Alonso comeback

Alonso comeback

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turbomoped

Original Poster:

4,180 posts

82 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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He's not gone yet but in the future could Alonso make a successful return? Do drivers lose that superhuman ability once out of regular F1 racing?
A lesson seems to come from Shumacher's comeback where you were pretty happy to see him back and keen for it to work but he never really showed that well.
Was looking for the stats and found JA had helpfully done an article.

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2012/11/schumacher-...


SpudLink

5,669 posts

191 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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Prost came back and won the championship.
Mansell came back and one races.

thegreenhell

15,103 posts

218 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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Schumacher returned to a very different sport than the one he had left three years earlier. He'd gone from unlimited testing on robust Bridgestone tyres to very limited testing on chocolate Pirellis. It wasn't a huge surprise that he couldn't adapt as well those who had driven continuously through these changes.

Niki Lauda had two-and-a-bit years off after his first retirement, then came back and won another WDC title, so it certainly can be done.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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What F1 opportunities is Alonso going to have in F1 in 2020 or later which he doesn't have in 2019?

He can race in F1 but not in a winning team. Same same.

thegreenhell

15,103 posts

218 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
What F1 opportunities is Alonso going to have in F1 in 2020 or later which he doesn't have in 2019?

He can race in F1 but not in a winning team. Same same.
I think his only hope is that McLaren get their st together. As long as Zak Brown is still in charge and has his tongue up Alonso's backside then they'll take him back, although as long as Zak Brown is in charge can they get their st together?

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
quotequote all
thegreenhell said:
HustleRussell said:
What F1 opportunities is Alonso going to have in F1 in 2020 or later which he doesn't have in 2019?

He can race in F1 but not in a winning team. Same same.
I think his only hope is that McLaren get their st together. As long as Zak Brown is still in charge and has his tongue up Alonso's backside then they'll take him back, although as long as Zak Brown is in charge can they get their st together?
The way I see it, McLaren are a customer team who have bought the third best engine on the grid, which could easily become fourth during 2019... and I see no compelling evidence to suggest that McLaren can 'do a Red Bull' and build such a great car that they can win despite being a customer of the third or fourth best engine.

Any team which is now 'second tier' will remain second tier until 2021 at the earliest.

If they had massive money to splash about, or an integrated, motivated, world-beating workforce under convincing management, I'd be less pessimistic about my long time favourite team, but there y'go.

I know you weren't necessarily suggesting the McLaren comeback was probable, by the way. Let alone in the next few years.

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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Christ, another year of him telling anyone who can be bothered to listen that his 9th place was the drive of the season rolleyes

turbomoped

Original Poster:

4,180 posts

82 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
quotequote all
Nobody will ever catch up.For that to happen the teams at the front have to stand still.
Its a bit like the special class at school.Those kids wont catch up they will just be made to feel valued at a lower speed.
If all the teams were given a lower spec to attain then maybe Mclaren and Renault have the capability to attain the new lower requirement.
At the end of this process maybe 5-6 teams can win. Could take many years and by then a rotund Alonso will be contented elsewhere. I guess.

slipstream 1985

12,123 posts

178 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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thegreenhell said:
Schumacher returned to a very different sport than the one he had left three years earlier. He'd gone from unlimited testing on robust Bridgestone tyres to very limited testing on chocolate Pirellis. It wasn't a huge surprise that he couldn't adapt as well those who had driven continuously through these changes.

Niki Lauda had two-and-a-bit years off after his first retirement, then came back and won another WDC title, so it certainly can be done.
IMO that is why he came back. Suddenly f1 wasnt forced to be a 7 day a week job endlessly testing. The enforced limited running and testing meant he could enoy the racing and still have a life.

HTP99

22,441 posts

139 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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He won't be back, he's had his time, it's time to move on from him.

corozin

2,680 posts

270 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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He won't be back. I don't think he'll want to once he's done some more real racing in other disciplines and secured his place in history with an Indy500 win and possibly a few more at Le Mans.

skinny

5,269 posts

234 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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Kimi came back after a couple years out and is probably at the same level as when he left

carinaman

21,206 posts

171 months

Tuesday 25th September 2018
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Joe Saward on Missed Apex podcast around 12 minutes in says Alonso isn't the same since Hamilton beat him at McLaren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqdWRTBDVoI

TobyTR

1,068 posts

145 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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skinny said:
Kimi came back after a couple years out and is probably at the same level as when he left
Na, he's a shadow of his 2002-2007 days. Age eventually catches up with all F1 drivers. And when they have kids that affects motivation too.

It's not as bad in the case of Prost and Mansell who only took one year and then returned to the same regulations. But when you do a M.Schumacher and have over three years out and return at 41 with different regs... that's tough

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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carinaman said:
Joe Saward on Missed Apex podcast around 12 minutes in says Alonso isn't the same since Hamilton beat him at McLaren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqdWRTBDVoI
Joe Saward needs to see a doctor.

Teddy Lop

8,290 posts

66 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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So long as he keeps racing, keeps his edge, and doesn't stay away too long I wouldnt rule it out. Bury the hatchet with a desperate ferrari maybe?

Mansell kept racing, prost was only gone a year and came back for the quickest car, wheras schumacher was retired from professional racing for a while and like said came back to a sport he didn't recognise, no testing, no team mate veto with all focus on himself etc.

Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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ELUSIVEJIM said:
carinaman said:
Joe Saward on Missed Apex podcast around 12 minutes in says Alonso isn't the same since Hamilton beat him at McLaren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqdWRTBDVoI
Joe Saward needs to see a doctor.
Saward is no fool or armchair blogger; he knows the paddock, TPs and many drivers and has been to every race for 20+ years.

Alonso being a genius driver, and not being quite the same since 2007 are not mutually exclusive statements.

On any given race day, he may also extract the most possible from the car.

Alonso is genius but flawed. Hamilton is genius with less of the destructive tendencies that Alonso has demonstrated since 2007.

TobyTR

1,068 posts

145 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Vaud said:
ELUSIVEJIM said:
carinaman said:
Joe Saward on Missed Apex podcast around 12 minutes in says Alonso isn't the same since Hamilton beat him at McLaren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqdWRTBDVoI
Joe Saward needs to see a doctor.
Saward is no fool or armchair blogger; he knows the paddock, TPs and many drivers and has been to every race for 20+ years.

Alonso being a genius driver, and not being quite the same since 2007 are not mutually exclusive statements.

On any given race day, he may also extract the most possible from the car.

Alonso is genius but flawed. Hamilton is genius with less of the destructive tendencies that Alonso has demonstrated since 2007.
Button and Rosberg was Hamilton's achilles heel

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 27th September 2018
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Vaud said:
Saward is no fool or armchair blogger.
He has a really stty attitude on his blog pages if you question his reasoning.

Like most journalists, he is winging it.

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Thursday 27th September 2018
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skinny said:
Kimi came back after a couple years out and is probably at the same level as when he left
True, but that level isn't quite there is it - which is probably why he is off to Sauber!