Alonso hate thread

[motion]

Yes, he is insane. I predict he will go down in flames next year. After a couple of DNFs at McLaren he will totally lose it.

http://www.sportinglife.com/formula1/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=formula1/06/10/03/manual_115203.html

"Fernando Alonso has sensationally accused Renault of sabotaging his title campaign by making intentional errors during the Chinese Grand Prix.

Alonso lost the lead in both Sunday's Shanghai race and the Drivers' Championship after Renault put the wrong tyres on his car during his first pit-stop and then compounded the error by bungling his second stop.

And according to the Spaniard, the mistakes happened because Renault don't want him to retain the world title as he's leaving for McLaren at the end of this season.

"They wanted us to finish second and third because they do not want me to take the number 'one' to a different team," he told Spanish newspaper AS.

"They are not helping me as much as they could."

The 25-year-old went on to claim that Renault are now only interested in the outcome of the Constructors' race.

"Some [at Renault] are happy because we went past Ferrari in the team battle," he said.

With two races to go, Renault have a one-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, while Alonso is second in the Drivers' standings because even though he has the same number of points as Michael Schumacher, the Ferrari driver has won more races this year."

[Rodeo]

Well, that explains his demeanor at race end.

It also explains what the hell was going on in the middle laps ... strangest thing I've ever seen, and the "saving his front tires" thing made no sense.

And you know what, it's just crazy enough to be true!

[nostatic]

His ego is too small. Isn't there medication that can fix that?

[Rodeo]

Seriously, I'd be plenty pissed too.

Anything to the charge that "Renault put the wrong tyres on his car during his first pit-stop?" It explains why he slowed so considerably. Were they full wets? They weren't drys .... I don't get it.

So "wrong tires" followed by a bungled pit stop???

Cost him the driver's lead. The (20 sec??) pit stop alone might have done that ....

[Rodeo]

Never mind, I get it now ...

Renault and Michelin admit to mistakes
2/10/2006

Renault and Michelin have both admitted to making errors during Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, which cost Fernando Alonso the lead in the Drivers' Championship standings.

Although he started from pole position and dominated in the wetter first stint of the race, Alonso had to settle for second place behind Championship rival Michael Schumacher after first a Michelin and then a Renault error cost the Spaniard dearly.

With his front tyres wearing badly after the first stint of the race, Alonso pitted for new rubber and between his team and their tyre supplier a decision was made to put him on new intermediates. However, that proved to be the wrong call.

"The decision to switch Fernando Alonso to new intermediate tyres at his first stop was taken jointly by Renault and Michelin and obviously that cost him time while he waited for them to scrub in. With the benefit of hindsight that was a mistake, but in the heat of a race, split-second decisions have to be taken," said Nick Shorrock, Michelin's F1 director.

However, Michelin weren't the only ones to blame for that decision, as Pat Symonds, Renault's Executive Director of Engineering, admits the team also had a part to play in it.

"We are making no excuses today. This is a race we should have won, because the Renault and its Michelin tyres were dominant in all conditions," Symonds said.

"The fact we did not do so is intensely frustrating for the entire team. Fernando drove brilliantly from the start, and as we approached the first stop, told us on the radio that his front tyres were very badly worn.

"In consultation with Fernando and Michelin, we decided to change them - and leave the rears on. It soon became clear that the track was drying quickly, and that the decision had been the wrong one."

The disaster, though, was further compounded because as a result of the wrong tyre choice Renault "took the risk of stopping very early to switch Fernando to dry tyres - in the hope he would be able to gain time on the leaders," said Symonds. "A delay in that pit-stop cost us more time: we know that the nut fell out of the wheel gun, but not yet why."

However, according to Alonso, it didn't really matter than his second pit stop was bungled because the mistake made in the earlier pit stop had already cost him any chance of winning the race. "Looking back the best option was to leave the tyres," Alonso said. "But when you come into the pits and the front left is nearly slick, you change the tyre.

"We changed the fronts and that proved a bad thing to do. I thought we would have enough in hand, maybe slow for four or five laps. It took eight or nine to work the front tyres in. My race finished there."

[Jims5543]

Its called a team effort and until he realizes that he will never again be a World Champ again.

When things were not good a Ferrari you never once heard them air their dirty laundy like this. Yes they admitted, THEY had a lot of work to do but no one ever pointed a finger.

In the business world a company that throws people under the bus in order to save face looks foolish, same deal here.

I am sure he was mad, I would be too and it would have taken everything I had to smile and congratulate MS but I would have done it and I would have put on my best act in the conference with the camera on me as well.

After that slam of his team do you think they really care if he wins the WC? He has fully imploded.

[nostatic]

nice to have your driver play monday morning quarterback. They picked the wrong tire. Big deal...that mistake happens all the time in wet/changing conditions. You didn't see Rosburg lambasting his team because they sent him out of dry tires too early. Or MS blaming anyone because he didn't change tires in Hungary...

[Rodeo]

Don't get me wrong. What he said and did was flat out wrong.

I was just pleased to find out what the hell happened to his lead. I had no idea it took so long for intermediates to scrub in.

[Jims5543]

The last 2 races will be very exciting. With Alonso imploding and his team probably not caring about his Championship anymore and Ferrari's Jean Todt giving this interview.... yeah, I am looking foward to the battle.

Ferrari intend using Renault's own tactics against them

Tuesday October 03 2006


Jean Todt has warned Renault that Ferrari will use the same tactics in the final two races of the season that Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella used against Michael Schumacher in China.

During the middle stint of Sunday's Chinese GP, a fast-paced Schumi struggled to get passed an ailing Alonso as Fisi was stationed between the two Championship contenders on the track.

And at any stage when it looked as if Schumi was about to attack, Fisi would slide up alongside his team-mate as if to pass him but instead they would run two abreast before Fisi would fall back in line behind Alonso when the danger was over.

This tactic meant that Schumi was unable to find a way through and was trapped behind the two Renaults for several laps before Fisichella finally did pass Alonso and moments later, the Ferrari driver followed suit.

And although Todt didn't go as far as to criticise the somewhat dubious tactics, he did imply that Renault could get away with doing that, Ferrari would do the same in the remaining two races of the season.

"It has been a good learning (experience) for us," he said.

"We have learned what we can do. We learn what we can do inside and we learn from what the others do, so it is always interesting."

Todt, though, would not be drawn on whether or not the tactics used by Renault could be considered unusual. "It is up to you to judge if they are usual or unusual," he said.

"We are just taking it into consideration. I don't have any more comment to make."

Article:
http://www.planet-f1.com/News/Story_Page/0,15909,3210_3213_1566149,00.html

[motion]

Blatant blocking maneuvers. Hellooooooooooo????? FIA????????????? Hard to believe after the BS penalties given out recently that those tactics were deemed ok by the FIA.

[artplumber]

What colored glasses we wear Richard. Can't prove anything other than Todt's suspicions, and the FIA has already done what was its intent by causing enough lost points/performance on the Renault to at least give Schumacher a chance to win the title.

[nostatic]

too bad nothing controversial has ever happened at Suzuka...

[kang]

Originally posted by motion
Yes, he is insane. I predict he will go down in flames next year. After a couple of DNFs at McLaren he will totally lose it.

http://www.sportinglife.com/formula1/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=formula1/06/10/03/manual_115203.html

"Fernando Alonso has sensationally accused Renault of sabotaging his title campaign by making intentional errors during the Chinese Grand Prix.

Alonso lost the lead in both Sunday's Shanghai race and the Drivers' Championship after Renault put the wrong tyres on his car during his first pit-stop and then compounded the error by bungling his second stop.

And according to the Spaniard, the mistakes happened because Renault don't want him to retain the world title as he's leaving for McLaren at the end of this season.

"They wanted us to finish second and third because they do not want me to take the number 'one' to a different team," he told Spanish newspaper AS.

"They are not helping me as much as they could."

The 25-year-old went on to claim that Renault are now only interested in the outcome of the Constructors' race.

"Some [at Renault] are happy because we went past Ferrari in the team battle," he said.

With two races to go, Renault have a one-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, while Alonso is second in the Drivers' standings because even though he has the same number of points as Michael Schumacher, the Ferrari driver has won more races this year."

One guy hugs all his teammates after the race and the other guy says "They are not helping me as much as they could."

Gee, I wonder who will have more support from his team in the last two races??????

[motion]

The meltdown continues. Maybe he won't even survive till the end of THIS season.

From http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/

"Reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso has widened his attack on the Renault team after losing his championship lead in China.

The 25-year-old, who in the Spanish press this week accused his team colleagues of abandoning the quest for his drivers' title, has now been quoted as criticising team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella's tactics on the Shanghai circuit.

While Ferrari boss Jean Todt hinted this week that Fisichella's precision driving on the straights was tantamount to illegal blocking, Alonso attacked his Roman cohort for overtaking him.

Alonso reportedly told Sport-Informations-Dienst: "In the same situation I don't believe that (Ferrari's) Massa would have driven past Schumacher.

"

A Renault spokesman, however, insisted that 33-year-old Fisichella 'drove purely for the team' in the Chinese Grand Prix.

And he said of Spaniard Alonso: "There is no problem at all with the relations between him and the team."

Tomorrow we expect Alonso to hit out at global warming, which must also be responsible for the loss of the championship lead."

and...........

"Fernando Alonso has urged Renault tyre supplier Michelin to up its game after in China he lost the lead of the drivers' championship for the first time in 2006.

The French tyre marque is to pull out of Formula One at the end of the month, and Spaniard Alonso said: "For Japan and Brazil, we need to believe in our tyre."

In the title battle between Renault and rival Bridgestone-shod Ferrari, the importance of tyre performance was starkly emphasised in Shanghai where the conditions favoured each marque at different stages.

"Hopefully Michelin can give us something more for the last two races," the 25-year-old added.

In the Spanish press, it is reported on Wednesday that Michel Rollier, the managing partner of Michelin Group, wrote a personal letter to Alonso asking him to ease his outspokenness about tyres in the closing stages of the 2006 battle.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

God as much as I wanna' like the guy, he isn't giving me much to work with, is he?

Schumi is gonna' hand his arse to him.

[ErVikingo]

Sounds like "Whine Pablo" all over again. I do hope that Ron Dennis has an awesome car for him çause if not, I'll guess will see him at a Nascar track near you soon........

[nostatic]

wwrbd?

[Deschodt]

Besides, tire wise, Fisichella with the same tires had no wear problem at all... Alonso has this hard turn in style (it's amazing to watch in car - you wonder how the car stays on the road) and is the one responsible for wearing down his intermidiates completely. The team has a choice of leaving them on or replacing them, he's leading by 20+ secs, what would you have done ? I'd have replaced them too... A puncture or accident would have looked mighty stupid! They left the tires on Fisico's car because the tires looked much better.

I agree with the implosion comments, he's clearly caving to the pressure. I dislike MS, I was hoping he'd get beaten on his way out, but the way Alonso is behaving right now - like an arrogant prat - I kinda hope he does not win the championship. He's clearly arrogant and egomaniac. Like it's in Renault's interest to have him lose and focus on the manufacturer's championship - which nobody cares about ! Then agai, what would happen to you or me if we were 20 something, world champion, had the press watch your every move, make tons of $$, date a pop singer etc... I'm pretty sure it's hard to keep your feet on the ground when you are the hero of an entire nation ! He's young...

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The two guys to watch next year are gonna' be Kimi & Kubica.

I give hats off to Kubica for having the "necessary attachments" (anyone else catch that line in the commentary? I busted out laughing) to try the dry tires earliest. It was hilariously funny to watch, but don't count the guy out - he's very, very good and he's clearly got the balls to push the limits. I really think he's gonna' be a serious contender next season.

[Deschodt]

Hard to believe that BMW have not signed Kubica up for next season yet as their 2nd driver. They must have him under an airtight contract. He's outshone his team mate since his first race !

With MS gone, it'll be Kimi vs Alonso, BMW is not up there yet. Renault is definitely out for the title, though I expect flashes of genius from Kovalainen (and the usual 4 th to 6th spot from fisico)