Wednesday 12th March 2008

Webber: Alonso/Hamilton Fight Will Be 'Nastier'

'Gloves are off' in fight between Hamilton and Alonso

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The fight between Lewis Hamilton and ex-team mate Fernando Alonso will be even more savage than last year, according to Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Whereas some might have hoped that tempers between the two may have cooled since Alonso’s move to Renault, Webber believes the rivalry will be even more vicious.

‘It could actually get nastier in terms of the battle on the track because the gloves are off,’ he told the BBC website.

‘Fernando can take the fight to Lewis - there is a bit of friction there. It could be fascinating.’

While the Renault will be unlikely to regularly challenge the McLarens and Ferraris this season Alonso will enjoy disrupting a fight between Hamilton and world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

‘Fernando would love at the end of next year to have beaten both of them [McLaren and Hamilton] but he knows it's not possible in the first year,’ said Webber, who will be the BBC Sport website's F1 columnist this year.

‘He's not saying he doesn't care about it; he's just being realistic.

‘He's not stupid, Fernando, even though some things were a little wild last year. He's got his head screwed on.

‘I think every now and then Alonso will put the cat among the pigeons.

‘In the overall picture, he won't win the war, but some of the battles could get juicy.’

[kylemrushall]

I just hope Lewis does not lower himself and get into a dogfight with Alonso on the track. Alonso imo will not be a factor in this years championship but i think if he can ruin Lewis chances he will do??

[GlynMo]

So this is what it takes to try to make F1 interesting?! WGAF - entertaining, proper top-level motorsport = two wheels

[Linus27]

I can see this being similar to Hill v Schumacher all over again. Fernando will have no problem turning in on Lewis. Lewis will have to keep his wits about him when dealing with Fernando. I do think they will collide at some point during the season.

[ScoobieWRX]

What's Alonso going to do from several places down the grid. Does he really think his Renault is likely to bother any of the front runners. He'll be too busy battling with Williams and Honda

I don't think Alonso will get close enough to be a worry. Lewis has bigger fish to fry in the form of Ferrari and they will be way ahead of the pack in any case.

All this media nonesense is par for the course and they just love playing mind games with the drivers and teams, and it gets readership too, so what??.

BTW....watching the F1 Season Preview on Sunday...WTF was Bernie Ecclestones little girl doing as a presenter on ITVF1. She was like a starstruck girlie and completely useless. Bit of a turn off really and not sure if i agree on Bernie having a direct connection with ITVF1 through his little girl. What were ITV thinking of

Edited by ScoobieWRX on Wednesday 12th March 12:28

[bettarn]

As a casual motorsport observer I've watched some of that 'two wheel' stuff.... yawn.....

[10 Pence Short]

Webber will say anything just to get people to write about him. His favourite trick is to say something controversial for no good reason.

His gravestone will read "It never really got going, did it?"

[Fire99]

sounds like 'Theatre' to me.. bit like Wrestling...
Lots of talk to hype the season up and make it seem more interesting.

I think F1 fans need a look at some old Youtube clips to remind them what F1 was like when real racing took place.

Like Villeneuve (snr) versus Arnoux back in '79. for example. that is all over youtube.. Now that was worth switching on the TV for.

[patmahe]

ScoobieWRX said:

What's Alonso going to do from several places down the grid.

What about when Lewis is lapping him?? I think thats what he means.

[Dunit]

Can not see why weber getting involved,Unless he he is still narked with Lewis over the safety car incident last year.
Mind you being cynical ,Maybe he hopes by stoking the fire between the two they may just take one another off. That way he might just creep into a points scoring position.
Alan Jones was quite outspoken but he spoke from a position of being a multi race winning W/Champion.

[Tahiti]

It's all propoganda to try to make people interested in F1 again.

[Fire99]

Tahiti said:

It's all propoganda to try to make people interested in F1 again.

[Road_Terrorist]

ScoobieWRX said:

BTW....watching the F1 Season Preview on Sunday...WTF was Bernie Ecclestones little girl doing as a presenter on ITVF1. She was like a starstruck girlie and completely useless. Bit of a turn off really and not sure if i agree on Bernie having a direct connection with ITVF1 through his little girl. What were ITV thinking of

I doubt ITV got a choice, Bernie would have written it into their contract. She is pretty awful as a presenter though, just a spoilt little bh who wants a glamour job as a tv bimbo and so gets her daddy to blackmail ITV into hiring her so she can try and get laid by a few F1 drivers. You could see Kimi was hating the whole thing and couldn't wait to get the fk out of there .

[Fire99]

Tahiti said:

It's all propoganda to try to make people interested in F1 again.

[LRdriver II]

Yea,
two chumps talking smack and trashtalk to pump up the street cred!

I'm all for it, anything to get this PC boring sport back to being fun again. If it takes a personal bh-fight then yea!! lets get it ONNNNNNNN!!!

[ScoobieWRX]

Road_Terrorist said:

ScoobieWRX said:

BTW....watching the F1 Season Preview on Sunday...WTF was Bernie Ecclestones little girl doing as a presenter on ITVF1. She was like a starstruck girlie and completely useless. Bit of a turn off really and not sure if i agree on Bernie having a direct connection with ITVF1 through his little girl. What were ITV thinking of

I doubt ITV got a choice, Bernie would have written it into their contract. She is pretty awful as a presenter though, just a spoilt little bh who wants a glamour job as a tv bimbo and so gets her daddy to blackmail ITV into hiring her so she can try and get laid by a few F1 drivers. You could see Kimi was hating the whole thing and couldn't wait to get the fk out of there .

Totally agree. She was bloody awful and i feel sorry for any driver she decides to interview.
It'll be highly embarrasing for them!!

[MrKipling43]

10 Pence Short said:

His gravestone will read "It never really got going, did it?"

[castex]

Road_Terrorist said:

...just a spoilt little bh who wants a glamour job as a tv bimbo and so gets her daddy to blackmail ITV into hiring her so she can try and get laid by a few F1 drivers.

Do you know the woman in question? You don't? Well perhaps you could stop being an arse.

[MrKipling43]

castex said:

Do you know the woman in question? You don't? Well perhaps you could stop being an arse.

He's right, she's crap.

Also, you don't have to be the cleverest person in the world to figure out that someone who is rubbish at presenting, is the daughter of Bernie Ecclestone and happens to be on a Formula 1 show might not have got the job entirely on merit.

[castex]

MrKipling43 said:

castex said:

Do you know the woman in question? You don't? Well perhaps you could stop being an arse.

He's right, she's crap.

Also, you don't have to be the cleverest person in the world to figure out that someone who is rubbish at presenting, is the daughter of Bernie Ecclestone and happens to be on a Formula 1 show might not have got the job entirely on merit.

Even if she turns out to be worse than Beverly Turner - and I'd be amazed - she won't deserve to be referred to publicly in such terms.

[ol]

I missed the F1 season preview on Sunday, does anyone know if it's repeated?