Alonso given OK following hospital check on back

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Fernando Alonso had medical checks on his back after his high-speed trip across the kerbs following yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Alonso cleared after hospital visit (BBC)

“Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has been cleared following a check on his back after bouncing over kerbs at high speed in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”

Vergne: Alonso prevented big crash (Autosport)

“It was a racing incident and if he had not gone on the outside [of the track] like he did, we would have had a big crash.”

Lotus investors say Raikkonen row resolved (Reuters)

“Mansoor Ijaz, chairman of a consortium of private investors buying a 35 percent stake in the team, told reporters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that talks with the 2007 world champion’s manager had prevented a potential walkout.”

Newey meets with Ainslie (The Telegraph)

“Red Bull are likely to face renewed speculation regarding the long-term intentions of their star designer Adrian Newey after he met up with Great Britain’s four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie in the team’s paddock home after qualifying in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.”

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Post Race Press Conference (FIA)

Vettel on doing more doughnuts in Abu Dhabi: “Entering the sort of stadium, I thought it was a very, very good spot, I made sure there was nobody around and I was far away from the lines. I think if we are in a position to think about that then obviously it’s very special because it means we had a very, very good result in the race. So I think there’s a lot of work before we get to decide whether we can do it again or not.”

Fernando Alonso Q&A (Sky)

“Always there are some downs in your career and there was the year at McLaren in which I was not good enough to compete for the championship at the end. In Ferrari I think there were a couple of races where I was not in good shape physically and mentally – in 2011 especially in the first part of the season I had big problems with one leg, I remember I was suffering a lot in the races.”

Sauber team principal against 22-race calendar (Gulf News)

Monisha Kaltenborn: “I simply think 22 races in a year will be too much, not just from a professional point of view but from a personal view as well.”

When Bernie met Max… Ecclestone and Mosley reveal the trickery (and humour) behind their 40 years as the most powerful men in Formula One (Daily Mail)

“BE: Some people used to use lead as ballast. One team that did it a lot were Brabham.
MM: That’s Brabham as in the team that you happened to own at the time, Bernie?”

Red Bull RB9 – rear diffuser channelling (F1)

“There is a very small, twisted channel on the outside of the diffuser, in a position very difficult to find.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

There’s been a lot of frustration in the comments recently about drivers abusing track limits:

I’m a bit tired of the stewards now. They had been okay this season with punishing off the track moments. People complained about Grosjean getting punished at Hungary but I thought they were bang on; if you need to go off the track to pass then it isn’t much of an overtake anyway.

But since India the stewards/Whiting have just acted without any logic. They ignored people exceeding the track limits throughout India, then before qualifying they said they would look at anyone who went wide at the last corner – why the last corner and no others is beyond me- and yet they did absolutely nothing about it so were yet again inconsistent.

And finally, they ignored Alonso exceeding the track limits and Sutil doing the same. There’s just no logic or consistency. It was also pretty frustrating how they waited until after the race to make the decision; say they had found Alonso guilty then it would have been really unfair to punish him with a time penalty when they could have immediately told him to just give the position back.
Steph (@Stephanief1990)

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On this day in F1

Toyota announced they were quitting Formula One four years ago today, three days after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The team had built a chassis for the 2010 season but did not race it.

Since then they have returned to competition in the World Endurance Championship and have won four of the 14 races they have contested. However their only win so far this year, on home ground in Japan, came during a washout in Fuji where only 16 laps were completed, all behind the Safety Car.

Image © Ferrari/Ercole Colombo

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Keith Collantine
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56 comments on “Alonso given OK following hospital check on back”

  1. @Stephanief1990 COTD, enough said.

    1. +1. For me, track limit is a no brainer. Alonso did avoid a crash but it doesn’t mean he should go free. If it was straight-foward drivers would not abuse it taht much.

    2. +1. For me the worst part is their reasoning – saying that ALO was anyway faster.

      1. For the most part I agree about the inconsistency. Regarding your middle paragraph I think the idea about ‘why just the last corner’ in India was that cutting it might put a driver within a second of the car in front and make him eligible to use his DRS, so they were trying to avoid that kind of thing happening.

        Personally I think that often the stewards have some kind of reasoning for what appears to be an inconsistent call that at least has some merit to it, but I also think F1 learned a long time ago that controversy and debate fuels headlines and revenues, so I’m not holding my breath for them to simply put a wall up everywhere that there is a potential to gain advantage by going off the track a little. ie. I don’t think F1 will ever make things completely black and white.

    3. What burns me more is the idea that a driver’s remedy for being pushed off track….is to race off the track. This will end in tears. Once you are off the track, whatever the reason, you are not to be “racing” when off of it.

      Theo only solution, given current track designs, is to install some kind of “cyclops” that records a warning when you go four-off at an exit. The recording is shown on the FOM feed. When you get 3, you one lap to have your engineer present a good reason, from a very short pre-existing list, e.g., flat tire, forced off, earthquake, why you don’t get a drive-through. If it’s the penultimate or last lap, you get 20s off your time.

      1. I think it is very challenging to ask a driver to stop racing once he is off the track as in the heat of the moment his instinct is often going to be that he was forced off the track ie. not the offender.

        I agree that one solution might be to use cyclops, but that assumes F1 wants to make this a cut and dry, black and white issue, and I think they like controversy, debate, and the opportunity to mold the season as they see fit to some extent. They could also just put walls up if they wanted it to be that cut and dry, but those come with a whole other set of consequences for a mistake or a forced off.

  2. Imagine how fun is gonna be next year? , when drivers are gonna get penalty points at the stewards decisions… yay!

    1. Yep, but hulk would have finish in th points with next year’s system

      1. No he wouldn’t, there are still the regular penalties awarded for indiscretions, but penalty points are just added up for when multiple indiscretions have been made.

  3. there was the year at McLaren in which I was not good enough to compete for the championship at the end

    Got to admit, wasn’t expecting to hear that from Alonso. I know it won’t be enough for some fans, but it’s always good to see drivers being humble, even if it takes a few years :-)

    1. Yeah, I’m an Alonso fan but I’m really glad to hear that. I think as fans sometimes we get so caught up we forget these guys rare just human beings too. I’ve grown a sweet-spot for Lewis the last couple years but prior to that I couldn;t stand the guy. Why? I have no idea honestly, just impressions after 2007.

      Good to see both of them being humble about mistakes.

    2. Humility, or is he just bashing McLaren? The way I read it, he didn’t appear to be apologising for losing his rag against Lewis or for grassing out his team. There’s more than one reason he’s called Teflonso (Piquet Jr’s crash — did he really not know beforehand?)

      1. there was the year at McLaren in which I was not good enough to compete for the championship at the end

        Do you really think that’s bashing McLaren? Or are you just desperate to find a reason to hate the guy?

        1. I have to agree with you on this occasion @raceprouk, it’s nice to see some admission from Alonso and I’m taking it at face value.

  4. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    4th November 2013, 0:41

    If there weren’t acres of tarmac run-off emerging directly from the edge of the track there would be no issues regarding gaining an advantage by running over the white line.

    1. If there was penalties, even with wider run-off drivers would avoid abusing track limits.

      If you break the law and nothing happens “moral hazard” will push you towards breaking the law, the run-off alone will not fix the problem.

      1. Yeah, the huge tarmac runoffs have been meant to keep our favorite drivers running even if they make a mistake, as opposed to a wall or kitty litter that tend to end one’s day for making a mistake, so it is a small shame that drivers aren’t just grateful for that and don’t consider it more seriously while at the same time more consistent enforcement of the off-track rules would ensure that the big runoffs would be a symbolic ‘wall’ that ‘hitting’ would still guarantee at least a small punishment in lieu of a race ending one.

  5. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    4th November 2013, 0:59

    Re Alonso’s comments about being in ‘good physical shape’, he started the season raving about his fitness levels achived over the winter putting him in his best shape yet. Come November he’s had a very poor season by his own standards. Perhaps the need for extreme levels of fitness is a little overrated and some of the hundreds of hours spent on the bike would have been better spent back at the factory giving input towards improving the car and generally pushing the team harder.

    1. @jackisthestig I doubt 8 hours of “input talk” every day would help… All the drivers can do is perform at the maximum level, and that requires being physically fit, and mentally strong. He already does a lot of simulator work, he can’t design the car himself…

      I doubt fitness is overrated. There’s always a bit more to do. The better the shape, the better you cope during a race. That, in every single thing we do… being fit makes everything easier. And at that level, I suspect they cannot avoid it.

      1. Agreed @fer-no65 The fitter they are the more able they will be to cope with the G’s and the heat come the latter stages of the races and therefore the greater will be their ability to keep focused on racing the car from start to finish. Also, I’m sure FA is surrounded by plenty of people that would tell him if his numerous fitness hours were indeed taking away from other aspects that could help improve the car and I trust FA would be smart enough to heed that advice if warranted.

  6. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    4th November 2013, 1:43

    How on Earth did Alonso manage 28G? G-Forces are scary!!! Great to hear he’s well.

    1. I know! I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of 28G!! x_x That’s a scary pic! Glad to hear he’s OK and fit to race for the next race.

    2. Actually didn´t knew he had pain on his back after the incident, until I saw a photo in the F1 Website where his car is levitating and almost hitting Vergne. What would have happened if Alonso stuck Vergne?

    3. Its not just the acceleration that can cause the damage.
      You need to consider the displacement too.
      e.g. 28G over 2mm is not going to cause you too much damage. 28G over 1m is going to be pretty bad.
      If you bang your hand against a desk you would be supprised at the G your hand peaks at.

      We used to test products up to 90G but the displcement was tiny. You could easly put your hand on the tester and it wouldn’t cause you any harm.

      However all that being said. It was pretty scary stuff watching it and I’m sure he really felt the impact and I’m glad he was OK.

      It shows how brave these guys are.

    4. I hope he’s not out of contention for Austin due to this: I’d hate to see him unable to complete the season in it’s entirety! Glad to hear he’s not badly hurt at all though :)

    5. @omarr-pepper,@vettel1
      You seem to learn something from Vettel himself fair play to you !!!!!!!!!

      1. I don’t want to see any drivers being hurt @tifoso1989 :)

  7. That’s a great interview of Bernie and Max Mosley even though it’s on the Daily Mail.. Nice to see them joking about their memories together..

    1. That Dailly Mail made me craving for biopic movie, someone should call Ron Howard…

  8. W (@yesyesyesandyesagain)
    4th November 2013, 3:46

    Was I the only one that noticed that Lotus announced they were signing Hulkenberg in that story about Kimi’s pay? Or did I miss it being covered elsewhere?

    1. I think you were dreaming farling… rumor has it Quantun deal is agree and once is signed the predilected driver is Hulk… but until now nothing is certain…

      1. W (@yesyesyesandyesagain)
        4th November 2013, 6:07

        Quote from the article from Quantum chairman “He said also that, once the long-awaited investment deal had been completed in the next few days, the team expected to sign Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg as the Ferrari-bound Finn’s replacement for 2014.”

      2. Hmm… http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/quantum-deal-is-completed/

        I give it a couple of days until they announce it officially, it just goes to show how some journos are so sensationalist that only a couple of days ago a “contract was already signed” with Maldonado and Lotus, when in reality it was probably just an agreement of some sort depending on whether the deal was finalized or not.

        1. Supposedly on Tuesday the Quantum deal will be announced. Multiple sources (not that they are reliable, obviously) report the investors want Hulkenberg, so maybe this is what we have all been waiting for. This should help Lotus going forward, insure that Hulkenberg get paid, should he actually sign on with Lotus, and it has also been reported that this deal will help Kimi get paid. Evidently the investors were involved in the meetings to insure Kimi would race the last 2 races.

          An interesting note out of all this is that Maldonado is only wanted as a last resort pay driver, not a talent driver.

          Hope this does happen so Hulkenberg can go to a Lotus team that has decent resources to continue racing as one of the top teams.

  9. 28G vertical impact and a sore back; continuing and setting fastest lap – like a boss.

    1. *though strictly speaking you can’t measure an impact in terms of acceleration of course..

      1. I may be wrong but if Alonso weighs around 70kg, then he (very) briefly experienced 1960kg of force, so yes he’s lucky to only have a sore back!

        1. That’s why Formula 1 drivers trains everyday to stay fit (physically and mentally), such as being fittest athletes in the sport.

    2. You measure impacts in terms of Impulse, correct @andae23? ;)

      1. Or just Force actually, I’ve confused myself I think :P

        1. @vettel1 Correct, impacts are usually quantified by the highest force measured.

  10. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    4th November 2013, 6:35

    Hope what Quantum is saying is all true. Not really from the Kimi perspective, but the Hulk & Sponsors side. I’d LOVE to see Grosjean and Hulkenberg in a capable car that has proper financial backing. Now to lure Brawn out of probable retirement and dump Boullier. Just last week it sounded as if Maldonado was a shoe-in for the 2nd Lotus car. Now it sounds like Hulkenberg.

    “We’re going to clear off the debt, and then we’re going to bring very high quality sponsors which you’ll see very soon,” he assured reporters.

    “Those sponsors will give us the longevity and capacity to compete at the top end of the business for a long time.

    1. @braketurnaccelerate I actually like Eric. He did a lot with what little he got. It’s people like Gerard Lopez and GENII that have been causing Lotus more harm than good.

    2. Honestly, I wouldn’t even surprised if Lopez was glad for Kimi baulking and speculation about Maldonado being a done deal surfacing because it seems to have given the push for Quantum to finally make things work before things go completely down the drain @braketurnaccelerate (they already hesitated too long to be able to resign Kimi earlier)

    3. Ya, I was wondering how much hot air the Quantum people were blowing when they said they are to bring high-quality sponsors… Only time will tell I suppose… Maybe another 4 months? Anyone? :D

  11. we’ll see what that Quantum-Lotus deal brings – I hope that Quantum Motorsports Ltd. is a vanity project of these private investors and that it isn’t one of these private equity groups running companies into the ground.

    1. I understood one of the biggest bags of money in there is the Sultan of Brunei – a guy having a huge fortune and a whole parking garage full of exotic cars. I doubt they are in it just for the money.

  12. Agree with COTD on the inconsistency of stewards decisions on track limits. But i do think there is some room where they have to use their judgement. For example, the Alonso-Verne incident was caused by the pit lane exit layout and i would consider it a racing incident with neither car at fault. You could argue Alonso overtook off track but he was carrying more speed and was practically alongside by the time the pit exit finished.

    However, i was very surprised Sutil didn’t get a penalty for his off track moment (can’t even remember which other cars were involved right now but that’s beside the point). Far as i remember he was between 2 other cars, the front car and Sutil went off, and when they rejoined Sutil had gained a place, while not losing out to the car behind which followed the track. I can only assume no penalty was given since the intial leading car also went off track. But in my view Sutil gained an advantage (possibly 2 advantages since he maintained a place from a car following closely and overtook one too) so i thought he should get penalised. I believe Martin Brundle referred to it as a ‘slam dunk’ for a penalty too. I’ll have another view of it and see if i change my mind.

    1. +1 Finally a balanced view on this.

    2. @keithedin
      I agree there has to be some leeway in the rules, otherwise it gives too much incentive for defending drivers to simply drive the other car off the track (this already happens often enough).

  13. Looked like quite a big wheelie by Alonso, at high speed. I think that track’s unsafe (as well as boring and easy to cheat on) – that bump, and the way the GP2 car got launched at head height on lap 1 of Saturday’s race, mean some of the kerbs need looking at.

  14. I heard Alonso is back at the hospital :/

  15. I doubt Red Bull would let Ben Ainslie anywhere near the team if they thought there was any chance of him nabbing Adrian Newey!

  16. Although it is unlikely, if Alonso was deemed not OK to race in Austin, who would stand in to replace him in the last two races?

    1. Austin and Brazil*

    2. Kimi would call quits and join Ferrari at once? :D

      Joking apart, their third/reserve/test driver is Pedro De La Rosa.

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