Ferrari have finally confirmed what pretty much everyone in F1 expected by now – Fernando Alonso will drive for them in 2010.
Kimi Raikkonen is set to leave the team after this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is most likely to end up back at McLaren.
Raikkonen was contracted to remain at Ferrari for one more season. Despite having won the title for them in 2007, the team are letting him go one year early in his contract, which can only be interpreted as a reflection on his performance.
Felipe Massa clearly out-performed him last year, but Raikkonen has had a resurgence in the second half of this season, including a victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
Giancarlo Fisichella will remain with the Italian team as a test driver.
The development sets up two fascinating driver partnerships for 2010, the first of which is Alonso and Massa at Ferrari.
The pair had a heated row after clashing on the final lap at the Nurburgring in 2007. Massa will in all likelihood prove the closest match to Alonso’s talent since he partnered Lewis Hamilton two seasons ago.
Hamilton, meanwhile, will surely face a stiffer challenge from Raikkonen if he does indeed take the place of Heikki Kovalainen next year.
Anyone else really looking forward to 2010 now?
F1 2010 driver moves
Bad_Whippet
30th September 2009, 17:53
Man I can’t wait for next season!
Alonso -v- Hamilton battle is going to be immense.
Red Andy
30th September 2009, 18:27
Indeed. F1’s best driver joining its best team. I’m looking forward to it.
mm
30th September 2009, 18:33
I agree will be interesting, but disagree they are the best team anymore nor is he the best driver in the field.
Omegaz3ro
30th September 2009, 23:03
Quote
Derek
30th September 2009, 18:56
I don’t think anyone will disagree Hamilton is the best driver now, but Alonso is close. He’ll soon throw his toys out the pram when Massa regularly shows him a couple of Ferrari exhausts. Meanwhile back at McLaren Lewis will relish the competition from Kimi. If Kimi still has his heart in F1 it should be a good match, but I think Hammy will have 2 tenths on him.
david
30th September 2009, 19:48
I disagree, Alonso and Vetel are better, IMHO
Juan
30th September 2009, 20:00
Vettel the car destroyer? He’s good but by no means the best yet.
Alistair
30th September 2009, 20:33
Vettel is hugely overrated. He’s struggling to beat Webber…a fate that clearly wouldn’t befall the best drivers: Lewis-Alonso-Raikkonen. Vettel is also a car destroyer who makes far too many silly mistakes.
TommyB
30th September 2009, 21:21
Lewis and Vettel are two of the best but they are car destroyers. They are the quickest guys in F1 but need to get rid of the silly mistakes
ashes1991
30th September 2009, 22:23
Alonso and Vettle are better than Hamilton? I think that Alonso is probably just behind Hamilton you saw how they fought in the 2007 season? This was Hamiltons first season, he’s alot more experienced now. So easily Hamilton, then Alonso for best drivers.
I just dont understand where vettle comes into it? Good driver yes, but no chance of him being the best, at least for the time being.
ashes1991
30th September 2009, 22:27
And also agree with Alistair, vettle is hugely overated!
If the championship was for stupid mistakes then yh, Vettle would be the best driver. I still cant beleive he drove around melbourne with his car in the state it is in after hitting kubica.
ashes1991
30th September 2009, 23:31
There is some people really ticking me off on here. How on earth is Hamilton a car destroyer?
Ive watched every single race he has done in F1 and can remember 1 real incident when he destroyed the car in a race and this was in monza, coming up three weeks ago, so how the hell is he a car destroyer if he has had one major car destroying incident in nearly 3 years in F1? Yes he has had incidents when he has made damage i.e. hamilton vs alonso last season at bahrain, but one fricking total is not bad!
where as how many has german boy vettle had now? can think of a few and thats from this season
ashes1991
1st October 2009, 13:21
Tom, tom, tom, your list there is three that stand out for Hamiltons mistakes, Japan 08, Canada 08 and monza 09.
Shanghai 2007, yes he may have ditched it in the gravel but did you see the tyres, i think it is amaizing he managed to keep it on the track like that. Germany i think i can remember webber moving over and accidentally touching his tyres and Brazil 07, he went off and lost a couple of positions, but what i dont understand is how its hamiltons fault if his gear box lost the gears?
And if he was an imature car destroyer, in monaco last year he made a mistake hitting the barrier, but I think he must have done something special to get the win, whether or not the safety car helped.
I still dont get where vettle comes into it he only has 3 race wins which is now really his 3rd season in f1 as he had a few races in 2007, if he was that good i think he would have been more consistant this year. Plus teh fact he already has 12 retirements to his name to Hamilton 3 retirements in more races and one disqualification!
And alonso so consistant once again Hamiton has had 3 retirements and 1 DSQ, whereas Alonso in the last 3 years, same races as Ham has had 6 retirements. And teh fact that Ham beat him in his first season i still dont get where lonso is the most consistant and best after comparing them together.
ashes1991
30th September 2009, 23:33
*And Canada last year sorry, 2 in three years. not really bad eh?
Tom
1st October 2009, 0:52
i disagree derek. yes, hamilton has done exceptionally well but he hasn’t really had to prove himself in a minardi or sauber or jordan or anything. he’s walked into F1 in with the best car on the grid for his first two seasons. i think it is this season that he is showing a bit more maturity cause he has to. his experience is showing. i still think alonso is better. and vettel will be shortly.
Tom
1st October 2009, 0:59
ok maybe not car destroyer, but immature race destroyer:
china 07
fuji 08
canada 08
monza 09
germany 09
brazil 07
like i said, showing more maturity now, but it is sill only his third year in F1, still plenty of time to improve with experience. but don’t be so blinded by his fortunate entrance to f1. and i’m sure i’ve forgotten some. as they said in the commentary at monza, alonso may not always be the fastest, but he is easily the most consistent.
Anthony
1st October 2009, 4:21
but HOW COME he “walked into F1 with the best car”???? they gave it to him for his pretty face?? to be in a top team you have to be a top driver, and mclaren saw that in him even before he was in F1… everyone else had to prove themselves in minardi, jordan, etc…
ashes1991
1st October 2009, 13:22
Tom, tom, tom, your list there is three that stand out for Hamiltons mistakes, Japan 08, Canada 08 and monza 09.
Shanghai 2007, yes he may have ditched it in the gravel but did you see the tyres, i think it is amaizing he managed to keep it on the track like that. Germany i think i can remember webber moving over and accidentally touching his tyres and Brazil 07, he went off and lost a couple of positions, but what i dont understand is how its hamiltons fault if his gear box lost the gears?
And if he was an imature car destroyer, in monaco last year he made a mistake hitting the barrier, but I think he must have done something special to get the win, whether or not the safety car helped.
I still dont get where vettle comes into it he only has 3 race wins which is now really his 3rd season in f1 as he had a few races in 2007, if he was that good i think he would have been more consistant this year. Plus teh fact he already has 12 retirements to his name to Hamilton 3 retirements in more races and one disqualification!
And alonso so consistant once again Hamiton has had 3 retirements and 1 DSQ, whereas Alonso in the last 3 years, same races as Ham has had 6 retirements. And teh fact that Ham beat him in his first season i still dont get where lonso is the most consistant and best after comparing them together.
ashes1991
1st October 2009, 13:23
sorry posted in the wrong conversation.
Tom
1st October 2009, 13:53
@ ashes1991, i agree with you mostly, of course hamilton is a fantastic driver. i would certainly like to know how much of the china error was his fault or his team’s but from what i’ve read in various places, it was mostly his. brazil 07 i was not referring to the gearbox issue, of course that was not his fault, but more his overly aggressive start (like fuji 08) when he simply didn’t need to be. of course all of this is easier to speculate on in retrospect, i sure as hell wouldn’t be able to make split second decisions like an F1 driver under pressure like that, but of course that’s what their expected to do and it skill that will develop further with experience. and do you mean 3 retirements in the last three years? cause i can think of at least 4 at the mo. and germany this year, i’ve watched that footage over and over, webber holds his line, hamilton cuts in front, no way a ‘rebound off barrichello’ as some people say. don’t get me wrong though, hamilton is a wonderful driver, monaco 08, silverstone 08 china 08 and so on, absolutely in a class of his own and i expect we will see more of those performances in years to come.
ashes1991
1st October 2009, 18:01
Tom….
This is a link that ive used to back up my information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Hamilton
Scroll down and it will show his race results for all his career in F1, 3 retirements and 1 DSQ, because he had done over 95% of race in italy was awarded 12 place. And sorry Germany 2009 I’ve just watched it several times now, I see t as Hamilton pretty much on the racing line, running along the pit exit line and webber slightly moves over (clearly visable from the overhead shot). But thats how i see it.
Jonathan
1st October 2009, 10:43
I’m assuming you don’t read many F1 forums…
What’s great about F1 right now is that there is no Schumacher figure who dominates the sport. Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen are all World Champions. Massa was unlucky not to be. There’s not much to tell between the four, which is why 2010 should be interesting.
stf
1st October 2009, 14:27
are u kidding Hamilton better than Alonso? are u on drugs?
Alistair
30th September 2009, 20:28
‘F1’s best driver’? Alonso!? You mean the reigning and double world champion who was beaten by A ROOKIE! (Please tell me the last time in F1 history that that happened.) Lewis beat Alonso when Lewis didn’t even know most of the tracks, for goodness sake. Lewis is still not even at his peak; heaven help the other drivers when Lewis reaches his peak in a few seasons’ time! Aside from being slower than Lewis, Alonso cracked under the pressure of having Lewis as a team-mate in equal machinery (which the Spanish FIA representative kindly confirmed for us all).
Lewis is the best driver in F1. He’s the fastest; the best in the wet; the best overtaker; the fittest; etc.
PS I’m surprised that Alonso is seemingly happy to race against Massa in equal machinery. Massa is much better than the Renault no: 2s that were hired to restore Alonso’s battered reputation after being shown-up by Lewis. I therefore wonder whether Alonso now has no: 1 status at Ferrari…
Also, I commend Kimi’s bravery if he is to sign for McLaren. I wouldn’t expect Lewis to destroy Kimi, far from it. But I think that Kimi is brave to race against Lewis in equal machinery. Autosport reports that this prospect doesn’t sit at all well with Nico Rosberg, for example, who’s apparently afraid that Lewis would destroy his reputation. One sympathises.
phoros
30th September 2009, 21:19
Wow… They pay you for this? :) Lewis drives in one of the best car on the field so far. When the car is worse or when he is in the middle of the back, Lewis starts to make silly mistakes. He is talented but definitely not the best on the grid. Who is? I think such comparisons are a complete nonesense.
his_majesty
1st October 2009, 1:57
I hear that, drivers are fast at some tracks then snails at others, agile in dry sluggish in rain, quick in hot weather, dogs in cold.
Sri
30th September 2009, 22:26
@Alistair
Autosport reports that this prospect doesn’t sit at all well with Nico Rosberg, for example, who’s apparently afraid that Lewis would destroy his reputation.
I read autosport, but i never came across this… would you kindly enlighten us mere mortals? Nico has been a teammate of Lewis in junior formulae and i do not think he fears Lewis, but rather bear a healthy respect for him as a friend/ person/ driver. Why he wouldn’t consider a move to McLaren is cos it is Lewis’s den. Lewis is the homeboy there and no matter what one says, it isn’t equal opportunity!
Also, Alonso is regarded as the best of the current crop in the F1 paddock, where people are definitely more informed than you and i. I would trust their word any day over yours, and likewise many over here.
Lewis, he’s learning and and will only improve with time. The only thing which stands between him and his target is he himself. He needs to learn to “engage brain before opening mouth”, as someone eloquently put in one of Keith’s earlier blogs. But it would soon end as flamewars, so i’ll end it here. He’s fast and a good driver, who can make mistakes when conditions are less than ideal.
Alonso needs to prove nothing to anyone. He won 2 championships back to back, fighting against Kimi in one year and in the second, he won against a resurgent Schumacher, which speaks for itself.
Phil T
30th September 2009, 23:48
‘F1’s best driver’? Alonso!? You mean the reigning and double world champion who was beaten by A ROOKIE!
Tom
1st October 2009, 1:03
@ alistair, i think most of lewis’ success was indeed alonso cracking under pressure. i think they were very evenly matched for pace. but alonso in hungary 07 really annoyed me. hopefully he’s moved on and we won’t see that again. the best way to respond would be to just drive well. and you can hardly say hamilton beat him cause they did end up on the same points. and i agree, we haven’t yet seen the best of hamilton. nor vettel, nor algersuari nor buemi. the future of f1 drivers is in good hands i feel
zuz
1st October 2009, 1:24
Hamilton is already quite disturbed that Kimi might join him. He is a spoiled brat with the fast smartest car on the track…give him the existing Renault and if he is still on the track you will find him in the back with his good friend Piquet…he was so spoilt by Ron to an extent that he wasn’t even sometimes listening to him… I believe in the Hungarian 2007 GP qualifications in the last dying minutes Ron asked him not to pit because Alonso was getting ready for his last qualification run…but he over ruled Ron’s decision and came into pit behind Alonso causing confusion in the pit, and panelized Alonso from Poll back to 6th on the grid…and if Alonso would have been on poll that day, sure he would have won and those extra points would have secured him the 2007championship. Ron Was so blind to support a new breed kid over a the experienced double world champion who just ended the Schumi winning era…Hamilton to me is a programmed driver with no character, but a selfish well coordinated student with a specific driving style (big f**k up in Monza)…he is a want to be a Schumi and I doubt he will ever be even close to that level.
Yes Alonso might not be the regular/idol follower/ dream driver…but he is at least naturally talented and yes humanly react to peculiar situations but with a fighting spirit that turns all eyes on him because of his forceful driving style…The Ferrari family know exactly where they heading…Again we might very well enjoy in 2010 the human racing the robot
Jonnie Siggie
1st October 2009, 3:03
Garbage! Given equal machinery, Hamilton will beat Alonso in 4 of the next 5 seasons. Your man was devastatingly shamed by a rookie and yet you make excuses?
Bad_Whippet
1st October 2009, 10:40
You Sir, are a moron.
Bad_Whippet
1st October 2009, 10:41
^ my comment was to zuz byt the way!
mp4-19b
1st October 2009, 3:15
@Alistair
Never in the history of the sport, yet people label him the best current driver. I’ve been following the sport since 1993 & I’ve seen 10 champions drive & I rate Alonso the most mediocre of all. An all round driver needs to be honest & he’s not.
CD
1st October 2009, 8:48
And Lewis? do you think he’s honest? after lying in Melbourn 09?
Carl 27
1st October 2009, 21:56
How old were you in 1993. 3? do you consider that to be a “follower”? I don’t get were all this hate comes from but I think you need help…
sato113
1st October 2009, 13:17
never thought of it like that, Alonso was beaten by a rookie in his first year.
Alistair
30th September 2009, 20:37
We saw in 07 who was the best. The only challenge for Lewis would be if Alonso had a better car, as Massa did last year. Lewis was a rookie when he beat Alonso. This is amazing. Lewis now has quite a bit of experience and has gained maturity and confidence from winning the championship. In short, Lewis is only going to get better and better for many years as he matures as a driver; whereas, Alonso is not. So if they were in equal machinery now, Lewis would only beat Alonso more convincingly.
Antiriad
30th September 2009, 22:16
Ha! Alonso will beat Hamilton next year and put him in his place. The overated latter who barely SCRAPED last year’s title still makes far too many errors compared to Alonso in what is now his third year of F1 driving.
Patrickl
30th September 2009, 22:29
Hamilton has done a lot better than Alonso “the amazing car developer” this year. Besides beating him in 2007 and 2008.
Ned Flanders
30th September 2009, 22:48
Er.. have I been watching the same F1 season as you? With the obvious exception of his crash at Monza, how many high profile driving errors has Hamilton made this year?
And on Vettel, yes he’s made mistakes, but he’s still young, he’s had a load of bad luck with reliability and he’s absolutely destroyed the highly rated Mark Webber in qualifying, and outraced him more often than not. Remember, it’s only his second full season. So everyone get off his back.
And Alonso- he may be a very good driver, perhaps the best, but I think it’s significant that the only time in his career that he had a top level teammate he got beat.
his_majesty
1st October 2009, 2:10
Highly rated mark webber with one victory to his name. Lets face it in SOMETIMES the best car on the grid.
AG
1st October 2009, 3:13
vettel is smashing webber?
well if you take the averages of webbers finishing places you get 5.4, the average of vettles, comes to 5.1. hardly smashed.
this is of couse excluding dnf’s. if you factor them in, then webber is slightly ahead of vettel.
best to do your homework before making comments like that !
r
1st October 2009, 9:56
He beat Shumacher and Ferrari, two years… just a reminder.
Jonathan
1st October 2009, 10:57
SoLiD
30th September 2009, 23:42
Scraped… in a car that wasn’t the best… ferrari had the best car, Hamilton just made the mclaren look better for sure!
and ppl who say he can’t handle midfield.. well he drove a good start of the season with that crappy car imo.. and every driver will do some mistakes in midfield… just happens.. spa wasn’t his fault for starters, midfield is just hell :)
mp4-19b
1st October 2009, 3:21
@ Antiriad
We’ll see about it.
SYM
30th September 2009, 22:45
Well said Alistair, and I would also add that Lewis has proved himself against Kimi too. In 07, Ferrari was basking in the cohesion and tech development of the Schumacher years; i believe they had the faster car that season, which makes what Lewis did even more stunning.
This is what Lewis did in 07, he stunned everyone, including his team mate, with his raw pace, almost into a panic!
I believe Lewis, given his age , his experience and the negativity he has to work against, is pound for pound the best driver on the grid today, unfortunately this does not sit well with a lot of ppl in and out of the sport.
I think Lewis would relish the chance to partner Kimi in EQUAL machinery and given EQUAL treatment without any underhand nastiness chipping away at his confidence, it would give him the impetus to push himself even harder; which bodes well for next season…
On the other hand, Kimi is a slugger a very brave racer but with brain power of a toaster when it comes to technical feedback, hence his five years in a McLaren produced jack and he only came good when he reversed into a well developed car/team combo thanks to uncle Schumi and co…
…So Lewis Vs Kimi/Alonso/Vettel/Massa/Kubica etc etc or what ever “great white hope” that is parachuted into the the season.. well i say bring it on chaps and chapettes lets race and the best of British luck to ya all :)
CTS
1st October 2009, 0:15
I agree on his talent, but the negativity he has had to work against? You mean from a team that is clearly completely behind him with all their resources? or you mean from the massive F1 fan base that seems to have it in for Alonso any day of the week?
He’s got pressures to deal with, but not beyond any F1 driver. In fact he had quite a lot of backing from the press once it became clear that he has speed and talent and is clearly the better story. Alonso has much more negativity against him, and mostly because he’s seems really inept at dealing with the media.
Scribe
1st October 2009, 0:58
SoLid said
Most of kimi’s mechanical problems and car reliability issues came straight from the engine. Kimi is still held in awe by McLaren mechanics for his super precise feed back and if you can gain the respect of McLarens picky people I think you’ve got quite a head on your shoulders.
mp4-19b
1st October 2009, 3:20
You are absolutely correct. Alonso can whine about it forever, but the fact is he’s yet to beat LEWIS HAMILTON!! If he was real man, he would have stayed on at mclaren in 08 & beat Lewis thereby showing to the world he’s the number 1. but instead he choose to run like a hen back to Flabbio. Epitome of bravery! This fella.
mvi
1st October 2009, 4:43
Ahem, are you rewriting history? It looked more like McLaren kicked him out, judging from the statements at the time. Nothing to do with “epitome of bravery”, he could not have stayed if he had wanted to.
Bigbadderboom
1st October 2009, 10:04
MP4, I don’t think the choice was Alonsos to make.
Ronman
1st October 2009, 7:12
i cant wait for next year either, can jenson and Brawn wrap this up this sunday so that they can fast forward to 2010
Tom Watson
1st October 2009, 8:22
Was it just me who had to stop half way through this comment thread and set up base camp, it’s massssssssive! ;)
Ari
1st October 2009, 9:18
“Alonso -v- Hamilton battle is going to be immense”
Yeah right… Next season will be a huge disappointment for Alonso.
Carl 27
1st October 2009, 22:00
will see…
Brian
30th September 2009, 17:53
This is going to be one big mess. I really hope that Massa kicks his butt all over the tarmac next year, and I hope that RAI does the same to Hammy.
Bad_Whippet
30th September 2009, 17:58
Personally, I don’t see Massa beating Alonso, or Raikkonen beating Hamilton, but that’s just MY PERSONAL OPINION (before I get jumped on!).
It’s going to be very very interesting though, regardless of who beats who.
Paddy
30th September 2009, 18:03
I think the most interesting thing in the case of Mclaren is the different styles oof both the drivers. In the ferarri team its more about the fireworks (fingers crossed).
SoLiD
30th September 2009, 18:05
I agree. Alonso and Hamilton are the class of the field imo, but Massa had a great year in 08.
It might be an Alonso vs Hamilton for the title, would be awesome! :)
NickF1
30th September 2009, 18:26
Massa did not out-perform Kimi last year. Look at all their head to head matchups, Kimi showed Massa is a 2nd rate driver.
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 20:02
Chuffing nonsense. We can harp on all week about who is better than who, but you can’t say Massa is a second-rate driver.
Antifia
1st October 2009, 13:35
Yeah, that is why Ferrari is keeping Kimi…oh wait..
Alistair
30th September 2009, 20:42
Really? We saw that already, remember. Out of the McLaren drivers, remind me again who finished higher in the WDC in 07! When Lewis beats Kimi next year, the world should rightly think that Lewis was the deserving WDC in 07: he will then have beaten his world champion team-mate, Alonso, and the man who eventually nicked the title, Kimi.
F1Paul
30th September 2009, 21:34
You, and many others, seem to be mistaken in your belief that Hamilton beat Alonso when they were team mates. Look back at the end results and you will find they drew even.
I’m a big Hamilton fan, but facts are facts, regardless of who you support.
David A
30th September 2009, 21:38
How can you base the deserving champion of 2007 off what YOU THINK may happen next year? Just get over the past and stop being so blinkered.
SYM
30th September 2009, 23:38
i agree that morally Lewis is the deserving 07 Champion and you’ll be surprised how many racing fans hold that view.. he had to battle against the reigning double world champion with the same equipment on some circuits he’s never driven on in his rookie season…meanwhile Ferrari had to hold back Massa to help the experienced Kimi to the title… by a single point from Lewis!
and before you start… in 08 Lewis had a race win dubiously taken away from him and given to Massa, in Singapore he should have been 2nd if it wasn’t for Pique’s concrete fetish…. not to mention being the most penalized driver that season..
David A
1st October 2009, 1:59
@SYM
You conveniently forget that if Hamilton was going to be 2nd at Singapore, Massa would have been 1st.
SYM
1st October 2009, 11:41
David A
You need to check your stats. Felipe finished 13th in Singapore because he took off with the fuel hose still attached ..Nico would have been the winner with Lewis being robbed of 2nd!
NickF1
1st October 2009, 13:23
Kimi won 6 races, Lewis 4. Kimi finished with more points. Kimi was the deserving champion. He beat Lewis & Alonso who had the best cars on the grid thanks to them stealing Ferrari Data, and Kimi also beat Massa who was favoured by the team. Kimi should have been 2008 champion as well, but Ferrari wanted Massa to win so they gave him the car suited to him. In the last races, Kimi even took off the car enhancements since they didn’t fit his style.
matt
1st October 2009, 4:31
I see Raikkonen and Hamilton being very interesting, whereas Alonso will simply destroy Massa.
Ari
1st October 2009, 8:31
In fact, Alonso is as quick as Fisichella, this was seen many times during their time in Renault. He’s capable of winning yes, but needs 100 % support from the whole team. Alonso’s problem will be also the car, Ferrari cannot make a winning packet anymore. I’m also looking forward to see LH and Kimi in a team with a great performance.
UnicornF1
30th September 2009, 17:56
Finally! I got bored the news about the “when” and “how” Alonso will move to Ferrari.
Alonso announced at his site that last year he had signed for 2011 for the Ferrari team. Hopefully, he saved us from this misery a year earlier!
Fair well Alonso and I hope to create a lot of trouble to the red team :P
Oh, they didn’t tell you. You are supposed to be the #2 driver :lol:
UnicornF1
30th September 2009, 17:59
Here is the link that says about the contract for 2011
http://www.fernandoalonso.com/DEFAULT2_i.cfm?seccion=0
UnicornF1
30th September 2009, 18:01
sorry, here it is –> http://www.fernandoalonso.com/i/noticias.cfm?id_seccion=2778&seccion=5
-A-
30th September 2009, 17:58
I think it’s good that this situation seems to get resolved officially now, and I’m looking forward to seeing both compete with their new team mates next season.
Alex
30th September 2009, 17:59
I remember Alonso back in 2006 season saying that he will never drive for Ferrari.
maddlicker
30th September 2009, 18:18
Was this true?
UnicornF1
30th September 2009, 18:42
this was said by Briatore. His exact words were:
“As long as Michael is there, Alonso will never drive for Ferrari. For Renault there is an easy way to secure the services of Alonso – one only has to provide him with the most competitive car.”
Alex
30th September 2009, 20:51
So this is the picture I’m seeing… Alonso driving for Ferrari then you got Michael Schumacher as their “Advisor”. Seems like the bosses will have a hard time managing conflicts.
Dennis
30th September 2009, 22:11
Yeah that could be a problem I agree. With Schumacher and Alonso you’ll have 2 captains on one ship.. Massa may very well benefit a lot from this. But Alonso would be wise to compare his thoughts with Schumi’s, with those 2 you have the 2 best drivers of the past decade or so in one team (in terms of car set up).
TommyB
30th September 2009, 18:00
Alonso vs Hamilton. Ferrari vs Mclaren.
Hopefully back to how F1 should be next year.
Ned Flanders
30th September 2009, 22:53
Well it’s certainly got a better ring to it than Brawn vs Red Bull, Button vs Barrichello, mediocre vs mediocrer.
Scribe
30th September 2009, 18:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=XWRvhA0YPgY
video of the likkle spat.
Tbh i kind’ve back alonso in that one get the translation and massa who did the dammage is just being a bit of a dick.
But Yeah golden age approaches.
Hopefully the brawns and redbulls will remain competative as well.
Ace
1st October 2009, 10:49
I’d love a translation of that video!
Tim
30th September 2009, 18:04
hopefully alonso is put in his place by massa cause hes not the #1 driver at ferrari.
IDR
30th September 2009, 19:06
There is a Poll In la Gazzetta dello Sport asking about who should be Nr 1 driver:
87,4% of 7,572 voters said Fernando Alonso (Results at 19’01 h)
http://www.gazzetta.it/appsSondaggi/votazioneDispatch.do?method=risultati&idSondaggio=5853
In any case I’m pretty sure Alonso will be happy if he is able to have equal opportunities, and I’m sure he will.
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 20:07
It will be fascinating to see how Alonso deals with the situation. If he kicks Massa’s bottom then there’ll be no issue. But we know what happened last time Freddy had a really fast team mate.
DanThorn
30th September 2009, 18:08
I don’t see Massa giving Alonso too much trouble. I really like Felipe and thought some of his drives over the last couple of years have been fantastic, but I would be amazed if he turns out as quick in Bahrain next year as he was before his accident. I really hope I’m proved wrong. If he does have the pace to match Alonso then I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of the situation at McLaren in 2007 – for Fernando, Massa is much more of a known quantity that Lewis was and I don’t think Felipe is the type to play mind games.
The potential Raikkonen-Hamilton partnership will be interesting. Small soundbites from Lewis seem to hint that he’s not too keen on the idea, but it would be a good chance for him to show how much he’s matured from his first couple of seasons – or whether he’ll do what Alonso did in ’07. Either way, it aint gonna bother Kimi that’s for sure!
I can’t wait for next year! If Massa can be driving as well as he was before his accident, and if Ferrari and McLaren regain their places at the top of the order then it’s going to be fantastic. Probably 4 of the best drivers in the 4 best cars, over a 19 race season with no more stupid refuelling? Yes please! If Kubica ends up at Renault and Renault find a bit of pace, and with a Rosberg-Button pairing at Brawn and the two Red Bulls on form again there could be some fantastic races. Add to that the new teams and the return of a few familiar faces and names and you have a recipe for success!
I wonder what scandal will overshadow it all.
GP1
30th September 2009, 18:16
somehow Teflonso will be part of this scandal..
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 20:11
Why not? Lauda had a horrific accident and came back to score a couple of championships. He appears to have a strong, confident character and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t return to F1 faster than ever.
RedBullRacer
30th September 2009, 22:41
Also, look at how well Mark Webber’s done this season after breaking his leg last December. Sometimes an accident can spur drivers on in a new way to meet the challenges of racing. I think Felipe’s got it in him to make a strong recovery and he’ll be looking to make up for lost time when he gets back into that Ferrari.
George
1st October 2009, 4:37
I’m slightly worried about Felipe to, you can never tell how head injuries are going to affect people.
It’d be funny if McLaren and Ferrari turn up with two dump trucks next year after all this speculation :P.
KNF
1st October 2009, 5:03
That will be even better, you’ll get to see who can claw their way from P20 to P3 in a race…
GP1
30th September 2009, 18:10
Massa did not outperfomed Kimi last year
France 2 point broken exhaust
Silverstone 3 points wrong tyre choice
Canada 8 points Hamilton crashed to Kimi’s rear
China 2 points Kimi gave way to Felipe
Europe 3 points engine failure
Belgium 8- 10 points ( last minute rain and Kimi taking a risk for win)
at least 21 points which Kimi deserved but did not get. If we take those away from baby Felipe we can clearly see who is driver and who’s not.
I’m glad Kimi understood leave this Schumacher spoiled team with their egoist “president” Luca de something
23 pointi
mp4-19b
30th September 2009, 18:18
Fantastic post!!
Anthony
30th September 2009, 18:31
Ok then you have to take into account all the problems Massa had, like the refueling rig, engine problems, hydraulics, etc…. who’s who then?
Noelinho
30th September 2009, 18:24
Errr…Singapore? Hungary? That’s two races, and twenty points clawed back. Take away a bad start in Melbourne and a silly spin in Sepang, which could be compared to Kimi’s silly spin in Spa, and you begin to realise Massa was ptetty close to wiping the floor with the whole field last year.
Take all that in to account, and to be honest, he was the best driver last year, by far. Aftert the first two Grands Prix, no-one could match him. They were chasing his exhaust fumes.
DanThorn
30th September 2009, 18:43
The best driver last year? I think that’s over egging the pudding a little. Kubica and Alonso drove fastastic last year – indeed Kubica could have had a much better chance at the title if BMW actually listened to him. Massa’s driving last year swayed drastically from exceptional (Brazil, Hungary, Valencia, Singapore qualifying, even Fuji to some extent) to amateur (Australia, Malaysia, Silverstone). Races such as China, Belgium and France are probably more indicative of his place in the pecking order – although he seems to move to another level when he’s under pressure.
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