Fernando Alonso

[37chevy]

ash73 said:

The bottom line is if Lewis had played the team game in his rookie season and supported Alonso they would have cleared up; instead they won nothing and lost everything. So Alonso was right.

Contrast with Leclerk's approach this year. The team comes first and he waits for the right opportunities to show everyone just how fast he is.

Utter tosh. Why should a faster driver support Alonso, if he had done so, who knows where Hamilton’s career would have ended up. If Alonso was that good, he would’nt need support

In terms of Leclerc....Ahh you mean like Bahrain where he disobeyed a team order and went for the win...or like silverstone and other races where he’s been shat on by his team....Leclerc is a great young kid but he shouldn’t be pandering to Vettel

[TobyTR]

37chevy said:

But he didn’t, so he isn’t.

If buts and maybes, Lewis could be a 7 time champion already.....it doesn’t work like that.

Let’s face it, he’s not been able to prove his talent for the best part of 10 years, so we don’t really know how good he is as an F1 driver in terms of all time greats.

One hell of a driver? Yes. In the top 10? Yes...in the top 5? Not even close

2010, 2011, 2012 (his best year of his career, imo), 2013, 2014 (scoring 3x more points than teammate Raikkonen...), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018......

His only 'bad' year was 2007 and he still finished one point behind the Champion.

As someone else said on here long ago, the mark of a great driver isn't what they can do in the best car, it's what they do in mediocre cars.

[anonymous-user]

Deesee said:

Ah the first nail in the coffin..

https://youtu.be/mLG-POZihAw

..

FA great racing driver, rubbish F1 driver

What utter rubbish.

[GB4 JEV FFS]

Europa1 said:

Leclerc. It's bloody Leclerc! L-e-c-l-e-r-c.

Leclerk.


Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!

...and: breathe.

Of the E.LECLERC fame.

[TheDeuce]

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

[anonymous-user]

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

[TheDeuce]

REALIST123 said:

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

I'll agree with 'was'

Not that I wish to start a row...

[kiseca]

TheDeuce said:

REALIST123 said:

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

I'll agree with 'was'

Not that I wish to start a row...

Me too! He'd struggle if he came back, particularly in 2021 because the cars will be quite different to what he left. Plus he's getting on a bit. And, what has he really got to prove to himself? He's not going to come back now and expect a hat trick of championships, it would probably be 1, and then walk. If he can do it at all.

Plus, when Hamilton equalled him, Hamilton was a rookie and Alonso was in his prime. Hamilton has gotten better since then, and the new drivers seem to have the potential to match Hamilton's best, if not yet the ability to repeat it race after race. Has Alonso really gotten any better since 2007? I really didn't get that impression when he was still active in F1. He was still bloody good though.

His time has come and gone. If he gets back in a seat he'll have a couple of fun seasons but I'll be stunned if he can now muster up the commitment, the pace and the stamina to be the best on the grid.

[thegreenhell]

kiseca said:

Me too! He'd struggle if he came back, particularly in 2021 because the cars will be quite different to what he left. Plus he's getting on a bit. And, what has he really got to prove to himself? He's not going to come back now and expect a hat trick of championships, it would probably be 1, and then walk. If he can do it at all.

If anything, 2021 should be easier for him than if he was coming back next year. The cars and the tyres will be so different for everyone that it will be less important to have missed a couple of years, as everyone will be learning the new cars from afresh, especially if he does some more Indycar next year, which already use tyres and ground effects more similar to what F1 will use in 2021 than F1 has now.

kiseca said:

Plus, when Hamilton equalled him, Hamilton was a rookie and Alonso was in his prime. Hamilton has gotten better since then, and the new drivers seem to have the potential to match Hamilton's best, if not yet the ability to repeat it race after race. Has Alonso really gotten any better since 2007? I really didn't get that impression when he was still active in F1. He was still bloody good though.

You think Alonso peaked as a 25 year old, after only four years in F1?

[Zarco]

REALIST123 said:

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

Bang on.

He'd smash Vettel if he was at Ferrari last couple of years.

[HustleRussell]

It wouldn’t be a very forward-looking move for a team to employ him, he’s not a long term prospect. I’d say he burned his final bridge during his time at McLaren when he publicly humiliated Honda. Up in smoke went his outside chance of a stop-gap position at a desperate Red Bull.

[TheDeuce]

Zarco said:

REALIST123 said:

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

Bang on.

He'd smash Vettel if he was at Ferrari last couple of years.

I agree with that. I think about half the grid could likely have beaten Vettel in the Ferrari this year - not because they're fast or Vettel is slow... but because he's become error strewn. Alonso ended up the same to a degree. Pick any car on the grid, and I think at this stage there is a good chance there is upcoming pre-F1 talent. or 2019 rookie talent that would perform better. Lewis is a freak in how he has clung to his prime and kept up with the new gen drivers, I just don't get the same feeling about Alonso.

[Frimley111R]

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

Because he's proven, he's a WC and we know he's very fast. Were it not for some bad team choices he'd have been WC more times. And we want to see him getting in there with the other top drivers and showing this.

Oh, and also because the media will drag every single word out of something someone said in F1 and turn it into a big story.

[sgtBerbatov]

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

Well he did more with a Ferrari that didn't deserve to be anywhere near the front of the grid than any other driver would. And while there is all this talent lining up, Alonso coming back isn't the problem. It's drivers like Giovinazzi and Stroll stealing a living that is the real blocker to proper talent coming through. Not a 2 time - should've been 4 time - world champion.

[kiseca]

thegreenhell said:

kiseca said:

Me too! He'd struggle if he came back, particularly in 2021 because the cars will be quite different to what he left. Plus he's getting on a bit. And, what has he really got to prove to himself? He's not going to come back now and expect a hat trick of championships, it would probably be 1, and then walk. If he can do it at all.

If anything, 2021 should be easier for him than if he was coming back next year. The cars and the tyres will be so different for everyone that it will be less important to have missed a couple of years, as everyone will be learning the new cars from afresh, especially if he does some more Indycar next year, which already use tyres and ground effects more similar to what F1 will use in 2021 than F1 has now.

kiseca said:

Plus, when Hamilton equalled him, Hamilton was a rookie and Alonso was in his prime. Hamilton has gotten better since then, and the new drivers seem to have the potential to match Hamilton's best, if not yet the ability to repeat it race after race. Has Alonso really gotten any better since 2007? I really didn't get that impression when he was still active in F1. He was still bloody good though.

You think Alonso peaked as a 25 year old, after only four years in F1?

About the 2021 cars being new to everyone at the same time, fair point.

About him being at his peak in 2007, yes, I do, based on his success up to that point and his success after. I know there's more to it than that, but by then he already had all the experience he was going to get to date about winning Formula 1 championships. He already looked like the complete driver that he has been since... to me at least. Sure he has gained more experience since then but I do think most if not all of his tools were already in place at that point. He didn't have any real weak spots to work on. Except maybe team relationships - where he doesn't seem to have progressed much.

[TobyTR]

TheDeuce said:

Zarco said:

REALIST123 said:

TheDeuce said:

Why do rumours of his return never go away? :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-and-verstappen-weigh-in-on-possible-alonso-return.4UsDtLAYUSMbrEKmBS6gut.html

There is talent queuing up for seats - why bring Alonso back!? It's not as if he was consistently AMAZING and there isn't enough new talent maturing in to the sport to equal or better whatever he could do if he were to return. I just don't see the point..

I wouldn’t agree. I think he’d still be better than half the current grid.

He made quite a few bad choices with teams but he was as good as anybody on track.

Bang on.

He'd smash Vettel if he was at Ferrari last couple of years.

I agree with that. I think about half the grid could likely have beaten Vettel in the Ferrari this year - not because they're fast or Vettel is slow... but because he's become error strewn. Alonso ended up the same to a degree. Pick any car on the grid, and I think at this stage there is a good chance there is upcoming pre-F1 talent. or 2019 rookie talent that would perform better. Lewis is a freak in how he has clung to his prime and kept up with the new gen drivers, I just don't get the same feeling about Alonso.

Two things you cannot say about Alonso is that he wasn't consistently amazing (he most certainly was 2003-2018, even during his most tumultuous year in 2007 with his insecurities). 2012 was his most impressive year, imo

and Alonso was definitely not error-strewn on race weekends. Far from it.

[ChocolateFrog]

Back next year in a Renault.

I always wonder why they retire early as many seem to regret it and have then lost a few of their best years.

Many might say they're long behind him anyway.

[Baron Greenback]

Wouldnt like to be his team mate!

[Dr Z]

Won't say no to watching the GOAT in a racing car, but why ?

[Danez]

so glad alonso is coming back

Renault better pull their fking fingers out with this reg change

Would love to see alonso out at the front once again!