Alonso's thoughts about TGF

[ljakse]

From www.F1-live.com :

What do you think about Michael Schumacher, who believes that he may drive until he is 50 years old?

He can drive for as long as he wants, as long as his team still have confidence in him. He won six titles and in theory he is the best even if at Silverstone he made a manoeuvre that was not very legitimate; he pushed me on the grass while I was going at more than 300 km/h. Another driver would have got a penalty but not him. He always won with the best car. He drove for many years at Ferrari without winning the title and that means that if you don't have the best car, you cannot win in F1. It depends a lot on the car and because of that he can stay in F1 past his 40's and still win races.

I guess he is not too impressed with the guy!

[f1manoz]

Good to see Alonso isn't one of those drivers lining up to kiss TGF's ass.

[Gt_R]

I won't be surprised if Alonso's edgy about him. Afterall, the Silverstone incident had soured relations, and the Michelin incident just worsen it.

Michael isn't perfect, but to start hinting at foul play or unfair stewards isn't the smartest thing to do. And oh boy, the "Michael wins only cos he has the best car" theory is already done to death by Montoya, surely? Obviously, Alonso started watching F1 in 2000, when Ferrari starts their strong form.

I'd just treat it as a harmless interview (for now) and won't tear up his words. And yes, if Ferrari keep having that best car, Alonso, do come and take one of the seats in the post-Michael era. Let your driving do the talking.

[ljakse]

Originally posted by Gt_R
Obviously, Alonso started watching F1 in 2000, when Ferrari starts their strong form.

I'd say he covered few years before that:

He drove for many years at Ferrari without winning the title and that means that if you don't have the best car, you cannot win in F1.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Gt_R
the "Michael wins only cos he has the best car" theory is already done to death by Montoya, surely?

Maybe they have a point then

Historically, the guy who wins the championship does so in the best car.

[Led ZeppF1]

Originally posted by Gt_R
...the "Michael wins only cos he has the best car" theory is already done to death by Montoya, surely?...

Yes, its Michael who have the best car in all season, not Juan. FW25 was a dog until Monaco.

[climb]

" He drove for many years at Ferrari without winning the title and that means that if you don't have the best car, you cannot win in F1"

Frankly I didn't expect such a stupid sentence from an renamedly intelligent guy like Alonso!
Dind't really MS win anything in those years?
Having a slower car he just won 16 races in 3 1/2 years (missed half a season in 1999).
Provided Alonso has a slower car, too, how will it take to him to win 16 races?

[Led ZeppF1]

Yes, Michael had shown great perfomances between 1996-1999. I wont arguing about that.

But, Alonso's point: Michael didn't get a title with that 'slower' cars.

[Knowlesy]

Yeah Mikey didn't win the titles in 96 to 99 but he always gave the guys in the better cars a run for their money. And I don't think his Benettons were ever the best cars on the grid either.

Thankfully I judge drivers on their talent. If I didn't, then Alonso would be a driver I would resent. He ought to keep his big mouth shut. This could blow up in his face.

It'll be interesting if Coulthard comes out of the shadows and condemns Alonsos "brake-testing" at the Nurburgring.

I think Alonso will have a similar career to Schuey. I think he will win titles in inferior cars. He's already won a race. So what he's basically doing here is playing down his own future successes.

[DNQ]

Jeez we're going to be in for some good times when Fernando takes it wheel to wheel with Mikey in the upcoming seasons. Barcelona 2003 was a great race, I hope we can see more of that.

[Redblurr]

The fact that they are driving different cars has nothing to prove here!
The opposition they faced at the stages when they raced had cars comparable with the ones used by them!
You have to reckon that even if we are trying to compare drivers in actual F1 they can't all have the same car.
Plus a good and complete driver can develope a better car and set it up properly.

[DriverT]

Also, TGF came pretty close to winning the title in virtually every year he didn't win it with Ferrari.

[climb]

The problem is not how much you win, but how fast you go taken account of the car you drive.
Going to extremes to better explain, if you arrive second on a Minardi, you win nothing, but you'd probably prove better than who wins on a Ferrari, you catch my drift?
Thus the first years of MS at Ferrari were very positive, because he got much more than the bare cars he drove could deliver.

[climb]

Originally posted by knowlesy
Yeah Mikey didn't win the titles in 96 to 99 but he always gave the guys in the better cars a run for their money. And I don't think his Benettons were ever the best cars on the grid either.

Thankfully I judge drivers on their talent. If I didn't, then Alonso would be a driver I would resent. He ought to keep his big mouth shut. This could blow up in his face.

It'll be interesting if Coulthard comes out of the shadows and condemns Alonsos "brake-testing" at the Nurburgring.

I think Alonso will have a similar career to Schuey. I think he will win titles in inferior cars. He's already won a race. So what he's basically doing here is playing down his own future successes.

Excellent point knowlesy

[Adam43]

What Alonso says is pretty much true. To win in F1 you need the best car. 90%+ of all championship have probably gone this way, especially in the last twenty five years.

Michael has done well in lesser cars, but that doens't make the above untrue really.

[Glen]

Fantastic talent though he is, Alonso has not even touched on those other qualities which make a champion, as opposed to a quick driver. He's too young to concern himself with race craft and mental attitiude - two elements which Schumacher has developed beyond what one normally expects. Alonso is young yet - put him in the best car and yes he could be champion - give him a difficult season and extreme pressure and let's see how he gets on.

[GP Racer]

I think Alonso should show a little respect for his elder's, especially one who is 6 time WDC! Young gun's like Alonso should be looking up to veteran's like Michael, and maybe emulating them instead of tearing them down.

You got a long way to go and alot to learn, before you are in Michael's league Alonso, just ask DC.

[Redblurr]

Exactly, he has only won one race - and in the future [his chance at WDC] he will have Webber and Kimi to deal with, so he may not even win a WDC

[Gt_R]

I would agree that in current format of F1, it is very unlikely (though the new points have made it almost happen this year) to win WDC if you do not have the best car or close to the best car. But if anyone can do a reality check, given not the best car, few would bet against michael being able to produce far better results than his rival drivers.

Ferrari in 1996 is still a dog of a car. Unlike the Renaults which though lack downforce but has great chassis/aero/grip/LC, the Ferrari had none of the qualities to match that of the dominating Williams. Yet, Michael had managed to squeeze 3 wins from that junk (through great driving and strategy calls). He had brought the absolute maximum and more out of the cars to achieve results that the car sometimes don't deserve. We had seen this ability in great drivers of the past like Senna, and we had seen it in him. And i'm very glad to say, this is something which we see in Kimi and Alonso (where he raced the battled and damaged Renault- it does remind me the day Michael finished 2nd while stuck in fifth)

And sure, Michael din't win in the years leading up to 2000. But '99 is down to THAT accident, and while the F399 is not up to that of the Mclaren, few would be against Michael winning. And 98 and 97, he was THERE right to the end of the WDC despite being in cars not the match of their rivals.

And when Michael had the BEST car, he din't just win the WDC. He still pushed himself to demolish his rivals. In the years where he had the best car at Ferrari, he secured WDC with races left to run.

Funny that many people just brush off Michael's WDC as "just with the best car", yet nobody bothered to point out how the WDCs of JV/Hill/Mika were won.

I like Alonso, he simply remind me of times where Michael starts out. I am not yet bothered by his criticism, as it's something that many newcomers tend to do to F1, with their ego and self believe, thought that they had to show an attitude to attempt to gain paddock respect. Montoya came with many strong words against Michael too.

But it's not good to say too much against proven champions. Those words may come back to haunt you and backfire by giving unneccessary pressure on yourself (as experienced by JV and Montoya). Just get down to the job, and if the results come, celebrate it.

Alonso have a long way to go in F1. There's no need to rush to put others off.

PS. Yepp, i too judge drivers by talent. That's why my cast of favourites include very different personalities but highly qualified racers

[Gt_R]

Anyway, interesting comparison, suggestive but not conclusive.

Michael/Alonso/JPM/Kimi are all the star driver of their team and far better than their team-mates.

1996 (Ferrari is way off Williams)
Michael won 3 races.

2003 (Williams is on par with Ferrari, Mclaren/Renault is lagging slightly behind the pair)
JPM+Kimi+Alonso won 4 races.

You just can't brush off all the signs that despite drivers of high quality being fielded in the recent grid, Michael had still managed to show he is still the better one out there.

And sadly for many who look forward to a straight fight between Michael and the young guns, it's no longer that much possible because Michael had already shown signs that, as great a driver he still is, he is no longer at that absolute peak he was once. I believe his peak in form was in 2002, and Michael is starting to be affected by his increasing age/mindset

[Redblurr]

Originally posted by Gt_R
it's no longer that much possible because Michael had already shown signs that, as great a driver he still is, he is no longer at that absolute peak he was once. I believe his peak in form was in 2002, and Michael is starting to be affected by his increasing age/mindset

For me when things were matched [Monza]: car,tyres,weather the pressure from Tifosi being home race,recent form [then] Schumacher delivered. I think there is more in the tank.

[Knowlesy]

He had to dig deep though. Can he muster up that kind of motivation next year? We could be in for a surprise......but most likely not.

[Gt_R]

What i would like to suggest is that, after witnessing Michael's 2003 season, that it is inevitable that he would slow down and have more considerations. It's something which had affected Mika and Damon quite dramatically and Michael had so far managed to limit that. I believe he realises it, that there are races where he would just go a bit slower, find it harder to react as quickly to difficult conditions, and less satisfied with success (loss of motivation).

That's why i've said since the beginning of the year, that if JPM/Kimi or anyother young guns want to prove their mettle against the best, it had to be done fast in this or next year the latest.

After that, old Michael could stay on for the next 10 years, and anybody can beat Michael then, but it would be meaningless - because the Michael they beat then would be a shadow of his current self.

And after this season, Michael's victory in a straight fight with almost equal performing machinery to his rivals only reaffirm the great praises the man earned.

[BARrouette]

Nice comment by ALonso i am shure he would kick Shumi ass IF he would be in a ferrari.

[kdr]

Originally posted by BARrouette
Nice comment by ALonso i am shure he would kick Shumi ass IF he would be in a ferrari.

kick schumis ass? shurely shome mishtake?