[klgiridhar]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Hurray!! Vettel Leaving and Alonso joining back!!

I am a Vettel fan , so my opinion may be from a fan's perspective

Vettel leaving is not confirmed yet. In F1, anything can happen and we can confirm only when all 20 seats are filled. Yes he made some silly mistakes last year, but he still has that fire, he will bounce back and has a lot to offer to the sport. Ferrari were not even in top 3 in 2014 when Vettel came and he brought them to runner ups in constructors in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

There are rumours going on about a possible switch to Aston Martin next year. It seems the board members aren't happy with Lawrence's son, Lance Stroll. They invested in the team, not in his son. The frustration is seen in Lance's interviews yesterday. It seems Lawrence even approached Alonso for a 2021 seat. (Source: F1 pre race show by Will Buxton yesterday). Vast experience of a 4 time world champion (who is still just 33), from Red Bull and Ferrari, is a major boon for a team like Racing point, soon to be Aston Matin.

Also there are possibilities of him going back to red bull. Helmut Marko always makes bold statements. He said they will stick with Albon only. We heard the same last year with Gasly's case. We saw what happened. Albon is still way off Max's pace and if he doesn't improve, there are chances he may be demoted back to Alpha Tauri, alongside Gasly, with Kvyat out.

But above all, it has to be seen how Vettel performs this year and it is entirely in his hands. If nothing works out, he can either take an year off and come back when new regulations kick-in in 2022 or retire entirely from the sport (I don't want him to do that yet).

Also I personally have a feeling that Ferrari should pull the team out from the Maranello politics, change the way they treat their drivers and it is spoiling them big time. Many changes in management, chief engineers, lots of chaos and instability. 3 team principals changed in the last 5 years. (We see toto wolf on the other side at Mercedes, spearheading its success). Remember how Ross Brawn and Jean Todd successfully shielded the team and Schumacher from internal politics and we know what the results were.

The silly season is not yet done
Anyways we are going to see next set of races announced in the coming few days it seems, with Mugello circuit being the first of the rest

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Hatari

Alonso to return in 2021[/url]

I wonder what incriminating photographic/video evidences Alonso has against Renault F1 that they end up bringing him back all the time, against all common sense & logic!

[turbowhistle]

Pretty certain it's a short term arrangement for Renault and not sure what Alonso stands to gain from it apart from $$$.

He is way past his prime and hasn't reached top 10 from 2015 and he had said he's leaving the sport because he had "achieved in F1 more than I dreamed of and it's time to achieve bigger things outside F1".

[ZenMaster]

Its most probably a move keeping PR and sponsors in mind. Even though Renault is a shadow of its former glory, them leaving F1 would be a big blow to FIA.

No matter what opinion we have about his character or his current racing form, Alonso has huge brand value compared with the current crop of racing drivers (except the very top deivers ) especially among the older viewers.

Bringing him back would not only give Renault a PR boost and maybe more sponsors, but also potentiality increase viewership for F1.

And of course Alonso gets the $$$

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I wonder what incriminating photographic/video evidences Alonso has against Renault F1 that they end up bringing him back all the time, against all common sense & logic!

He's still got Briatore. I am sure that colorful gent has a treasure trove of titbits about almost everyone in the paddock. Hence.....
It will be interesting to see what Alonso does in a mid-field car. The Mclaren he left with was a total Quack of a car, not even mid-field. I just hope its not another Schumacher-Mercedes show.

[ds.raikkonen]

Alonso won Le Mans with Toyota last year, though I agree they inherited the lead in the end but still enduring 24 hours to win is a feat as good as winning an F1 WC.

I don't think anyone who is not firing on all cylinders can manage that. Also note that he had younger team mates-Buemi and Nakajima (ok Nakajima is not that young ).

I think he is fired up and wants to make amends to the disastrous partnership with McLaren-Honda. Pretty sure he had though of the iconic McLaren-Honda partnership of the late '80s and Prost-Senna dominance when he joined McLaren. But came out without even podium finishes (let alone WC).

A 70% Alonso would still be better than the Hulk (whom I admire a lot, but is not that consistent), just my two cents.

[DJ 0909]

I always admired Alonso for his race-craft and rate him one of the best Formula 1 driver ever. He has that master class to outperform in any given machinery , reference to 2012 F1 season or late McLaren years. He has that skill and instinct to be the best , Alonso-Renault were the one who ended Micheal-Ferrari domination.

I read a lot of BHP-Ians questioning Alonso joining Renault , he is over his prime or why a midfield team etc. Here are my 2 cents on the same.
In current form Renault is sort off best of the rest team but with the resources they have no one can stop them in becoming a Championship winning team. With the new regulations from 2022 , new budget cap it will probably shake up the field and who knows who come out to the top. It is a gamble and this sport always revolves around it , remember when Lewis signed for Mercedes. Also the Renault drive can act as a testimony that he still has the speed and raw skills required to become a champion provided given a equally capable machinery. By proving this he might land up a seat at the front running teams if any vacancy arises. That’s a gamble Alonso-Flávio have played and currently there is no other option than opting for Renault.

Secondly members mentioning why an old workhorse or grumpy nature driver instead of a young protege likewise in Redbull or Ferrari. Renault driver academy doesn’t have that talent in Formula 2 which could be promoted and the same stands for current driver market(except Vettel). Renault being a midfield team needs long term commitment coupled with driver feedback to build there car capable of wining a championship and this can only be given by an experienced driver. I remember reading an article in which Christian Horner was describing Sebastian Vettel’s post race de-briefs , he said such was the attention to detail and experience that he could even tell on lap 4 on this corner the wind picked up hence destabilising the rear. He could go on and on and Max Verstappen still can’t match that. This kind of information is valuable for the team in development of the car and Alonso does bring that. This is the reason why we still have talented Robert Kubica as a reserve driver for Alfa or earlier Williams.

To sum it up it helps in commercial side of things with sponsors and deals along the driver and assurance to the top management of pumping in more money into the program with super driver Fernando Alonso’s faith in it.

PS:Coming from a Tifosi who loved Micheal Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in that scarlet red Ferrari.

[Epic]

So there has been a lot of talk about whether Alonso has made the right decision by joining a mid field team like Renault. It is actually a shame that McLaren is beating Renault with it's own engines. But Im not complaining since I am a Mclaren fan.

Now if you look at the season when Alonso was with McLaren-Honda, the lack of performance was due to a combination of bad aerodynamics as well as a bad engine. However, the lack of aerodynamics was never being mentioned by Eric Boullier which got him fired in the end. Honda in the meantime improved their engines and their performance is being seen on the Red Bulls since lat year. Alonso, meanwhile was still in the points even with a car like the McLaren with lack lustre performance. That speaks a lot for a driver. His driving skills are similar to Hamilton. Give them a fast car or not - they will still churn out the best out of it. This is not the same with Vettel and it was seen by Ferrari in the 2019 season as well as the 2020 Austrian GP.

Post the entry of Zak Brown in McLaren, there have been a lot of changes in the top management and this has led to a total turn around of the team. Renault which was anyway not a bad engine with the Red Bulls, improved themselves and so did Mclaren with their aerodynamics. The Renault engine is good enough to fight in the top five but that would require the car to have good aerodynamics and chassis as well. In my opinion, this is where the Renault F1 team are lacking.

The decision to have Alonso on board for the 2021 season is to improve their chassis and aerodynamics and Alonso knows this as well. So I am guessing that we just might see Renault fighting with the top five in 2021 if not winning races. But Im sure a race win or podium will not be far off.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by klgiridhar

I am a Vettel fan , so my opinion may be from a fan's perspective

Vettel leaving is not confirmed yet. In F1, anything can happen and we can confirm only when all 20 seats are filled. Yes he made some silly mistakes last year, but he still has that fire, he will bounce back and has a lot to offer to the sport. Ferrari were not even in top 3 in 2014 when Vettel came and he brought them to runner ups in constructors in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

There are rumours going on about a possible switch to Aston Martin next year. It seems the board members aren't happy with Lawrence's son, Lance Stroll. They invested in the team, not in his son. The frustration is seen in Lance's interviews yesterday. It seems Lawrence even approached Alonso for a 2021 seat. (Source: F1 pre race show by Will Buxton yesterday). Vast experience of a 4 time world champion (who is still just 33), from Red Bull and Ferrari, is a major boon for a team like Racing point, soon to be Aston Matin.

Also there are possibilities of him going back to red bull. Helmut Marko always makes bold statements. He said they will stick with Albon only. We heard the same last year with Gasly's case. We saw what happened. Albon is still way off Max's pace and if he doesn't improve, there are chances he may be demoted back to Alpha Tauri, alongside Gasly, with Kvyat out.

But above all, it has to be seen how Vettel performs this year and it is entirely in his hands. If nothing works out, he can either take an year off and come back when new regulations kick-in in 2022 or retire entirely from the sport (I don't want him to do that yet).

Also I personally have a feeling that Ferrari should pull the team out from the Maranello politics, change the way they treat their drivers and it is spoiling them big time. Many changes in management, chief engineers, lots of chaos and instability. 3 team principals changed in the last 5 years. (We see toto wolf on the other side at Mercedes, spearheading its success). Remember how Ross Brawn and Jean Todd successfully shielded the team and Schumacher from internal politics and we know what the results were.

The silly season is not yet done
Anyways we are going to see next set of races announced in the coming few days it seems, with Mugello circuit being the first of the rest

With all due respect, I have nothing against Vettel personally.
I want to apologize because I think my post makes it look at that way.

I think he is a great driver who was able to capitalize on all the opportunities that came his way.

I was more irritated with Ferrari hiring him and this was because I was a Ferrari supporter and an Alonso fan. 3 years I kept sulking looking at Vettel win and Alonso trying hard, but loosing. Suddenly I was supposed to now support Vettel, which I tried, but couldn't. My heart just could not switch the way I looked at him. I could no longer support Ferrari too.

I didn't face this earlier when Alonso pipped Schumi and eventually joined Ferrari. I honestly don't know why. Because of this I just stopped watching F1.

To be fair, I agree with you on your views on Ferrari. Ferrari F1 team is that mystical thing where no one knows what goes inside but looks beautiful kinda thing. My love for them has reduced too given all the race strategy screw ups that they do regularly now.

I feel I should be able to support fair and fun racing now, but I cant be sure. Your childhood love always has a soft spot in your heart and keeps coming back. If you know what I mean.

CHEERS!!

Rachit

[akushalmechanic]

I do not understand why F1 continues to offer seats to drivers past their prime.

Great driver once but also one sneaky character.. much prefer for new crop of drivers to have a shot at the brass ring than watch Alonso go round and round moaning his race car is the problem.

[1LR-GUE]

I feel Alonso's return to F1 will really test his race craft and his reputation for being a great all rounder in any given condition or any given car. I think Alonso is coming back to just enjoy "RACING", in the series which is considered as the pinnacle of the motorsport. I dont think he will be worried much about the current status of the Renault F1 team or its future prospects.

After watching the first 2 races of 2020, the current crop of new F1 drivers like Norris, Russell, Ocon and Saniz Jr. are not only exceptional but also have fantastic race craft. I feel Alonso has inherited a lot of knowledge, racing ideas, principles, etc. from his previous stint in WEC and Indycar series. It will be interesting to see how he applies it to F1 car development and his race craft. Also it will be an interesting psychological battle between the current youngsters and the old but mentally stronger Alonso.


Bring it on Alonso!

[discobiscuit]

Musical chairs with seat swapping.

He is going to struggle in 2021. But I have a feeling he will do some good in 2022. You can't write off Alonso.

[abhi3284]

A Documentary Series on Fernando is set to release on Amazon Prime on 25 September.

https://youtu.be/rKXKm3Jvd3k

Am waiting for this. Have been following Alonso since he started his Minardi Days. Super excited to see him back where he belongs in F1. Can't wait.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by akushalmechanic

I do not understand why F1 continues to offer seats to drivers past their prime.

Great driver once but also one sneaky character.. much prefer for new crop of drivers to have a shot at the brass ring than watch Alonso go round and round moaning his race car is the problem.

Without talking F1, who would you put as the best racing driver in the world currently.

Originally Posted by discobiscuit

Musical chairs with seat swapping.

He is going to struggle in 2021. But I have a feeling he will do some good in 2022. You can't write off Alonso.

Renault not looking too bad this year, im sure they will improve a bit further next year as well.

Originally Posted by abhi3284

A Documentary Series on Fernando is set to release on Amazon Prime on 25 September.

Am waiting for this. Have been following Alonso since he started his Minardi Days. Super excited to see him back where he belongs in F1. Can't wait.

Should be a great watch, hope we get access in India.