Have to admit that I think that overall Alonso is the best driver out there at the moment! Vettel comes close but he somehow only impresses me when he starts from pole (which happens very often and is also his achievement as he is really fast in qualifying).
Zitat von claudieHave to admit that I think that overall Alonso is the best driver out there at the moment! Vettel comes close but he somehow only impresses me when he starts from pole (which happens very often and is also his achievement as he is really fast in qualifying).
Vettel really comes across as focused and there arent that many tactics ( dirty ) involved with him . I remember bahrain , he chose which stint to use his new tyres , which was decided while kimi was chasing him . ( i believe he chose the last stint, and then put it an outstanding out lap )
Pino Allievi (la Gazzetta dello Sport) was interviewed by one Spanish newspaper before Valencia race day and he said:
Zitat"In Italy he is very well liked, he is not perceived as foreigner but and Italian, he is very familiar, very popular, but he has to smile a little more and be less political, but he is seen as a serious professional, intelligent, and this are qualities that people perceive. He is more loved than Schumacher because he has more humanity."
They asked him about "and be less political". And he said:
Zitat"Less political with the public and more smiling. I say political in the sense that he always ponder what he is going to say, the weigh of his words. Maybe he should be more spontaneous with the public, but not with Ferrari, obviously."
I think he doesn't realize that Alonso is very shy.
Is Alonso really shy? He always speaks appropriately in the press conferences and podium ceremonies.
As for being as 'loved' as Schumi.. I think let's wait and see. Michael might not have fit the 'Latin/Hispanic' theme that Ferrari seem to be on with their current pilots. But he delivered on track. And I would think that is what the tifosi care most about.
Zitat von SonnyIs Alonso really shy? He always speaks appropriately in the press conferences and podium ceremonies.
Yeah, I have to say Alonso is not shy as walking among the fans and answer their questions, etc.
Zitat von SonnyAs for being as 'loved' as Schumi.. I think let's wait and see. Michael might not have fit the 'Latin/Hispanic' theme that Ferrari seem to be on with their current pilots. But he delivered on track. And I would think that is what the tifosi care most about.
So and that was the Pino Allievi opinion. Allievi said that before Fernando Alonso has been Ferrari team as much power drivers Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter. Pino Allievi also said that Schumacher at the time brought Ferrari their team from Benetton and Alonso is now to build a strong team gradually, but it will take time.
We’re back with our Twitter and Facebook interviews!!
It’s already been three months since the championship started, the same time since I landed on Twitter and Facebook!! Since we started this adventure together we’ve already completed three interviews, one per month. In the last one I received over 12,700 questions! Over 20,000 since March, and you continue to ask interesting, fun and original questions. There are nearly 800,000 of you accompanying me here!! You really make me work though. 12,700 questions in a couple of days… Are a lot of questions! But it’s worth it. You’re all worth it!! " title="" /> ))
Every kind of question, such as what’s the best and worst aspect for me about Twitter, but not only that… My sensations when driving through Eau Rouge (it feels like you’re going to get squashed!!), stepping on the podium, driving an F1 car (no there’s no time to enjoy it)… My heart rate during the race, what the translucent paint is for, what influences tyre degradation this year, even what face my mum put when she saw how many girl friends I had (#amigasALO), or when she saw my small tattoo!! Many of you are curious to know what I do on a normal day, drinking coffee with a gentleman in my lounge at 7 in the morning… Whilst he takes blood samples!! Or if I have changed the tyre on a car before. But now I’m going to ask you something curious… How much do you think I’d take to change an F1 tyre? Hmmmm, all bets are accepted!
You ask me on a regular basis about future professions, what I would like to do once I stop racing… And if I will set-up my own team when I retire. Why not? What an adventure!! But if Bernie let me, I would design a circuit just like the karting one I’ve designed in Oviedo which will open shortly!! I’ve already shown you some pictures, and in the upcoming days I’ll show you more!! Let’s see what you think!
Chance has decided that our third interview comes after what was perhaps my most special victory in F1. I said it on Sunday just after stepping off the podium. I was overwhelmed. How wasn’t I going to be? The stands in Valencia were almost packed with fans dressed in red, with Spanish flags, Asturias flags, Ferrari flags… The enormous joy of winning a Grand Prix in such a tough season as this one was added to the excitement of doing so in front of the Spanish people. Times are too difficult in Spain. Many of you who were there, supporting and enjoying the race, had to make a big economic sacrifice.
Also in Italy, my other “home”, the recent weeks have been tough. In the north there have been two earthquakes in a short period of time. It’s something that has really affected the team. And the team is all of us. When tragedies like these occur, the powerlessness that you feel is indescribable. Besides the money raised from the charity auction, we wanted to do something… We really wanted to dedicate a victory to all those people.
And when I see the look on people’s faces, thrilled with the win… Their joy… Is an incredible feeling. It creates a mix of disbelief, pride and surprise. I imagine that the feeling is similar to when I jump up off the sofa and scream when Spain scores… To sum up, the victory in Valencia is for all of you!
Well, it’s time to say goodbye, it’s time to see what you guys, the protagonists in all of this, have asked. Your support reaches me every day, it really does! If I’m feeling a bit lazy, you lift me up quickly and I start preparing for the next race. As you already know, in three months there are already nearly 800,000 of us here, which honestly is a surprise for me… THANKS!! Every time we launch contests o ask a question we break every record, the server collapses every time we post important information… What can I say?? You’re the best!! Until next time!
THIRD FANS INTERVIEW
rosamaga88
What’s it like living in Spain? Do you feel loved by the people? Does the press follow you a lot?
Living in Spain, in Oviedo, is living at home. I’ve got my family, my childhood friends and the respect of my fellow countrymen… What more can I ask for!! Normally no one follows me, I think it’s because I don’t do anything interesting enough for them to do so; but in any case, everything I do related to my job I talk about on a daily basis on Twitter and Facebook. And, for more specific things, I give a press conference every 15 days in three languages, every race weekend I give one: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Noe_iker
How do you feel when you see people cry tears of joy because of your victories? What does it feel like to make so many people happy?
I feel a mix of disbelief, pride and surprise. To see the emotion on people’s faces because of what has just happened, their joy, it’s an incredible feeling. But when they feel that because of something that you have done, you feel proud. I know, through experience, that those moments are very short, that that happiness vanishes once you’ve left the circuit. That’s why you have to enjoy them as much as you can.
angarbust1
When you’re not happy with the set-up, do you ask to change specific things or do you simply describe your sensations?
I describe the sensation of driving the car on certain corners, how it brakes, grips or turns. Sometimes, remembering old sensations and changes, you can tell your engineer what you changed on the car the last time you felt something similar.
toniArroyo13
In a race, how many times to do you speak with your engineer?
In normal conditions, he speaks to me two times a lap, and I speak to him every two or three laps. The thing is that normal conditions don’t last long. We try to agree on race decisions, and that means that we have to speak a lot.
aj_rebollo
What percentage approximately of the decisions made in the race correspond to the engineer and how much to the driver? Thanks champion.
50/50. They’ve got all the data, the mathematics and have a plan in mind. Every three or four laps they fine-tune things depending on the driver’s sensations and the behaviour of the car, which can respond differently to the calculations… And they make decisions depending on this.
Raymond_now
What do those gestures with your hands on the cool down lap mean?
It started with a TV programme I used to watch in Spain when I was a kid called “El chavo del 8”, where the main character would do this gesture. Over time it developed into a way of saying hello to my grandmother, so every time I would go to the airport for the next race she would say to me: “remember to say hello to me if you win”. So I’ve done that for her all this time… And it always will be if I get the chance to win again.
AgainOne
What is the meaning of the arrows on your helmet???
It’s something that comes from a Christmas gift when I was a child. The driver of the toy I got given had these arrows. I put similar ones on my go kart helmet and since then have always raced with those arrows.
LauGrijalv
In the end you’re going to give more interviews to the people than the journalists. They’re going to get angry!! I don’t think they’ll get annoyed!! Their mission is to inform about everything surrounding us and I think that now they have better information than before. Their work will be better as a result. A lot of journalists have come up to me and said thank you for my Twitter account and it’s not strange to see many of them retweeting some of the things I post.
candelapal
Do journalists from many countries interview you? Can you sense the differences? Who treats you best?
Yes, there are differences with journalists from every country. Interviews are moments of a lot of concentration; both for the journalist and myself, and in many cases, both of us are working in a language which isn’t ours. Depending on their nationality they ask me about certain drivers or circuits, food or cities. I think that many beforehand have an objective, news they want to confirm or something specific they want to find out.
Karnaplosky
Having the support that you have from Banco Santander…Don’t you consider yourself a Pay Driver of some sort?
I’m very proud of the support that I’ve received from all the sponsors that have accompanied me over the years. This is a sport with very high budgets and much more is demanded of the drivers than just being competitive in the car. Throughout the years I’ve taken part in the filming of more than thirty TV adverts, I’ve given conferences, participated in meetings with clients or employees of my sponsors…No one pays for nothing, in Formula 1 the drivers are the image of the team and the team’s sponsors; the better your sponsors are, the better the team is. Fortunately, year after year better sponsors are interested in this sport and in the team’s I’m at. Paying to drive is different than being paid to drive… No??
AMaDeuS_86
We know that the beginnings in everything are very difficult. Would you have liked to have had things easier to make it into F1?
Of course! I wish it could have been like it is now! Twelve years ago, Formula 1 in Spain was something strange, there weren’t many junior categories in Spain, a few karting races and for someone from Asturias it was even tougher. The best example is my great friend Antonio GarcĂa, one of the best talents Spain has had and look…I made it with a lot of luck and he didn’t. He’s won everything outside of Formula 1 and proved himself, but if that was today, he would have made it to F1 easily.
freyja_85
Wow!! What makes you angry the most??
Losing…
oliueta 4
And your mum…what does she make of so many #amigasALO?
My mum finds it very funny. Because #amigasALO is a very funny thing…
candelapal
What did your mum say when she saw your tattoo? Did she like it?
I don’t know whether she liked it or not. She saw me, half-smiled and continued doing what she was doing. As you know mother’s are unique.
josepittman
What do you feel when you drive flat out through the Eau Rouge corner?
Your body compresses. There’s a force that pushes you downwards and it seems as if you’re going to get squashed just as it starts to go up!
benur
Hello champion. Do you have to pass an alcohol, doping or blood analysis test before or after the race? Thanks
We receive the same treatment as a cyclist, for example. We’re required to tell the FIA where we are during the 365 days of the year to be able to pass an anti-doping test. I’ve already passed various; a few days ago, for example, I found myself chatting with a gentleman in the lounge of my house at seven in the morning whilst I passed an anti-doping test.
Javi_Fonte
From 0 to 10… How similar is the Ferrari simulator the real F1 car?
I’d say a 9. It’s a professional simulator, developed by the team to replicate the characteristics of the car, automate the movements during a lap and test the possible upgrades. It’s not a game, it’s part of the job… And if truth be told, it’s one of the least fun things to do, although it may seem the opposite.
rfsestelo
Put in order of importance the following attributes to make a good start in F1: Courage, Luck, Experience, Intuition and Reflexes
Would you like to manage your own team in the very distant future?
Maybe…
Timcy_F1
If you could design a race track what would it look like? Which famous corner would you include?
It would look exactly like the go-kart circuit I designed in my home town which will be opened shortly. I hope so… " title="" /> ) I will post a picture on Twitter soon…
good_true_love
Now that you’ve been with us for a while on the social networks…How do you assess the step taken? I’m thankful
I’m equally thankful! I feel a great amount of support! My desire to work is at its maximum every day and if at some stage I’m feeling a bit lazy, you all lift me up quickly and I immediately start working on something for the next race. In just three months there´re already nearly 800,000 of us here, every time we launch a contest o ask a question we break every record, the server collapses every time we post important information…What can I say?? You’re simply the best!!
candelapal
Can you tell me a place you would love to go or something you would like to do but haven’t been able to do so because you’re famous?
There are many things which aren’t easy for me to do. They’re not important things, but over time I miss doing things like: going to the beach, having a coffee on a terrace, eating an ice cream down the street, going to watch a football match as one more spectator, going to a concert and dancing and singing without worrying about people taking photos or filming videos. I know it’s the price to pay but, yes, I would like to be able to do all that again.
ELucasDiaz
Who have you always admired and who do you admire now?
A lot of people, although the people I most admired as a kid, and maybe still now are cyclists! Perico Delgado, Indurain, Armstrong, Contador…
anescfez
What do you feel being admired by everyone? Is the affection from the fans a Little bit overwhelming at times?
No!! It’s always positive and nice!! People’s reactions in sport are exaggerated: complete sadness if your team loses or the opposite, like when I jump up off the sofa and scream when Spain scores a goal…To think that many people do that with Formula 1 is very nice.
astroworld75
Do you know how to change the tyre of a car? In how many seconds could you do it?
I reckon I could change the tyre of a Formula 1 car in 10/12 seconds! Hahaha!! Two years ago I had to change the tyre of a car and I don’t know…It must have taken me 10 minutes?
seaturtles9
What is your favourite cycling route? (country, region etc)
In the North of Spain you can find the best temperature to ride, the sea, the mountains, the empty roads… I haven´t seen anything similar in all these years.
paola_birba
What leads you to trust a woman who approaches you to get to know the human being and not the driver?
It’s almost impossible for me to trust them immediately, if I like her and she is nice then it takes time. When I meet someone I tend to keep my shield up, but not only now that I’m a driver, I was the same as a boy at school! I’m very shy!
sanddra7
Where do you keep your trophies? Will you show us a picture one day?
One day they’ll be in a museum. Now they’re stored, nice and clean and waiting for the inauguration. Let’s hope that day comes soon!
bronik33
With so much travelling you must know a thousand places, but if you had to choose your favorite place in the world…Which would you choose?
Tokyo is my favorite city.
mari_tere92
Can you say one good thing and one bad thing about yourself? Thank you and good luck champion!
Good: punctuality… " title="" /> )))
Bad: distrustful
simonacolognesi
Aren’t you bored of having to constantly justify what you do to the fans and journalists?
I don’t think so… The journalists seek professional information regarding races. Through the newspapers and social networks I try to tell the truth and my feelings. When Sunday is over I don’t think I owe anyone anything, for me it’s enough being a professional and preparing for the next Grand Prix!! " title="" /> ))
SuizoGarcia
A song that motivates you or that you like listening to before the start of a race or qualifying session.
I don’t tend to listen to music in those moments, so I wouldn’t know what to say! " title="" /> ) I love music but I’ve never used it for motivation.
ACF1601
My son is 7 years old and follows all your races, he wants to know what has been your best race and what he has to do to become a driver. The best I think was Valencia 2012. He has to start in karting and enjoy it, if he starts being pressured into achieving results then it won’t work! It’s a game, if it works, he’ll make it without forcing the issue because of his talent.
astroworld75
Are drivers born or made?
They’re born. But you have to improve every day. It’s worth nothing if you don’t work towards making yourself one.
Moviegirl29
What are the factors that influence degradation?
Rubbers drive me crazy.
Car set-up, the type of driving, the characteristics of the track, driving behind another car, the rhythm of the race…Every factor influences the tyres because they unite the car with the ground.
luis8_mateo
Hi champion, what do you use the translucent paint for exactly?
Once it dries, you can see how the air flows over specific parts of the car and you can check that everything is going according to plan as anticipated in the wind tunnel.
sugar401
Can you explain what you feel when you’re on the pódium? Thanks
Happiness! You want to come down and share the moment with the rest of the team! You’re up there and you can see all your teammates with flags, smiles and celebrating and you have to follow some serious protocols, so as I say, you’re very, very happy… But anxious to share the celebrations!!
JbelBel
The day we saw Luthi’s heart rate during the Moto2 race, they reached 177! What do you reach?
It depends on the circuit. The highest is Hungary. Max 194.Ave 177. The lowest is Monza. Max 158. Ave 126 The rest of the circuits are more or less in between…
Paula94gr
You’ve been on Twitter for a while now. What do you like most and least about it?
It’s difficult to explain everything that has happened with Twitter in these three months I’ve been using it. Suddenly I stopped reading that I’d been in this or that place, I stopped reading I’d done a certain thing somewhere…I was the person deciding where I was and when I came and went. I can tell what I really do and how I prepare a race or train on the simulator, I can tell you all to ask me your doubts and I can answer directly with no one being offended by it.
The worst part is, without a doubt, having to say it all in 140 characters… #itsverydifficult " title="" /> )
Berta_Raposo
During a race do you become one with the car, do you escape everything or are you thinking about everything you have to do? Do you enjoy it?
In a race you don’t enjoy it. You’re thinking about everything you have to do with the maximum amount of concentration. You speak with your engineer, you go up four gears, you adjust the differential, you charge the KERS, activate the DRS, get rid of a sheet off of the helmet visor, you look at the rearview mirror, brake, look at your time on the display, drink water, read the board to see how many laps are left…And, from time to time, you breathe. Enjoy…I think you enjoy exhibitions and karting. In the middle of a competition you’re focusing on too many variables and factors…