Alonso to replace Ralf at Toyota? - Page 4

JeremySmith · 21 Sep 2007, 01:13 (Ref:2019402)

Just go out there and race and don't be concerned about the other guy after all he is a rookie...

Patrick Fletche · 21 Sep 2007, 08:15 (Ref:2019526)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

Alonso may not be the brightest Driver in F1, but he isn't stupid enough to go there unless they are really able to turn things around.

Actually he probably is the brightest.
He is certainly, by far, the best of the current crop. Hence he will be a three time world champion within a few weeks. And hence he can name his price and name his team.

Of course he may well stay at McLaren. Why not? They pay him well and make good cars. He has proven that he doesn't have to talk to his "team mate" or the team principal. In fact he is probably happier there now with his own team within a team than he was at the beginning of the season.

Harry Stiller · 21 Sep 2007, 09:32 (Ref:2019564)

It is highly unlikely that Alonso will remain at McLaren after this year. The relationship between him and Ron Dennis must be strained to say the least! He will probably be released from his contract and most likely will return to Renault for next year. That will leave McLaren in some kind of quandry as it would be highly unlikely for Williams to release Nico Rosberg at any price; he's their best hope for moving up the grid in 2009. It's only my opinion but, I think that perhaps the most likely candidate would be Button. He has the ability, the personality and, in a McLaren would be a force to reckon with at the front of the field. He would also blend well into the team and is one driver that I believe could work well with Hamilton. Besides which...an all Brit. team!
Phew! Can you imagine....a potential 1-2 at next year's British Grand Prix ??

Patrick Fletche · 21 Sep 2007, 09:42 (Ref:2019570)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Stiller

It is highly unlikely that Alonso will remain at McLaren after this year. The relationship between him and Ron Dennis must be strained to say the least! He will probably be released from his contract and most likely will return to Renault for next year. That will leave McLaren in some kind of quandry as it would be highly unlikely for Williams to release Nico Rosberg at any price; he's their best hope for moving up the grid in 2009. It's only my opinion but, I think that perhaps the most likely candidate would be Button. He has the ability, the personality and, in a McLaren would be a force to reckon with at the front of the field. He would also blend well into the team and is one driver that I believe could work well with Hamilton. Besides which...an all Brit. team!
Phew! Can you imagine....a potential 1-2 at next year's British Grand Prix ??

The problem I have with this scenario is that Renault work on a small budget. This is why Alonso left them in the first place, they wouldn't pay him a decent wage.
I think that next year he will be at a team that can a) afford him b) win the world driver's championship.

That means McMerc or Ferrari.
And Ferrari aren't having him.
Which is why I think that there is a possibility that he will stay at McMerc.

mjstallard · 21 Sep 2007, 09:47 (Ref:2019572)

Welcome to the forum Harry!

An all Brit lineup would be incredible, and it'd be great to see Jenson getting a crack at a decent drive again. I don't think that Ron would go for it though, solely from the reduced scope in marketing the team this would give

Personally I'd rather see Ant Davidson in the McLaren for an all-Brit line up, but that's because he's my current favourite driver!

Kebab · 21 Sep 2007, 10:03 (Ref:2019580)

Alonso will be going to Ferrari, Massa will go to Toyota

Marbot · 21 Sep 2007, 10:30 (Ref:2019597)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottiella

I suppose it's a no win situation...but I guess in that respect if he has to choose between having a good image of being a team player or a chance at winning the world championship...well we know which one he's chosen! Can we blame him?

Well it is still possible to have a good image and still be WDC.Maybe out of the recent multi-WDC's only Prost and Hakkinen have managed to come out of it still looking like 'nice guys'.

Can we blame him? Well we've seen a taste of what he's really like behind the the wheel at the first corner of the last race.I'm sure that Lewis will be ready for that and is just as capable of doing the same.

As for Alonso to Toyota.....In their dreams!

Patrick Fletche · 21 Sep 2007, 10:33 (Ref:2019601)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kebab

Alonso will be going to Ferrari, Massa will go to Toyota

Actually that makes a lot of sense.

The best (possibly ever) and the fastest (possibly ever) F1 drivers in the same team at the same time. With no politics (because Kimi just cannot be bothered). This would be an awesome Ferrari line up. Especially if they get Ross Brawn back to make it all work properly (too many cock ups this year without him).

pottiella · 21 Sep 2007, 11:23 (Ref:2019626)

firstly, Alonso left Renault because in 2005 they still hadn't given any indication of whether they were going to stay in F1 from 2007...even after he apparently asked Flavio. That's part of the reason why McLaren could take advantage of not offering him as much money as they might have if there was a massive bidding war for him likely to start in 2006 - because Alonso was "vulnerable" at that point. Money was only a small issue back then for leaving Renault...hence why he might have still left even if they had stuck around in F1 when he signed...but eventually the priority reasoning was to secure his future for 2007.

secondly, you're quite right martyn, it is possible to be WDC and still come out with a good image...but is it at all strange that there aren't too many of them? Prost came out alright because he made a conscious decision to leave McLaren...and even then he made the same complaints about Senna the same way Alonso is now. Just because we never saw what went on behind closed doors, lets not assume it wasn't worse with Ron dennis. Many say that both Prost and Senna tried to make demands like Alonso did...but for all the "nice guy" qualities Alonso was always known to have, his single fatal flaw is his volatile temperament (a bit like Senna). He doesn't say anything until it boils over, and when it does, every bad thing comes to the surface (paranoia, blurting things out without thinking or really meaning it etc). Ron Dennis called him a "recluse"...well take it from me, that is a natural characteristic of a "recluse" when they get pushed to the edge.

And Mika? not even comparable...he's not in the same situation as Alonso, never was, and in fact he always had a relationship with Ron similar to that of Lewis.

In the words of Andrew Benson at the BBC..everything "has to be seen in context..."

racing drivers are not monsters; they're just humans with human flaws like us all.

**Adam43** · 21 Sep 2007, 11:34 (Ref:2019632)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Fletche

Actually that makes a lot of sense.

Ferrari won't want him, they are against spying in F1 and he was involved, so they must have a low opinion of him.

pottiella · 21 Sep 2007, 11:43 (Ref:2019640)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

Ferrari won't want him, they are against spying in F1 and he was involved, so they must have a low opinion of him.

adam, you're bleeding irony all over the place...watch you don't start haemorrhaging

Harry Stiller · 21 Sep 2007, 11:53 (Ref:2019647)

Thanks for the welcome Mj, not sure that we agree about the marketing angle and Dennis having a reduced package to offer the sponsors if he were to go for Button; whilst I acknowledge your point, there are a lot of plus factors in what I suggested too. Probably a lesser salary package for the team as Button would put the drive first before the money and, in the second instance, the amount of experience Button would bring with him. I also think he would bring a harmony to the team after all its troubles and be a cornerstone in ensuring a complete team effort. I can see no conflict of personalities between him and Hamilton and see them working very well together. Points before money will be in Ron's mind for next year and I think the better the relationship between his drivers is, the more he will envisage a successful season during 2009. Whilst money is very important to the team, so is unity and team effort; if there are two drivers trying to see each other off at all costs, that's only a recipee for disaster along the line. We'll see, perhaps we will all be proved wrong.

JeremySmith · 21 Sep 2007, 13:54 (Ref:2019716)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk

Hopefully he has accepted that fact Jeremy, and that is one of the reasons for his resurrgence.

I hope so as well Kirk..

botsquad · 21 Sep 2007, 15:26 (Ref:2019776)

dont think f.a will want to become the highest paid quality assurance driver in f1.

i hope he stays with ron. it makes for great racing and great media.

Leighton Irwin · 21 Sep 2007, 15:26 (Ref:2019777)

I do not think there is much doubt Toyota will win races next year.
I just do not understand what the Craftsman Truck Series has to do with this thread.

**Peter Mallett** · 21 Sep 2007, 15:47 (Ref:2019790)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottiella

adam, you're bleeding irony

Cynicism.

f1manoz · 21 Sep 2007, 16:06 (Ref:2019802)

Alonso to Toyota? No. Why would he want to waste more years of his career trundling around midfield scraping points. No wonde driver will ever pick up that abysmal operation until they actually produce a winning car.

Alonso, if he leaves McLaren, will go to Renault.

Marbot · 21 Sep 2007, 23:22 (Ref:2020154)

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1manoz

Alonso, if he leaves McLaren, will go to Renault.

Alonso vs Kovaleinen,hmmmm.....out of the frying pan..................

JeremySmith · 21 Sep 2007, 23:39 (Ref:2020159)

Not quite, but could be?...No not quite!

flor · 21 Sep 2007, 23:40 (Ref:2020160)

apparently it would be vs fisico because alonso is rumored to want him as his team mate and kovalainen would go to toyota to replace ralf

pottiella · 22 Sep 2007, 02:13 (Ref:2020204)

like I said before, that's one rumour I just don't buy, as he and Heikki are probably the closest set of friends in the current field of drivers, and he's always been pretty supportive of Heikki's position at Renault, and vice versa.

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