Silly season 2013-14

[phil1993]

Some fuel with the fire; thinly veiled criticism from Montezemolo
http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/montez ... snt-sit-me

[majidasadi]

I thought Losail was a possible venue for winter testing
http://planetf1.com/driver/18227/884631 ... East-tests

[donald29]

Some fuel with the fire; thinly veiled criticism from Montezemolo
http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/montez ... snt-sit-me

Wow, the fact he names Alonso... Could Alonso / Ferrari go the way of Prost / Ferrari?

Sabbatical in 2014?

Andrew Benson says Ferrari feel Alonso isn't getting everything out of the car in qualifying, and I'd tend to agree with them. As good as he is, I'd say that's his main weakness. He's not working any miracles in this 2013 car, yet he seems to think he is. And Ferrari don't seem willing to massage his ego.

[phil1993]

I agree. That is perhaps his one weakness in the car. It's not like he's bad at it, but I never see him as good a qualifier as some of his rivals.

I think 2012 drained him so much - that moment he stepped out of the car in Brazil he was broken.

[donald29]

Yeah, that moment where he was staring at Vettel and Brundle said it was like he was soaking up the energy to come back strong, I thought the same at the time. But now, it's not like he's been bad in 2013, far from it, it just feels like there's something missing from him compared to 2012.

[phil1993]

It's just been a few races - Malaysia and Monaco. But it's 2 races out of 10, which is very unlike Alonso.

[tderias]

So instead of rebuking your team for a lousy job, you rebuke your driver for pointing it out.



Yea, no driver is bigger than the team, but your team is doing it's best every year to shrink smaller than it's lead driver.

Luca should count himself lucky, because if it wasn't for Alonso during the past couple of years, his F1 team would have been in deep s**t.

[phil1993]

If they deliver a duff car in 2014, then it really will be handbags at dawn.

Ferrari has a very strict policy on drivers throughout history...

That said, Horner's played a blinder on this one.

[tderias]

Christian Horner is the cleverest guy in the paddock. He plays his politics like Beethoven plays his piano, and yes, now he's probably divided the Ferrari house on itself. That man deserves more credit for Red Bull's success than he's getting as everyone points to Vettel and Newey...

[donald29]

Horner's brilliance with Newey has been letting him do what he wants. McLaren wasted him for all those years by not giving him that freedom.

But yeah, Horner's being very clever with Alonso.

[kals]

It is about time someone within Ferrari silenced Alonso. He's been too loose lipped for a long while now, yet at no point has he accepted responsibility for nor been the subject of criticism from Ferrari for the fact he's cost himself and Ferrari a couple of championships in the past few seasons.

It may well be time for Ferrari to bring in changes within the management structure to improve car performance, but then again Alonso needs to learn to put up and shut up, or simply f*** off.

[tderias]

It is about time someone within Ferrari silenced Alonso. He's been too loose lipped for a long while now, yet at no point has he accepted responsibility for nor been the subject of criticism from Ferrari for the fact he's cost himself and Ferrari a couple of championships in the past few seasons.

It may well be time for Ferrari to bring in changes within the management structure to improve car performance, but then again Alonso needs to learn to put up and shut up, or simply f*** off.

Nice one. Please, go ahead and explain how Alonso has cost Ferrari two championships. I would love to hear it.

And if you think he can't admit his mistakes, you only have to look back to Malaysia this year.

His recent comments are the first glimpses that he's getting frustrated with the team. All the time he's been saying the car isn't good enough and that they need to improve, and can you say the he's wrong? He doesn't even say that the team needs to improve quite blatantly, he says WE need to improve. If that counts as complaining to you, than I worry for your logic and reasoning, because it really sounds like you have some sort of agenda against a top class driver...

[kals]

Ok I'm up for the challenge so lets see, here's just a couple of moments in 2010 and 2012 where Alonso's mistakes cost he and Ferrari championships...

2010 - Valencia, spent most of the race getting flustered by Lewis' non-penalty and instead drove poorly... Silverstone, cost himself points by illegally overtaking Kubica and then stupidly refusing to give the position back and then Spa, threw it off the road while in a reasonable points paying position
2012 - Japan, swiped Kimi at the start... that alone cost Alonso and Ferrari the title as he'd still got a very handsome lead even after being taken out at Spa

And these aren't just recent comments he's been making. Alonso has been making these comments since the very start of 2012. And it is not that he's wrong in the comments he's making, the context of these are correct. But the problem is the manner and delivery of the comments, which should be behind closed doors and in discussion with the team directly. Instead he chooses the media to b*** and moan about how the car is poor and the team are not supporting him. Lewis and Jenson have never done that, even in 2009 (Lewis only) and 2012 when McLaren kept letting them down, and you don't see Vettel doing that ever.

I'm also not sure of the relevance of Malaysia, maybe I missed Alonso acknowledging a mistake, but I thought the team took responsibility for the retirement?

[iceman1]

I'm also not sure of the relevance of Malaysia, maybe I missed Alonso acknowledging a mistake, but I thought the team took responsibility for the retirement?

I think it's quite the opposite. Jennie Gow said Ferrari was ready for Alonso's pitstop after the first lap but the Spanish driver wanted to continue with the loss of his front wing.

After the race Stefano said it was the team decision, but obviously it was Alonso's decision to stay out.

And if you think he can't admit his mistakes, you only have to look back to Malaysia this year.

If I remember correctly Alonso blamed Vettel for slowing down.

[tderias]

It looks like some red mist has clouded you that you fail to recognize a simple concept; who has put the Ferrari in a championship winning position in the first place?

In 2010, you remember Alonso's mistakes, but why do you fail to mention the engine failure he had in Malaysia? In fact, you blatantly ignore the terrible strategic error in Abu Dhabi that put him behind the Renault that had a new engine, in a track that was known for difficult overtaking. I'm sorry Alonso couldn't repeat what your darling Vettel did last race when he got past a slower car on much worse tyres, oh wait he didn't overtake Raikkonen... my bad. This is not a dig against Vettel, I highly regard him as most of the forum knows, I'm just trying to make a point.

Same tune goes for 2012. You forget Alonso's masterful drive in Valencia, albeit aided with some fortune. You forget his qualy performances in Germany and Silverstone, or how he seized the opportunity of a wet race in Malaysia. You point out Suzuka, which is my no means strictly his fault; one can argue that Kimi was trying to position his car in wedge that just isn't there. Yet you fail to to mention the broken suspension in Italy that set him back to 10th when he could have been on pole. You skim over what happened in Spa, ignoring the fact if he finished just sixth that race he would have been world champion.

Please, take the time to look at Alonso's point count in 2010. Now look at Massa's. Now look at Alonso's point count in 2012. Now back to Massa's. If a driver is beating his teammate, you got no right or proof to say he's not getting the most out of the car, unless you get off your seat and drive it yourself and show me how you fair.

Regarding what you say about his comments, again you display ignorance because I've already answered that. Saying that a car is not fast and improvements are needed is not complaining. What do you want him to say? That everything's nice and rosy and that his car is the best out there?

Seriously, get back to me when you have genuine arguments as to how Alonso cost Ferrari two championships...