Alonso competing at Indy, it’s clear to see that all is not well for the Spanish Samurai in F1. With McLaren rather unusually allowing him to miss the Monaco Grand Prix for his chance at the triple crown hints at some very strange dealings in Woking.
Pundits and commentators have waxed lyrically for years now how ‘the best, most complete driver on the grid’ doesn’t get a chance to compete at the sharp end due to the machinery letting him down. This is true, indeed since his first stab at McLaren back in 2007 Fernando has consistently been let down by his car, apart from some wins for Ferrari during his tenure there. It is also likely true that he is still is the ‘most complete’ driver on the grid.
But that doesn’t mean his the greatest or best.
To be that, you need to know when to trade seats at the right time along with working with the team to achieve the best possible outcome during a season. In this regard Fernando has failed spectacularly.
During an interview with the Spanish TV station Movistar, Niki Lauda appraised the fallen hero, firstly about his Indy 500 race;
“It is a good decision for Alonso, because he can enjoy what he does not get in Formula One at the moment. And I’m also excited about how he will beat the Indy 500, ”
The McLaren bosses are doing well to keep their superstar in a good mood considering his contract runs out after this season. If The 35-year-old is supposed to be negotiating a deal with Renault for 2018 and this is the most likely situation, but there are also rather wild speculations about a return to Ferrari or a change to the Mercedes driving through the paddock. Lauda thinks otherwise;
“He caused a lot of trouble when he left [Ferrari]. His contract was still running when he moved to McLaren Honda, and McLaren-Mercedes was like that also.”
“We also have two drivers at Mercedes who do their job. As long as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas winning, we do not need a substitute either, ”
“He is fast, aggressive, and in his way the best. Unfortunately, drivers can sometimes not show that they are the best because they make the wrong decisions. And Alonso has made a lot of mistakes in this regard. ”
“He left Ferrari very early to return to McLaren – and the problems with Honda engine development were already known. Now he’s disappointed, and it was his decision to go to McLaren, ” Lauda analyzed dryly.
Timing is everything, or close enojugh/
hindsight is 20/20 🙂
I think more than bad choices it was his ability to reduce the options available to him which is where he probably has regrets. The door being closed to him at Mercedes is the tough one to take.
In terms of choices, he bet on Ferrari over Red Bull when he fell out with McLaren, and had no real options left when he fell out with Ferrari.
Can’t help but wonder what Alonso/McLaren could have achieved had they been able to work together first time around.
Factor in another reason why he won’t be returning to Ferrari – Marchionne. Montezemolo might have gotten dewy – eyed about Alonso and would consider bringing him back, Marchionne doesn’t let sentiment get in the way of decision making. Alonso had his chance and left under a cloud. Ferrari now that they have returned to the front have the ability to choose whoever they want. And at 36 Alonso isn’t the future for them or M-B.
I suspect Alonso ends up at Renault. They could use a driver of Alonso’s quality and celebrity to push the team forward. And with Alonso having virtually no other options other than staying at McLaren or retiring, I think that’s where he ends up.
FA’s problem is he wears his heart on his sleeve to his own detriment. Just rubs people the wrong way. At McLaren he threatened Ron Dennis which led to Spygate, at Ferrari he just pissed everyone off to the point where they just didn’t want him around anymore and released him from his contract. He re-signed for McLaren because he simply had nowhere else to go, and now he is doing the same thing in the past. Publicly belittling the engine supplier is a big no-no, especially when they are footing a big chunk of the budget. Actually Honda have been very gracious to him, but every company has it’s limits. He will wind up at Renault just when Honda starts to be competitive. Karma will kick in eventually.
He split McLaren when he tried to screw Hamilton.
Sure not a Hammy fan, but Alonso gothe what he deserved.
Great driver, but not a great teammate, I mean that by the team and not just the other driver.
The most complete driver not only has to to drive the best out of what he has, he also has to make the best of the team he is in and negotiate his way to a better team. To an outsider, he has failed spectacularly in that. Lauda speaks diplomatically.
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsAlonso is a moaner, he was complaining about his team even when he was winning championships with Renault. Renault develivered two championship winning cars, and he thanked them by badmouthing the team and signing with McLaren behind their back. Then at McLaren the ultimate betrayel with Spygate which cost him to seasons in the mid-field at Renault (and don’t forget about crashgate). He seemed to have learned his lesson when he signed for Ferrari but at some point he could not help himself and returned to his old ways. The result is him being stuck at McLaren and no team with options touching him with a ten foot pole because they know his attitude is poisenous. I don’t remember any of the greats having a track record like he does. I used to be a huge fan of the guy back when he was beating Schumi in 2005, but that soon turned to an absolute dislike due to his negative attitude. Had Ferrari not been desperate after the coup against Schumi and Todt failed to deliver championships, I think he would have flunked out of F1 way sooner.
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsrather an interesting vocal driver than a corporate ass-kisser.
F1 is extremely boring without commentary.
Hindsight was not necessary to see how Alonso screwed it up big time in 2007. All of his moves after that were backwards or sideways steps at best. Sure he suffered with some mediocre and uncompetitive cars, but his temper and poor decisions certainly play a much greater part in it all than simple bad luck. He also dropped the ball on the track a few times as well. How many mistakes did he commit in 2008 and 2010, for example?
Also, karma is a bitch.
Giving it some thought, Alonso is F1’s Max Biaggi. Fast, talented and with a very impressive CV, but on the other hand tempered, perfectly capable of poor decisions and of becomming insufferable.
Too bad.