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    Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Things seem very quiet on the Alonso front.. from his claim a few weeks back that there were '10 teams wanting to sign me' it now appears that even Toyota were keener to sign Timo Glock (who is outstanding in my opinion, a real star of the future). I'm glad the CRB ruled in Glock's favour, as he is a major talent and Toyota have pulled off a real coup by getting him.

    I'm also pretty sure Alonso will never drive for Ferrari. I think it was Luca just having fun digs at McLaren's expense. Ferrari has two great drivers on long term contracts and no way would they risk putting Alonso and his disruptive ways into that situation, especially as Kimi will no doubt beat him into submission on the track..his only possibility would be if Kimi retired and yet even then I'm not so sure. If Kimi is on a roll of 2-3 championships in the next few years I cant see him leaving the sport.

    I cant help but think his behaviour in 2007 did serious damage to his stock in the paddock. It seems that Renault is really his only default option in 2008. Now with Renault possibly staring down the barrel of a $100m fine, that could turn out to be a worse option..

    I wonder what's happening..

    I hope somebody can give me a concise and clear opinion on this (which immediately rules out some of our illustrious posters )

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    I was thinking the same over the week-end...no news on the Alonso front. I was sure this was a matter of days. Apparently not see easy, even if you are 2x worldchamp...

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Which tell us how little importance F1 shows towards a driver these days... it's all about the team lol

    Marketing BS!

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    He could always retire.....

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    i think he got offered a job back in spain driving the milk truck in the morning!

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Test Driver at Super Aguri?

    Seriously, he doesn't deserve a drive next season and if Renault don't take him that's exactly what he'll get...

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    temm said:
    He could always retire.....



    that would be a big present for Kimi and Hamilton

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Not really, and that makes the assumption that Renault exists as an F1 team next year.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    cgt said:
    Things seem very quiet on the Alonso front.. from his claim a few weeks back that there were '10 teams wanting to sign me' it now appears that even Toyota were keener to sign Timo Glock (who is outstanding in my opinion, a real star of the future). I'm glad the CRB ruled in Glock's favour, as he is a major talent and Toyota have pulled off a real coup by getting him.




    Do you really think that Glock is better than Alonso?

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    gangajas said:
    Quote:
    cgt said:
    Things seem very quiet on the Alonso front.. from his claim a few weeks back that there were '10 teams wanting to sign me' it now appears that even Toyota were keener to sign Timo Glock (who is outstanding in my opinion, a real star of the future). I'm glad the CRB ruled in Glock's favour, as he is a major talent and Toyota have pulled off a real coup by getting him.




    Do you really think that Glock is better than Alonso?



    Unless Alonso wears a vest, a Glock will do lots of damage, yes .

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    gangajas said:
    Quote:
    cgt said:
    Things seem very quiet on the Alonso front.. from his claim a few weeks back that there were '10 teams wanting to sign me' it now appears that even Toyota were keener to sign Timo Glock (who is outstanding in my opinion, a real star of the future). I'm glad the CRB ruled in Glock's favour, as he is a major talent and Toyota have pulled off a real coup by getting him.




    Do you really think that Glock is better than Alonso?



    Can I ask if you watch any other driver than Alonso? Have you seen Timo Glock race in GP2?

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    No, I thought not..

    One advantage to Alonso disappearing down the grid into oblivion will be that we will lose his legions of ill informed 'fans' who only started watching F1 in the last two years and have no idea about any other driver or car and border on the psychotic in their devotion to their hero at the expense of all reason or rationality..

    No disrespect to real racing fans who support Alonso of course....I have no problem having a difference of opinion with somebody who knows what they are talking about..

    I wonder if this is the reason for the delay?

    http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2893000,00.html

    We know Piquet is fast, young and aggressive. I'm pretty sure he wouldnt accept being no.2 to Alonso so maybe this is the reason for the delay.

    Alonso vs Nelson Piquet (Junior) in Renault F1...

    Briatore upbeat on Alonso return... (BBC Sport)

    Renault chief Flavio Briatore says there is a "60% chance" of Fernando returning to the team for next season. Briatore said he expected a decision within 48 hours from Alonso who won the 2005 and 2006 world titles with Renault before one unhappy year with McLaren.

    Speaking on Italian radio, he also suggested current drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen would not be retained by Renault for 2008. "We'll definitely have different drivers next year," Briatore said. Finnish rookie Kovalainen, 26, and Italian veteran Fisichella, 34, finished seventh and eighth in this year's F1 drivers' championship.

    It is widely believed that Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr, who was Renault's test driver last season, will step up into one of the race seats.

    Briatore also dismissed suggestions that Alonso could join Ferrari. "A Formula One team can't have two favoured drivers," he said. "One has to fight for the drivers' title and the other for the constructors' crown. "With (world champion Kimi) Raikkonen at Ferrari it's impossible that Alonso will go there."

    Previously, Briatore had told Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport he was to keen to work again with Alonso on a long-term project. "If his desires coincide with ours, it can happen," he said. "I know how much he can still give Renault. But an agreement for one year would have no sense with an outlook projected for a period of time."

    Alonso joined McLaren last summer but had a troubled year with the British team, largely down to tensions between him and team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard was often outgunned on the track by his rookie rival and accused team boss Ron Dennis of favouring his protege...

    Briatore-upbeat-on-Alonso-return_BBC-Sport_link


    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    cgt said:
    I hope somebody can give me a concise and clear opinion on this (which immediately rules out some of our illustrious posters )



    I still find it funny to watch that it is primarily the english-speaking members who show their dismay for Alonso, while those Spaniards are in favour of him. How could this be? Now, do you want a consise and clear opinion or not? Cannot think of excluding those "illustrious posters" in that case.

    To be serious, there will surely be a cockpit for Alonso next year, unless there are reasons that haven't appeared on the public scene yet. As I mentioned before, Alonso painfully had to realize this season that a driver's abilities and competences within the team are very limited, unless one is good friends with the people in charge. David Coulthard mentioned in a very recent interview, that this year's season offered a thrilling mixture of every aspect and, asked about Alonso, he mentioned that he does believe each driver had equal rights but Dennis surely has difficulties to lead his drivers in the correct manner. While people like Coulthard or Raikkonen would have accepted it (and rather get distracted by partying) a character like Alonso would start revolting. I'd say this is well know inside the F1 business, this year's incidents would clearly show what he'd be up to if he would get mistreated again in another team. Still I'd put my money on Alonso in a Renault or Red Bull next season, everything else would be a great surprise to me...

    Timo Glock has been a remarkable talent for quite some time already, I'd actually think that he should've received a cockpit a couple of years ago. Whichever series he was attending (e.g. becoming Rookie o.t.y. in Champcar), he provided great results. I am still wondering how much of an influence he will have at Toyota's F1 team. It is quite interesting to see that the philosophy those two particular teams, Honda & Toyota, had a very "Japanese" approach on dealing with problems regarding their competitiveness. While Honda signed Brawn, this would've been a desaster for Toyota since it would've verified their mistakes in the past.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Thank you Ferdie, exactly the kind of opinion I wanted to read. Yes, it's true the media in both countries exaggerates the situation but what baffles me is when people who clearly have no real interest in F1 other than a fanatical devotion to one driver then try and speak as if they know what they are talking about, irrespective of who you like or dislike. This applies equally to the English and Spanish media. I have stated several times that I think Alonso is a fantastic driver, but a bad sportsman with a persecution complex. If he were working a normal job in a corporate environment, his behaviour would not be tolerated and I dont see why it should be in an F1 team. Talent does not mean one can do as they like and as we are probably now seeing, it is coming back to bite him. Equally, being a long term racing fan, I have a lot of admiration for Hamilton's abilities. I can do without the hype, and James Allen of ITV should be shot, but taking it all away, the fact remains Hamilton is exceptional. Anybody who has watched him over the last ten years (as opposed to reading about him in a Spanish newspaper) can see that.

    Timo Glock, yes I have a lot of respect for him. To his credit, he accepted that he probably drove in F1 too early first time round in 2004 and then went back to lower formulae to polish his abilities. He restructured his approach to racing and his GP2 race in Istanbul last year was fantastic. One of the best defensive/tactical races I have seen, very Schumacher-esque.

    A real star for sure, lets hope Toyota can give him a car good enough.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    cgt said:
    I have stated several times that I think Alonso is a fantastic driver, but a bad sportsman with a persecution complex. If he were working a normal job in a corporate environment, his behaviour would not be tolerated and I dont see why it should be in an F1 team.



    And you know it exactly that Alonso is a bad sportsman? You have all this inside know how that we don't have? Come on, you, like we all, have to relay on a written word. Albert Einstein wrote once (in the years before WWII) in a letter to a friend: "Give me access to newspapers and radio and I will bring every young man to take a gun". Alonso has to battle against media in England, Germany and Italy. England because Hamilton and Dennis (what did Ron said? we didn't race against Kimi we raced agains Alonso!!). Germany because he won two times agains MSC. Italy he won two times against Ferrari!
    Maybe he was the bad guy, maybe he was like Cinderella!

    I think he should drive for Renault and maybe after Kimi for Ferrari.

    AM

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    mumbasic said:
    Quote:
    cgt said:
    I have stated several times that I think Alonso is a fantastic driver, but a bad sportsman with a persecution complex. If he were working a normal job in a corporate environment, his behaviour would not be tolerated and I dont see why it should be in an F1 team.



    And you know it exactly that Alonso is a bad sportsman? You have all this inside know how that we don't have? Come on, you, like we all, have to relay on a written word. Albert Einstein wrote once (in the years before WWII) in a letter to a friend: "Give me access to newspapers and radio and I will bring every young man to take a gun". Alonso has to battle against media in England, Germany and Italy. England because Hamilton and Dennis (what did Ron said? we didn't race against Kimi we raced agains Alonso!!). Germany because he won two times agains MSC. Italy he won two times against Ferrari!
    Maybe he was the bad guy, maybe he was like Cinderella!

    I think he should drive for Renault and maybe after Kimi for Ferrari.

    AM



    There is a fantastic invention called TV where you can actually see and hear a person's own words and an image of them moving too

    Ummm...I think he's a bad sportsman because of what I heard him saying and words coming out of his own mouth, not just in 2007 but before when he was with Renault too, remember when he said the whole Renault team was against him in 2006?..

    Or perhaps you think Ron Dennis used a lifelike Robot to give interviews to the media and make the remarks that appeared to be coming from Alonso

    I'm sure that even if he goes to Renault (assuming they have any money) there will be something in his contract that will tell him to stop making such remarks to the media every time things dont go his way. Sadly, I think 2008 will be a year of many such outbursts from him unless he suddenly grows up over the winter.

    It's a shame that such a sportsman who was so well liked just a couple of years ago is now disliked so much, I was surprised at the boos on the podium in Brazil considering it's a Latin country..but really he is to blame for his own behaviour, not Dennis, Briatore or any other convenient scapegoat..

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    cgt said:
    Quote:
    gangajas said:
    Quote:
    cgt said:
    Things seem very quiet on the Alonso front.. from his claim a few weeks back that there were '10 teams wanting to sign me' it now appears that even Toyota were keener to sign Timo Glock (who is outstanding in my opinion, a real star of the future). I'm glad the CRB ruled in Glock's favour, as he is a major talent and Toyota have pulled off a real coup by getting him.




    Do you really think that Glock is better than Alonso?



    Can I ask if you watch any other driver than Alonso? Have you seen Timo Glock race in GP2?



    You haven't answered the question

    Do you really think that Timo Glock is better that a driver that has won 2 WDC beating M. Schumacher? Are you joking? You may not like him as a person but you should accept that he's one of the best drivers in the world (leagues ahead of Timo Glock)

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    My answer is that I think he may be about the same as Alonso, possibly better. I base this on two particular performances by Timo Glock, Istanbul in GP2 and Long Beach in CART (which he won the championship in his rookie year).

    If you read my posts again, I very clearly said Alonso is an excellent driver, not the best but yes one of the best. His talent has nothing to do with his persona apart from the fact it is undermined by his attitude, hence why people like myself have lost respect for him in spite of his obvious skill. But I'm sure what ordinary people care matters nothing to any F1 driver.

    You seem obsessed with the fact Alonso beat Schumacher but if you watched the 2005 season you will recall that Schumacher was not even in the running for the championship due to the tyre regulations. In 2006 Alonso was very lucky that Schumacher had problems in Japan and Brazil. Alonso did not win on merit in either year, he adopted the cruise and collect attitude. In fact if you recall he had one of his familiar tantrums just before Japan because he was convinced Schumacher would win the title. Nothing wrong with playing tactics, Prost did it throughout his career, but he did not dominate either championship by being the faster driver.

    Now how about you answer my questions, do you watch the technique or ability of any other driver but Alonso? Are you aware of other formulae in motorsports apart from F1, some of which have some very good drivers?

    And out of interest, how long have you been watching F1 and can you mention some of your memorable recollections of seasons gone by?

    With respect you dont seem to know very much about F1 or motorsports, I would love you to prove me wrong so we can have an interesting discussion.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    CART doesn't exist since 2002. Glock was competing in Champcar in 2005 and he finished 8th behind incredibly succesful ex-F1 drivers like Justin Wilson. If you consider Glock such a genius, then Bourdais must be God for you, because he demonstrated to be much faster than Glock.

    But if you think that Glock is better than Alonso (a 2 times F1 WDC) due to his performances in two races of two "minor" championships, sorry, but I can't take you seriously.

    What is next, comparing M. Wilson to M. Gronholm?

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    He could always go to NASCAR

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    01Box06Z06 said:
    He could always go to NASCAR



    LOL

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    I think he was delusional about his demand on the market. As he possibly was about his ability to dominate his team-mate!

    It's reported this morning that Telefonica, one of the major backers financing the Renault fund to bring him back has pulled out. I suspect he may wait until the Spy hearing on December 6th.

    But if Renault are heavily sanctioned, then Alonso is in trouble as he really has no other choices.

    A year sitting it out would not be ideal either because the cars will be radically different this year.

    Interesting few days ahead..

    As James Brown said 'Payback's A Mutha!'

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Alonso could always drive for Force India for all I care.

    He might have his heart set on returning to Renault but he doesn't want to signed the contract then find out his new team will be bankrupted by a FIA fine.

    He wants to drive with someone who is definitely slower than him so as not to have a repeat of 07, but the problem is he is one of the new breed of drivers who grew up on electronic driver aids, with no help from the computer next year he may not be the good driver that he seems to be.

    In fact, he only won the 2 championships with luck and superior car, not his skills, given a equal car, I think he may not be able to beat half the field.

    So basically what he wants is a superior car combined with a inferior team mate or standing team order that he will be the one in front, looking up and down the teams there aren't any apart from Renault where he will be for sure pampered.

    Honda or Toyota could be secondary options with Honda poised to have a better car next year, and Toyota with the DEEP pocket to stroke his fragile mega ego, but they both have competitive drivers that could very well be faster than Alonso.

    With his reputation all but gone this season, if he doesn't sign with Renault he should seriously consider retiring. He will be another Jacque Villeneuve.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Quote:
    Whoopsy said:
    In fact, he only won the 2 championships with luck and superior car, not his skills, given a equal car, I think he may not be able to beat half the field.



    No,he didn't win his 2 titles because he was lucky.That's just stupid.

    Maybe you forgot that in 2006 he was way way better than everyone else.
    There were the penalties in Hungary and Italy (what a wonderful Ferrari joke that was),the mass dampers affair,the engine blow in Italy and the 2 mistakes of his mechanic(Hungary and China).He also didn't became world champion already in Japan because Kubica was disqualified in Hungary!
    And he still managed to win the championship with a confortable margin.

    So no,he wouldn't be slower than half of the field on equal cars.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Well, it has became public that Renault obtained unauthorized MacLaren data as early as the middle of the 2006 season, so it's quite debatable as to whether Alonso benefited from that and becomes champ in 06. Renault was arguably the best car fielded so there is still the question whether it's the car or the driver, Alonso have yet to prove he can win without a superior car like Senna or Schumacher did before, so his skills as a driver is not yet a proven entity.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    The owner of Red Bull has said he will not drive for either of his teams. Toyota has signed Glock. It appears there is no other option than Renault.

    If Renault get hit with a huge fine on December 6th, then is it feasible Alonso will not have a drive for next year?

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    He could always try BTCC and see if he is faster than Jason Plato or not. Maybe he can land a role in Fifth Gear or Top Gear.

    Re: Alonso - Any options other than Renault?

    Two great quotes from Alonso this year:

    "I bought six tenths to the team"

    "Ten teams want to sign me up" (in October)

    Yeah right!

     
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