planetf1.com

I respect Damon Hill as a driver and pundit but this article is just pandering to the current buzz around Alonso that so many other pundits and jumping onto. Its like an idea gets put out there, it gains momentum, snowballs and then everybody starts repeating it without thinking about what they are actually saying and ignoring the fact that Vettel has hammered Alonso in the last 6 races and his only hope is a Vettel mechanical issue or rain/SC affected race.

http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/82646 ... ut-Alonso-

""If he had any other opponent, I would say that Sebastian would definitely win with his 13 points advantage," Hill told Die Welt . "But you can't write off someone like Fernando Alonso. He is such a clever and tough driver and he always seems to pull off something extraordinary."

In the last 6 races Vettel is leading 6-0.
In the last 6 races Vettel is leading 5-1. The 1 only being due to Vettel being demoted.

They are not racing one another. Its just like 2011 when Vettel dominated, its not a race.

Maybe it is his and the medias job to talk up the title race to keep us all interested.

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I'd say it's the very last line. Alonso didn't pull anything extraordinary in 2010 when he was leading or in 2007 over Kimi. He does seem to catch some lucky breaks this season though like Vettel being demoted or Webber breaking down so I definitely don't write him off but it's not because of cleverness or toughness.

Anyway, the championship title will be decided by Vettel himself next race, there's very little Alonso can do about it.

Eh. So if pundit has different opinion than popular one or that of yours they suddenly start to begin sight of fact?

And what he says is right. It's down to last race. Alonso will not make mistake. That is almost guaranteed. Ferrari will not break, that is also almost guaranteed. And they will pay all the cards they have without remorse. Does not matter what last 10 races had produced. It's now down to 1 race.

I think he is saying most others would give up?

Not sure Hamilton or Kimi would. Not even ruling out Massa if he was in that place.

Hard to see any driver give up, its not in their nature

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I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

Marx (Groucho)

Sounds to me that its just a case that u don't like him and I would guess that the experts have more of u clue than you do. And they are basing their comments on the whole season rather than the last 6 races which obviously work in your favour.

Massa sure didn't give up in Brazil 2008, he did everything he possibly could to give himself half a chance.

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1994 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

It just seems a bigger gap with the current points.

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I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

Marx (Groucho)

Yup.

Vettel is in about the same place Hamilton was in both 2007 and 2008. Of course Hamilton nearly lost it in both years but Vettel is already a double WDC, he should be able to keep his nerve. What also goes in Vettel's favour is the fact Alonso has never came from behind to win a title in the final race.

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1994 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

I'm no Alonso lover but I have to say he's taken a car which shouldn't really be a title winning into the last race with a shot at the WDC. Not saying he's the only driver on the grid who could do such a thing but he's one of a very small group of elite drivers.

As for the argument that Alonso has 'caught some breaks' well hasn't Vettel too?

Vettel has benefited from some very good fortune of late (Singapore/Abu Dhabi for eg) However this is racing. The fact is he's driven supremely well in the back end of the season to place himself at No 1.

For me though Vettel is a driver who can deal with the pressure these days and the title will be decided by who makes a mistake. If neither driver makes a mistake then Vettel wins the WDC, it's that simple.

Entirely incorrect, I think Alonso is the best driver out there I just do not like poor journalism. I base it on the last 6 races because thats the current form. Take it back 10 races and the only time Alonso has finished ahead of Vettel or even looked to finish ahead is in Italy with its one off low downforce setup and Germany were the wet qualifying aided Alonso and Ferrari was at its strongest.

This is Brazil, Red Bulls strongest track. 1-2 in 2011, 1-2 in 2010, 1st in 2009 and Vettel 4th starting from 15th on the grid.

The main point I am getting at is the following -

"If he had any other opponent, I would say that Sebastian would definitely win with his 13 points advantage,"

How is Alonso different to any other driver in this respect, because that is what Hill is saying. The title is entirely in Vettels hands, he has a car 0.5 second per lap quicker and a team mate and 2 Mclarens likely to be quicker than Alonso. Alonso is in the same position he has been in the last 6 races, in a vastly inferior car.

The only way he can win the title is by a random occurance, which would mean any driver could win it that way. By which I basically mean a Vettel mechanical issue, rain or SC etc etc. All events that ANY driver could benefit from.

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http://www.racefan.co.uk

Where is the picture of the NAIL with a hammer hitting it on the HEAD when you need it. Alonso has to win the next race for having any realistic chance but he has 4 cars ahead of him that are better placed to win it than he is. I for one am even willing to against the flow and stick my neck out and say it would be a huge anti climax where Alonso whimpers out in the last race due to himself or the car - the law of averages is long due to catch up with him and he is due a poor race and the next one is as good an occasion as any.

Law of averages would suggest Vettel is due a bad race actually. He's been on the podium for the last 6 races. Alonso got punted off at the first corner twice in the latter half of this year.

But then both cars could DNF near the start with Webber streaking home to a dominant win and we'd be left with the ultimate anti climax.

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1994 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

I agree 100% with Hill. Alonso is so formidable and capable of jumping on the slightest advantage, or hiccup by another driver, you can never rule him out until the obese female warbles.

Vettel will probably win the WDC but I nominate Alonso as driver of the year.

That's it right there. Not only the media but everyone in F1 realizes they'll all make more money if they keep acting like the WDC is open and there's a really exciting ultimate showdown coming up.

All commentators, their main job is to make it seem like something exciting is happening at times when actually not much is happening. Otherwise they wouldn't be worth hiring, no-one needs a commentator when the action is already keeping the audience spellbound. So they hire people to cast a spell over an audience who would otherwise change the channel.


I'm not even going to watch the race, waste of time on Thanksgiving weekend. If by some miracle Alonso wins or it's actually a nail-biter, then I'll watch the highlights on Monday.

Alonso is one of - if not the - most consistent driver so if anyone is there to take advantage of a mechanical failure or driver error by Vettel, it's Alonso.

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Räikkönen - Vettel - Rosberg - Bottas

If Vettel DNF's , Alonso will win the championship. There's no reason he wouldn't be on the podium, with Massa as a rear gunner back on form, that should be a given.
If it rains, all bets are off, which favors Alonso.

If all's normal, he hasn't got a snowflake's chance in hell.

It really is very simple. Pundits are just building excitement and it cannot be denied that Alonso is relentless and if anything goes his way he'll take it as he's done all season.

And this is the whole problem with you guys, the media and Ferrari keep telling you how bad the Ferrari is and you copy cats copying this nonsense about Alonso so called taking the car to places where it not belongs. In race trim the car is just as good as the RBR McL, i mean Pat Fry said that Alonso needs to up his Qualifying so stop overhyping Alonso seriously stop it

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In a normal, dry race then yes Vettel is the overwhelming favourite but looking at the weather forecast for this weekend I'd say anything could happen. With the prospect of rain on Saturday and Sunday I certainly wouldn't rule Alonso out

They've got to say something to keep it interesting. Would you rather they said, Alonso doesn't have a chance in hell so don't bother watching!!

Im still waiting for the David and Goliath story were Ferrari is potrayed as David lol.

The fact is the Red Bulls and McLaren's are better cars even in race trim. The Ferrari is not a dog of a car but Alonso has put himself in title contention by being consistent and scoring big points regularly.

The fact is he has the 5th best car, yet he's 2nd in the championship. Says it all in my opinion, that's not listening to the media. Ditto Raikonnen being 3rd.

Both those guys proving what good drivers they are.

I dont get what you are trying to say? Are you complaining about what Hill is saying? Are you thinking Alonso cant do it?

If Alonso did a good quali job at Austin he could have been right behind Lewis/Vettel. Massa showed that the car was capable of qualifying up there and Alonso has usually been miles ahead of Massa - if you use that logic then he could have qualified right behind Lewis and got Lewis on the start maybe even got Vettel because Ferraris Race Pace and Starts have been fantastic. I am no Alonso lover but that Ferrari at the start has nearly nabbed every drive sitting right in front of them. In fact it is a rare sight to see those Ferraris nabbed by other drivers at the start. Dont believe me - go watch the replays.

What has nabbed the Ferraris has been qualifying - again dont believe me look at their start positions compared to where they finish - then look at how many they got on the start. Numbers are in Ferraris favour when it comes to starts.

Like it or not if Ferrari DID have qualifying sorted out this season, Alonso would be leading this championship by a mile. Their 1 lap pace is whats been hurting them. Race pace they have been able to beat both Mclarens and at times the RBR but Vettel and the RBR have great 1 lap pace and strong race pace.

And Hill is only voicing his opinion which many including team bosses will agree with - Dont have to love Alonso to know he is a great driver and a team leader. He has nailed the number 1 slot at Ferrari - something that only MSC could do.

at least you got the opinion of a champ there , i mean he has been on this emoitional rollercoaster a few times , and has achived this goal - i like damon , hes always been honest and a decent chap - as we know if it wasn't for the chop mastro , he'd have had more wdc's possibly 3

No, I won't. In fact, I normally ignore the media and study technical aspects and what happens on track. The Ferrari was a horribly unstable car at the beginning of the season, and it took Ferrari a long time to just get that problem solved. I don't make that statement based on any media reports, I base it on my personal observations. The Ferrari has never been the best car (with the exception of Monza, where it all went wrong for Alonso), they have never qualified on pole based on sheer pace, and have never set the quickest lap time in the race.

I suspect you are just seeking to discredit Alonso by putting forward the theory that the Ferrari was always a good car. The kicker is that you state that we should not believe what others are saying, yet you quote Pat Fry and accept his statement blindly.

+1

The Ferrari looked horrible from the onboards at the start of the year and watching the onboards now it still seems to require more effort to drive than the Redbull for example. At the start of the year it was probably 5th or 6th fastest car at best, now best guess would be 3rd or 4th fastest (trading positions with the Lotus depending on track characteristics).

Not only media "pundits", but rival team principles, former drivers and even a number of current drivers have commented on how Alonso has outperformed the car, in other words the people best qualified to exercise an opinion. Yet some people still refuse to acknowledge how well he has driven this year.

again ... difficult to drive does not mean its slow ... may require more effort, might be harder to get the most out of but it does not mean its slower just because its difficult to drive. The 2 things have nothing to do with each other. Some of the fastest cars in the world are difficult to drive.

Nobody said the car was slow because it's difficult to drive, the general consensus in the f1 community was that the Ferrari simply lacked the raw pace of the other front running teams and was around 1sec a lap off at the start of the season.

What the "pundits" are praising Alonso for is the way he consistantly gets the most out of the car. In order for him to beat drivers in faster cars he must be closer to utilising 100% of the performance of his car more frequently and consistantly than they are. As you point out a car that is harder to drive is "harder to get the most out of", the fact that he is getting more out of his car than they are suggests that he is performing at a higher level.

I'm inclined to believe the other drivers and team personnel know what they're talking about, either they are wrong or a few f1 forumers who disagree are, I know who I would put my money on.

Anyone who would claim that the Ferrari is anywhere near the RB or McLaren in either qualifying or race trim is completely deluded. Were any of these people watching in Austin last weekend, where the Ferrari was about 1.5 seconds behind Vettel in qualifying and Alonso finished 39 seconds back? You don't win titles in cars like that.

So while I think it's a foregone conclusion that Vettel will be champion this weekend, it cannot be argued that Alonso has done something special with a lacklustre car.

If Massa hadnt taken his penalty, he showed he had the pace which was quite close to the two leaders. Alonso being slower than Massa at Austin does not make the car slower. In most races this year, the Ferrari has had the pace of the leaders in the race. They obviously struggle in qualy but the car is pretty much as good as any on race day.

This.

Alonso (and Lewis) should learn from Vettel some humility. Vettel never says that the McLaren was faster unlike these two jokers who keep coming across as bitter lil jealous girls.

Never heard the words Humility and Vettel in the same sentence! take your Vettel supporting glasses off, he is one of the most jealous and childish drivers on the grid.

I'm no fan of Alonso. Far from it. But he's challenging for the WDC with what has consistently been the third or fourth best car on the grid.

Hill is absolutely right.

If some folks don't agree with him, that's hardly a surprise.

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Me Like - Button, Hamilton, Webber, Rosberg
Over rated, over paid - Räikkönen, Alonso, Vettel. Schumacher
Disappointing - Massa, Kobayashi
I may be wrong about - Alonso

Learning humility from Vettel? That would be some lesson. The level of discussion on this forum is so low, I think I'll stick to the football thread.

Me too. I'll get my coat.

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Me Like - Button, Hamilton, Webber, Rosberg
Over rated, over paid - Räikkönen, Alonso, Vettel. Schumacher
Disappointing - Massa, Kobayashi
I may be wrong about - Alonso