogen motor. There's a suggestion that Alonso should put it in his car... Then they talk about the tube in the helmet that gives water. Alonso explains that when he first used it in Bahrain, he pressed the button for water, and he was used to a system where water would come out while he kept the button pressed. He released the button, thinking that the water would stop, and it didn't. The water kept coming out, while he went through 4 or 5 corners with his mouth filling with water and starting to leak all over him. He finally managed to press the button again to stop the water. Hehehe.
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions... (Augusten Burroughs)
. Still as I can see, Alonso is pretty cool about this situation and doesen't go talking s*it about him on TV. We can't bring out any good comparisons, only one I can think of is when Lewis went to Top Gear after his first season and Jeremy called Alonso an "eyebrow man". Lewis laughed a bit and then said that Alonso is a bloody good driver and it was nice to have someone who pushed him all the way (not sure how nice he really thought it was