Zitat von DenorthI don't know if anyone read about it, but it was Alonso's ex-wife who represented Spain in last Eurovision Song Contest (it happened last Saturday).
not sure what's going on here, but Andrew Benson posted a very strange article. Maybe he is preparing a 'glorious comeback' type of article later in the season. If not - it is a same kind of rubbish as talk about Kimi's motivation in 2008
Zitat Fernando Alonso: Ferrari driver must answer awkward questions
Fernando Alonso has spent the days since the Monaco Grand Prix doing "hard training" on his bike.
If the Ferrari driver was using his usual physical preparation as a form of catharsis, it would be understandable.
Monaco was an unusually poor race for Alonso and Ferrari and it has left awkward questions hanging over their title campaign heading into this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Seventh place around the streets of the principality was a continuation of Alonso's up-and-down season.
Two wins in China and Spain and a strong second in the season opener in Australia have been interspersed with a retirement in Malaysia and an eighth place in Bahrain caused by a failure of his DRS overtaking aid - and subsequent mix-up between team and driver.
Alonso may have scored only four points over two races in Malaysia and Bahrain, but it was obvious he could easily have finished on the podium in both without his problems.
In Monaco, though, Alonso and Ferrari were flat uncompetitive for the first time this season - and that on a circuit where the Spanish two-time world champion has usually excelled.
Barring accidents, mechanical problems or strategy errors, it was the first race in which Alonso has gone backwards from his starting position since last year's British Grand Prix - and that was only from pole to finish second. And even then it was arguably caused by a team error in tyre strategy, leaving him helpless to fend off Mark Webber's Red Bull on faster tyres in the final stint of the race.
Before Silverstone in July last year, you have to go right back to the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix - more than two years ago - to find a race in which, on pure pace alone, Alonso has finished lower than he started.
The inconsistency of Alonso's season is reflected in the championship standings. Heading to Montreal this weekend, he is 29 points adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. That's more than a clear race victory, after just six races. Alonso facts
Without the errors of Malaysia and Bahrain, he would probably be leading by a small margin. Which, in the aftermath of the struggles of Monaco, begs the question of whether Ferrari might have blown this one already.
Little wonder, then, that Alonso has been engaging in a bit of positive affirmation.
Alonso is partial to a bit of Eastern warrior philosophy, and on Sunday night after the Monaco race he wrote on his Twitter account: "The rain only becomes a problem if you do not want to get wet. #Samurai."
The following day he added: "It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop."
Alonso resorted to similar use of Twitter after last year's Japanese Grand Prix, another disastrous race for him, when a crash at the first corner allowed Vettel to close to within four points of the Spaniard. It was one of two incidents it was possible to say cost Alonso the title last year.
Back then, the warrior philosophy failed to come off - but only just. After falling further behind Vettel after the German's wins in the two subsequent races in Korea and India, Alonso actually outscored him over the final three grands prix of the season. And although he lost the title, it was by only four points, when after India the margin had been out to 13.
The irony is that while Ferrari's car is more competitive this year than it was in 2012, they have lost their ability to maximise its potential. Red Bull, by contrast, are not as quick as they were last year - although the car is still out-and-out faster than the Ferrari - but Vettel is so far showing Alonso-like levels of consistency.
That is why the Monaco performance was so concerning for Ferrari. Before that race, they had the reassuring notion that they had the pace to get back in the game. After Monaco, that does not seem so certain.
"We didn't have the pace and we have to understand why," said Ferrari's team boss Stefano Domenicali, "but we are used to reacting very quickly after a difficult weekend."
With the pressure of the 2013 title race mounting, this was not an ideal time for Ferrari to get caught up in a political row, but that is what has happened.
After lodging, with Red Bull, an official protest against Mercedes' 'secret' Pirelli tyre test before Monaco, Ferrari have found themselves embroiled in the scandal too - as a result of their own tyre test between Bahrain and Spain, the existence of which also emerged on race morning in Monaco.
The crucial difference - in Ferrari's eyes - was that they ran their tyre test with a 2011 car, operated by their Corsa Cliente show-car division.
Although the rules are not completely clear, most teams had understood that using a two-year-old car was acceptable. Mercedes used a 2013 race car, which seems to be specifically outlawed, at least by the sporting regulations.
Either way, both teams have been asked for an explanation by governing body the FIA and the controversy is clearly not going away in a hurry.
Ferrari's challenge is not to allow the tyre row to be a distraction to their work at the tracks.
For Alonso, notoriously single-minded, that is unlikely to be a problem, but still he will have things preying on his thoughts.
This is the seventh season since he won the second of his two world titles with Renault. No driver has had longer than that between two world championship victories. In fact, in the entire 63-year history of F1, only Niki Lauda has a gap as big, between 1977 and 1984 - and that included two years in 'retirement'.
An ex-F1 driver I know believes he can see the beginnings of decline in Alonso.
"Of course he is still phenomenal," this driver says. "But there are just the odd signs, little things here and there, perhaps a slight dimming of commitment, stuff like that."
The conversation took place some time before Monaco, but was the cautious Alonso in that race, who was mugged by McLaren's Jenson Button and Force India's Adrian Sutil, evidence that the ex-driver might have a point? Alonso's F1 season finishes
To be fair, Alonso was driving a Ferrari whose performance had been affected by a piece of another car trapped under his floor, and he had one eye on the championship while racing other drivers for whom that was not a concern. And fellow title contender Kimi Raikkonen's failure to apply similar caution when he tangled with McLaren's Sergio Perez cost him more points than Alonso lost from slipping back a couple of places.
Nevertheless, Alonso looked a different driver in Monaco from the one who produced the perfectly judged, crushing win in China, or the spectacular pass of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in one go around the outside of Barcelona's daunting Turn Three on the first lap of another in Spain.
Alonso - who at 32 next month should be at his peak, and has arguably been the sport's best driver since mid-way through 2010 - will hope Canada marks an immediate return to competitiveness and points-scoring, on a track where he has been strong in recent years.
Just as importantly, for the sake of his title challenge, he needs to start beating Vettel again, and consistently.
There is no doubt he and Ferrari cannot afford too many more bad weekends if that title drought is not to stretch into territory from which, historically speaking at least, there has been no coming back.
To be fair I have been wondering the same thing , why Alonso has been a bit erratic , but on the other hand Ferrari has always bounced back ..but something is bothering me in alonso and you can call it the "feeling" again.. " title="see" />
I think it's too early in the season to say he is erratic. He threw away a massive point haul in Malaysia through his own fault. Bahrain was dumb luck, but they had a very competitive car. Monaco was another question mark.. He let Sutil and button by without any kind of fight. I'm not accustomed to seeing this from Fernando..
But I still think its too early to judge. The Ferrari has looked very competitive at every track except one. And Alonso almost won in Canada last year if not for a questionable strategy. They should be competitive again and this talk will properly subside
i guess everybody has read this up to now.. " title="roll" />
i say you do worry too much mr Alonso.... h" title="hih" />
ZitatFernando Alonso: Felipe Massa not slower in F1 than Kimi Raikkonen By Jonathan Noble Thursday, October 10th 2013, 09:27 GMT
Fernando Alonso F1 Ferrari 2013
Fernando Alonso does not expect Kimi Raikkonen to deliver a dramatic transformation to Ferrari next season as he believes that Felipe Massa is no slower than his future team-mate.
With many in the paddock already focused on prospects for next year, Alonso suggests that the key to Ferrari's Formula 1 hopes will be on the car it produces, not what Raikkonen brings.
"For next year, with Kimi, we can do a very good championship for Ferrari, and try to again score as many points as possible," said Alonso ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
"But I think in terms of speed, Felipe is not any slower.
"When they were racing together, Felipe was as quick as him in a way.
"So, if we have a competitive car, we will enjoy the season, and we will do very good things.
"If we have a not very competitive car it will be very similar to this season I think."
Although Ferrari's efforts are now shifting towards 2014, Alonso thinks there is still plenty to be motivated about this year.
"Obviously when you finish the possibilities of winning the world championship, it is more difficult to motivate yourself no doubt," he said.
"But first we are fighting to be second in the world championship, which is obviously not a happy goal.
"There are another 22 drivers who are in a worse condition than you, because they are third, fourth, fifth and 10th etc., but there is a big target of second in the constructors' championship.
"I think it is very important for the team to improve its position in the constructors' championship.
"It will be important to close with Felipe the remaining races with Ferrari, and would be nice to be both in the podium, to be celebrating a victory or whatever happens.
"I think the whole team deserves this whole kind of happiness. We will work very hard and [it] will be easy to motivate in this aspect."
Fernando Alonso F1 Ferrari 2013
VETTEL CAN ONLY BE JUDGED LATER
Alonso is happy to acknowledge the excellent job that Sebastian Vettel has done for Red Bull this season as he closes in on his fourth world title.
However, the Spaniard thinks that the true judge of how good his German rival is will only come later in his career.
"He has been close to perfection, all these years and winning the championships," said Alonso.
"It is true that he had an advantage in car performance all these years, so we see how good he is later in his career because, at the moment, he is better than anyone and he is winning all the championships.
"But we saw also Hamilton starting in his first year nearly winning the championship, and in his second year winning the championship. But then he didn't win any more.
"Sometimes you have the car to do it, sometimes not. At the moment Red Bull and Vettel are a very good combination and too good for us."
" title="ty" /> Olga They say Alo to McLaren in 2015 is a sure thing. But to 2014 is still probable and that if it happens, then Hulk (who according to them has almost signed for Lotus) will end up in Ferrari (yey " title="ii" /> )
But then they say the stupidiest thing I've ever read. They say that if Hulk goes to Ferrari, then Mal will go with Gro (they deserve each other) and Massa to Sauber. But if Alo stays in Ferrari for 1 more year, then Hulk could go to Williams in the seat Mal left! Wich is stupid because if Alo stays 1 more year, Hulk wouldn't leave a seat in Lotus for Mal! " title="crazy" />
"For next year, with Kimi I think we can do a very good championship for Ferrari, trying to again score as many points as possible," Alonso said. "But I think in terms of the speed I think Felipe is not any slower, when they were racing together Felipe was as quick as Kimi anyway, so if we have a competitive car we will enjoy the season and we will do very good things. If we don't have a competitive car it will be very similar to this season I think."
Mind games. What he's saying isn't wrong. He's just leaving out a key aspect that Massa is a completely different driver pre and post accident. I never thought Massa was that quick in races back in 2008. But it was impossible to pass if Massa was ahead, and he got preferential strategy.
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Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:06 pm
Happy Birthday WHATEVER!
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