20th WROOOM 2010 - Alonso in Red

[mx_tifoso]

The only person with a worse record after winning a championship is JV and that guy is a sack of --- with a beard and stupid glasses.

Tomba is going to close this thread now for sure!

And I understand the difference between Raikkonen and Hayden, but either way Raikkonen hasn't accomplished much since he won in '07. One could keep recalling the lost championship(s?) due to DNF's back at McLaren, but at some point the 'only ifs' don't hold up anymore.

Massa lost the championship by one point the following in '08, and where was Raikkonen? They had the same car, just like how Hayden has had the same machine as Stoner. And just like Hayden too, Raikkonen argued that the machine didn't suit his style as much as it did his teammate. IIRC Ducati even modified the bike to better suit Hayden, although I don't know if Ferrari did the same for the Finn.

I think that as talented and championship material as they are, their value has diminished and won't have the same bargaining power as they once enjoyed. Especially when there's similar if not 'better' talent to be found in younger or already established drivers that 'demand' lower salaries. And with Raikkonen playing hard to get, teams are simply going to tell him to sod off.

Anyways... I'm waiting for the image sites to get to work and put up what happened today. Although hopefully there will be a lot more pictures and possibly video from tomorrow onwards.

Thanks for this pics Jon.

And I should add that I keep liking the Ferrari shirts less and less every year. I don't know exactly what it is about them, maybe more and more white? IIRC '07 or '08 was my favorite.

[WhiteBlue]

I'm surprised by the poll results so far. Only one out of 20 voters thinks that Alonso will be WDC. A majority thinks he will get rich at Ferrari.

[mx_tifoso]

No, it just means that most people think the F2010 won't be championship material but Alonso will do ok considering he has that car, IMO. The getting rich part isn't up for debate.

Either way, I hope for Massa to win the WDC.

EDIT:
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/videos/ferrar ... italy_265/

[raceman]

is Fernando presented in F1 race gear?? if yes, pics??

if not, any idea when???

[mx_tifoso]

Race gear? Probably at the official car launch.

Another pic proving that Fisichella is the third wheel in this Massa-Alonso date.



It makes it look like he showed up without notice/invitation. He didn't wear the matching Puma sneakers and his jacket doesn't even have a name tag.

[mx_tifoso]

I like this bit from a Domenicali article over at Autosport:

Domenicali also has no concerns about possible tension between Alonso and team-mate Massa, despite the Spaniard's reputation for wanting number one status - and Ferrari's insistence that it will no longer operate this policy.

"If by explosive you mean a couple of drivers that are strong, aggressive, competitive and have the ambition to win, this is the minimum goal that Ferrari must have together with its drivers," said Domenicali when asked about the potential for intra-team fireworks.

"Let's not forget that our characteristic has always been putting the interest of the team at the core of everything, both Felipe and Fernando know what our context is, how they have to move and the rules of our team.

"When you have strong drivers you have to manage them, this is true, but what is most important is to give them a car which may be a winning car or a competitive car from the start, and they will be able as professional as they are to take it to the end of races in the best possible position.

"I tackle things calmly. The rules are very clear: whoever comes to Ferrari knows where they are working and they appreciate how we work."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8JFMzezLSE[/youtube]

[mx_tifoso]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pbg4xOrVOU[/youtube]

Horrible music but the footage is good.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubYbn4FII-I[/youtube]

[andartop]

Well, this is off topic, but hey, we 're on the off topic threads anyway. It looks like Massa's healing is excellent after all. Dedicated to all the armchair "specialists" who were certain he would have nerve damage, permanent disfigurement, develop epilepsy or what have you..

[Giblet]

Please drop it.

You need to prove there is no possibility / evidence of nerve damage to that portion of his face, as I need to prove there is for what I think. Neither of us can do that, so I dropped it.

I have seen no video evidence showing his healing to exclude nerve damage around the eyebrow. The plastic surgery isn't perfect and you can see a slight dip to his brow on that side.

I am no armchair expert, but I have had major nerves severed, have consulted a specialist that I was seeing weekly during that time, and made my observation based on that.

I like everyone else am glad that he seems to be mostly back to normal.

[segedunum]

A majority thinks he will get rich at Ferrari.

Why not? It worked for Raikkonen.

[ISLAMATRON]

Alonso already back to his 2007 form...

http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/80920

[segedunum]

Massa lost the championship by one point the following in '08, and where was Raikkonen? They had the same car, just like how Hayden has had the same machine as Stoner. And just like Hayden too, Raikkonen argued that the machine didn't suit his style as much as it did his teammate.

While Raikkonen is not perfect, and he certainly doesn't thrive in a political environment to his own detriment and maybe doesn't have a bitch enough, I don't really know why many persist in having a pop at him over 2008. Yes, Massa lost the championship when he was in a prime position. Did I misread that word 'lost'?

Raikkonen is a World Champion at Ferrari, so the Hayden comparisons are pretty silly. Hayden can't win races on a Ducati, which Raikkonen certainly has done at Ferrari despite his struggles. He is the only champion Ferrari have had since Schumacher retired with them, and given how things go that might remain the case for a few years to come. Massa isn't a champion. He went up against the top champions in 2007 with Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen and was a long way short - and Raikkonen spent a good quarter of the season or more scratching his head over the Bridgestone tyres.

Yer, I think there's enough to suggest that something was not right for Raikkonen in 2008 given he was champion the year before, and you don't get ten fastest laps in a season unless there is something strange going on. If you're fast, you're fast at any given time. No driver perks up halfway through a race, and does it ten times no less, even though it might frustrate teams and engineers. However, he still got third in the championship and made sure of the constructor's title which is more than poor Kovalainen could do.

After Jean Todt left, I don't know, Raikkonen just looked like a guy at a party that he hadn't been invited to. Ferrari just didn't seem motivated to actually back the guy who they had invested a ton of money in. With hindsight, once Todt left the team the clock was already ticking for him.

[Giblet]

Kimi often looked unmotivated, and uninspired in 2009 which nobody can say about Massa with a straight face. I have never thought that Massa was as fast naturally, but he makes up for it with hard work, and he owns some tracks.

If Kimi actually worked to be one with the team, not just drive a car quick, maybe he would be able to continue picking and choosing his drives.

I feel no loss for an uninspired Kimi. Do I miss Kimi in Mclaren from? Damn skippy

Telling the world you were 'having a ---' when the god of the team he was coming to was announcing his retirement might not have endeared him to the Ferrari encumbants.

Not being good politically and being an idiot are not mutually exlusive.

[WhiteBlue]

After Jean Todt left, I don't know, Raikkonen just looked like a guy at a party that he hadn't been invited to. Ferrari just didn't seem motivated to actually back the guy who they had invested a ton of money in. With hindsight, once Todt left the team the clock was already ticking for him.

Reikkonen was always Montezemolo's man. Todt was dead against employing him as he wanted to continue with Schumacher into 2007.

Chasing away Brawn, Todt and Schumacher in favor of Reikkonen may be the dumbest thing that Montezemolo has ever done.

[segedunum]

Reikkonen was always Montezemolo's man. Todt was dead against employing him as he wanted to continue with Schumacher into 2007.

Hmmmmmm, that's certainly not my understanding of the situation. While Todt and Brawn would certainly have wanted Schumacher to carry on as a first choice, when it became clear that he wasn't going to stay on or commit to anything Brawn took a sabbatical and it was Todt who lined up Raikkonen as a replacement. He had a long history of preferring Finnish drivers and their personalities within rallying circles and he was the one who was OK with Raikkonen snowmobiling just before his first Australian GP victory. For some reason Todt had taken a set against ever employing Fernando Alonso while he was there, hence Raikkonen being recruited.

Chasing away Brawn, Todt and Schumacher in favor of Reikkonen may be the dumbest thing that Montezemolo has ever done.

Quite possibly. I still don't completely understand the circumstances around Todt's departure and Brawn had the Team Principal job at Ferrari down as his first choice. I'm certainly suspicious about what happened around Nigel Stepney, but we'll never know there I suppose. It seems as though the Latin connection did them both out there, and the word 'Latin' has been used in an awful lot of interviews with Montezemolo and Domenicali.

I'm certainly not keen on the vibes coming out of Maranello. For those of us who remember the early 90s and times in the 80s it seems slightly familiar.