Alonso shouldn't be whining about last weekend's grid penalty. That "brake check" maneuver during the practice session a couple races ago should have gotten him a 1 or 2 race suspension IMO. Karma is a b!tch I guess.


Oh, and Go Kimi!

Jeff, no offense but opinions are well like ---holes. I won't go into on track behavior as some of the stuff he's done is just wrong (as well as some of the stuff FA has done, and others too).

However, off the track I think you should do a bit of research. He has actually done some great humanitarian things.

If you don't like him as a driver that's OK but don't diss a persons dignity because of it. We all have favorites, some people have heroes but if he ain't your hero it does not mean he's a bad person.

Truth is F1 will never be the same and he leaves a legacy (mostly good but some bad things too). The sport would not be what it is if weren't for guys like him, Senna, Prost and others.

FA is just a young highly talented kid. Heck we were all young and thought we knew it all once. Maturity and experience teach you different.

He's got the talent, lets see what he can do with it and hopefully his talent can keep up with his big mouth.

I think that F1 has enough with one Flavio Briatore already....;)

+1 on FA dropping down the grid when TC is gone. His driving style is violent. He has incredibly quick reflexes, but he also depends on driving aids to keep him on the track imho. The proof will be in the pudding next year.

Time will tell with FA, but my prediction is he will never come close to any of Schumi's records, and instead will fade into oblivion with other young hotshoes who thought they were better than everyone else and bigger than the sport. Schumi arguably *is* bigger than that sport, but he doesn't act like it. His speech and actions on Sunday spoke volumes about his character. He has made mistakes and made some questionable choices over the years, but taken in consideration with the sheer number of laps he's turned, it is almost insignificant. FA on the other hand thinks that Friday practice is his personal playground and commits dangerous maneuvers just because he's cranky. That is bush...

Ahhh, the Tivosi. So elite, so refined.

Love this cartoon from EVO:

http://www.rallystuff.com/images/tifosi.gif

Our 308 is just like Magnum's car!
 

All that's missing are the tasteful leather pants.



Tim

Yes and no.

Didn't Ferrari have to get rid of their front wing after 2 or 3 races at the beginning of the year. IMHO Renault got away with their wing a lot longer and got to take advantage of it.

In Italy, didn't FA straightline a chicane. You better go look back at the recent incidents. FA tried to out run Kubica? to the corner, blew the chicane took a place from Kubica (who did not cut the chicane) and never gave back the position.

In Hungary, MS has 2 drivers attack his position entering the corner and either hit him or almost him him to cause him to have to take the chicane straight. He did not gain a position and should not have to give it up. He was on the dry line and the others were trying to pass in the wet.

FA is an abusive driver that was in an amazing car. The Renault over the last 2 years has been nothing short of amazing. Its reliability has been flawless.

He now goes to McLaren, he will win a couple of races next year but nothing like the last 2 years.

The only reason he was WDC in 2005 was because Ferrari was a mess, tires were not working chassis was a disaster.

In 2008 TC is gone and so will be FA he depends on it heavily, we have all seen it when they show the car telemetry, he jumps on the gas much sooner than anyone else and he is WOT letting the TC sort it out. This also is another advantage he had with a VERY well sorted chassis and suprerior TC.

Friday is the Friday test drivers day to take the car out and really stretch its legs. Who normally sets fastest lap time on Friday practice? The practice drivers.

Brake checking a Friday practice driver after he lets you pass, because you feel like he didn't let you pass soon enough IMHO is bad sportsmanship. It was practice, not qualifying, not a lapped car during the race.

Yes this is fun but the next 2 seasons will answer all our questions. Kimi will be WC in 2007, thats my prediction.

I'd like to see Kimi win one, but his luck is certainly going to have to get a lot better.

Calling FA a spoiled little kid while saying that MS is a nice good driver is like the pot calling the kettle black.

MS was (and still is at times) a spoiled jerk, both on and off the track. FA has been a bit that way, especially with some of his passes recently.

I do not like the way that the Ferarri factory pushed MS out, but will not be really sad to see him go. If he ever gained a bit of humility he could win a lot of people over as he is a very good driver.

Edit, As well I want to see TC gone, and the paddle shifters gone to boot. Remember Monaco with the multiple shifting every lap? Someone who could do that and win was a driver, not a systems operator and feel that we need to eliminate more of the electronic aids and see who is the best driver in the best car again.

Some pretty strong words here. Personally, I don´t know neither one of them, but I am sure they are both nice guys.

I don't think there is a "nice guy" to be found within 50 km of an F1 paddock :)

Mark my words - next year he'll be champ. Bad luck plagued him last year, this year its just a car thats off pace.

FA an "abusive" driver. I dunno, seems like he takes advantage of the systems in place on the car. Look at what happened with Honda after RB arrived with the latest Ferrari (MS and RB developed) driving techniques using traction and braking control. Honda redid their system and Button was out of it until he adjusted and then won. Honda is now faster. Button learned a more abrupt technique to make use of those systems.

I think they all adjust their techniques to the equipment. If they have the political power - they get the car designed around them (like MS, KR, FA) and their techniques. FA will adjust to no TC just like everyone else. His talent will keep him at the top. I just can't see him falling out of contention because there's no TC. He never had it in karts or any other lesser formula and he won everything there was to win, right?

It will be interesting to see if his style is easier on the Mac / MBZ than Kimi's. Maybe the Ferrari's will start having some "issues" with Kimi driving. He reminds me of Andretti - who was always pushing the cars envelope very hard as opposed to someone like Clark or Prost - and suffered more for it.

I still believe that if Ferrari had any advantage from their mass damper systems they would still be "legal". It will be a fun 2007.

Rooting for Button, Fisi and Speed in 07 !
Want Montoya back in a Renault in 08 !

Alonso? I just don´t care about this Finn.

from Autosport: "Time was, blocking meant a driver putting his car on the track in a position to physically impede a following driver. Or, in other words, inviting a collision if the trailing driver followed his normal racing line and speed. Now, the definition apparently extends to merely disturbing the airflow that the following driver might encounter.

It is no doubt possible that the aerodynamic efficiency of Massa's Ferrari was slightly compromised by the wash from Alonso's flying Renault in front. It is also beyond doubt that, if every driver in the sport's history had been penalised for the same offence, we'd have seen more grid penalties than legitimate qualifying times over the years. "

Exactly - let the drivers decide the race IN THE RACE not in the stewards office.

Good points. FA has adapted to his equipment over the years and is consitently faster and has Less mech problems than his team mates. My impressions is that FA is smoother than MS. Michael sets his car up and throws it around like a kart. I want to see the cars have more power than traction and who gets the power to the ground the quickest wins.

Are we watching the same races?

Michael is the king of smooth. You've got things reversed.

Maybe we are talking "over the obvious" here. FA has a real different corner entry technique - he uses very hard understeer on entry - very firm and direct turn in. Direct opposite of MS' classic "quiet hands" entry. Is that what you mean by abusive? His turn in style ?

There was an interesting article in F1 by Peter Windsor about this which pointed out the advantages / disadvantages of FA technique. Bottom line - the FA technique provided a bit more time to adjust (with throttle) the car's rotation and grip as it pointed to the apex. This increased his braking zone and wide open throttle time coming out of the turn.

MS has a more classic style. Both are very fast. Both are very smooth. IMHO :D

I just can't resist. From f1.racing-live.com:

Fernando Alonso reaffirmed his negative views about Formula One on Thursday, but pledged to forget them this weekend and focus on his title battle with Michael Schumacher. The Renault driver knows nothing less than his very best will enable him to resist the rampant Ferrari man.

The guy is blasting F1 again, calling it "just a show". I'd like to see him bounced out of the show on his ear.