New major Ferrari sponsor for 2010...

[ben_watkins]

..will be Santander!

According to an insider at the bank, the deal will be announced at the Italian GP, which will pave the way for Alonso to take a Ferrari race seat in 2010..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/f1mole/2009/ ... ri-mo.html

Also linked from that blog is this..

http://www.gazzetta.it/Motori/Formula1/ ... rari.shtml

Says Alonso has contract for 2011, with clause to bring forward to 2010. I'd say he's gonna replace Kimi who's lost his mojo for the sport...

English googlisation here http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... n&ie=UTF-8

[wesley123]

I believe it was already known, atleast i knew santanber would sponsor ferrari in 2010

[greenpower dude reloaded]

I suppose they ought to enter then.. or at least stop talking about how they may not.

But thats for another thread

[ISLAMATRON]

I'll be so happy when MAssa wipes the floor with a mentally weak Alonso who will sabotage the whole Ferrari team.

It will be priceless.

And who the hell would pick up Kimi? probly time to go rally racing.

[sticky667]

it's been said Kimi is ready to hang up his F1 boots...

he just bought his 20mil euro dream home in the Swiss Alps too!

[mx_tifoso]

This is really old news, Santander made it public that they were going to Ferrari a few months ago IIRC.

Islamatron, Raikkonen is going rallying again soon, between Monaco and Turkey. He will be using a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto, but this time on asphalt in Italy, instead of the previous gravel runs in Finland.

[ISLAMATRON]

he should be great on asphalt, actually on all surfaces... too bad WRC is --- now... it would be nice to see him graduate up to that eventually.

[Giblet]

I'll be so happy when MAssa wipes the floor with a mentally weak Alonso who will sabotage the whole Ferrari team.

It will be priceless.

And who the hell would pick up Kimi? probly time to go rally racing.

Really? I understand you don't like Alonso, but you actually think Massa is a better and more complete driver?

Massa FORGOT how to drive a Formula 1 car in the rain at Silverstone.

Show me an example of Alonso making a mistake that wasn't a result of pushing really hard, and I might be able to understand your reasoning.

Show me when Massa was able to obliterate a teammate for an entire season, as Alonso has done to every teammate except Hamilton.

I just want to understand your reasoning.

[ISLAMATRON]

I'll be so happy when MAssa wipes the floor with a mentally weak Alonso who will sabotage the whole Ferrari team.

It will be priceless.

And who the hell would pick up Kimi? probly time to go rally racing.

Really? I understand you don't like Alonso, but you actually think Massa is a better and more complete driver?

Massa FORGOT how to drive a Formula 1 car in the rain at Silverstone.

Show me an example of Alonso making a mistake that wasn't a result of pushing really hard, and I might be able to understand your reasoning.

Show me when Massa was able to obliterate a teammate for an entire season, as Alonso has done to every teammate except Hamilton.

I just want to understand your reasoning.

Alonso is an excellent F1 driver but loses his mind when his teammate shows similar speed... which MAssa can do. So unless Ferrari have packaged Piquet in with the deal I expect to see fireworks coming out from Alonso's ears. He is mentally weak and it is pretty well obvious.. he falls apart under pressure and tends to blame it on the team. He has already thrown Renault and McLaren under the bus.

Alonso forgot how to drive an F1 car in Canada(2007)... over the grass in T1 3 times, and passed by Sato... then crashed it in the Renault chasing heidfeld last year(2008) with a chance to win... they all have bad days.

[Giblet]

You are an interesting little acorn sometimes

Every driver on the grid, past and present, has a list of mistakes like Alonso's. That was almost the Wookie defense you used there.

The mistakes of Alonso's you list, show someone pushing too hard at certain moments or during a small period in a race. Red mist as it were. All are from over driving, at certain moments.

An entire wet race in Silverstone is not a moment, it's a mentally weak Massa falling apart under pressure. His screaming into the mic about his visor is another example. The rain makes Massa pee himself, and flail like mad.

I can understand it, I thought the 401 outside of Toronto in a Honda CRX at 150kmh 1 foot away from the wall with a sunshower going on making everything brightly washed out was scary.

Well actually it was, but driving an F1 car in the rain at speed must retract yer nads right up to your chest.

I understand it's just opinion, but I don't think using Massa as a benchmark is a good way for you to prove Alonso weak minded, against popular/professional opinion.

[ISLAMATRON]

And Alonso's flailing and screaming over the radio last time out at Indy wasnt weakmindedness? He couldnt beat a rookie and was crying about it for everone to hear. Or crying in China cause he couldnt keep up with FISI with MS on his tail. Brazil 08 shows that MAssa isnt all that bad in the wet... but he can obviously get frazzled...

I think you overrate Alonso... thats OK cuz I underrate him, just as you may do for MAssa... cant wait to see them battle in equal equipment... but I doubt we will get to see it because of Alonso's inferiority complex... much like Prost & MS he is unable to deal with a strong teammate so he will have it put in the contract that he is the clear cut number 1.

[Giblet]

I don't overrate Alonso, I just rate him as highly the vast majority of the F1 fraternity, as they know a lot more then we do, by a quite a long shot.

When just about everyone in F1 says Alonso is the most complete driver, I don't immediately believe them, but I also tend to think all those people on the inside of the sport might be right, and Alonso _might_ actually be the best.

I think Alonso lacks a little in the wet. He's not slow, but doesn't have the sublime control that Hamilton has in the wet.

[ISLAMATRON]

We are way off topic but basically when Alonso get his ass handed to him(CANADA & USGP) by a rookie who hasnt even been to the track before, he was clearly overrated.

Alonso realised it and high tailed it back to a struggling Renault squad rather than stay on a strong McLaren team and get whooped. I doubt the McLaren boys would tell you Alonso is the "most complete"

We'll just wait to see how long it takes Alonso to show his "incompleteness" with a bumbling Ferrari squad. HE will quickly throw them under the bus and those idiots dont like being shown their stupidity on the red team, they dont even like owning up to it or learning from it. And then where is it for Alonso... back to Renault?

MAssa is fast, can Alonso handle it?

[The FOZ]

Hey 'Tron:

You seem to be relying quite heavily on races well in the past to support your point of view. Keep in mind, most people do undergo some kind of maturing process whereby through trying situations, we grow and become more than we once were. I'm sure we could rewind back to some point in anyone's lifetime and find lack of maturity and incompleteness.

And I do find amusement in your saying Alonso is incomplete, considering their current roster isn't exactly awe inspiring. I mean, Hamilton will pick his fave corner on a track, and consistently bone it 20 or so times in the course of a 50+ lap race. I mean, talk about personal growth and the ability to learn from situations one finds themselves in...

See, I can use your style of argument to support a point, too!

[ISLAMATRON]

I have no idea what you are rambling on about.

Alonso may very well be the "most complete" driver from a technical point of view(although he lacks the blinding quickness of Lou or KIMI) but where he lacks is his interpersonal relationship with the team. Alonso easily gets frazzled and then quickly turns on his team, and that will not endear him with the red team., but as you said maybe he has learned from his time at McLaren... but hearing what I have from him both this year & last I highly doubt it.

I didnt know We were comparing Alonso & Hamilton but note this interesting stat... Alonso has outqualed Hamilton every race but 1 this season(R29 faster), but Hamilton has beat him to the checkered flag in every race but 1(better driver)... so maybe Alonso should try "boneing it" for 20 laps or so whatever that means.