planetf1.com

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20579507

"I drove the best season of my life and now I can only think of the year to come.
"Before, people had a more or less good opinion of me, but now I notice a whole different level of respect.
"To be one of the greats of Formula 1, it's not enough to win titles; you must also tackle seasons like the one that has just ended."
-Alonso

then this one....

"Frankly, I'm not that interested in what the opinion is of me in Germany or elsewhere. What I know is that people who see me in the streets hug me and call me gladiator or samurai." -Alonso

I don't think a driver needs to explain to me how great he is. For him to say titles are not what matters is hysterical. Yes, he had a killer year, but let others praise you. You don't need to explain to the world why you are so great

hmm, maybe it is his way of dealing with losing.
Also, kind of pathetic to say that you don't care what people think about you, yet at the same time mention what people think about you and that it matters. lol

I agree. However, humility goes much further

All F1 drivers have big egos, whether they show them in public or not.

Could be worse, at least he's not lying!

Get over it. You, along with many others are criticising him with the implication that he is a sore loser, yet right now you're being a 'sore winner.' Taking every opportunity you can to dog the 2012 championship rival of your preferred driver. Fernando is obviously proud of himself for the fight he put up, and if I were in his shoes, I would too.

Also, if you'll read a little closer, Alonso is not saying that you don't need to win championships to be one of the greats. He clearly says that it is not enough to just win championships. To be one of the greats, you have to win championships, and have those seasons that go right down to the wire and test every bit of raw ability you have.

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You guys are more obsessed with Alonso than Alonso's fans

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"I am a believer, but I start each Grand Prix with 195 liters of fuel behind me," he explains. "I don't rely entirely on God, I rely on Prost."

Haha!

He's probably gone a bit too far.

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Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.

I know, as if Alonso would allow lowly peasants to hug him!

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"I don't make mistakes, I make prophecies that immediately turn out to be wrong."

44


"samurai" HA!!!!!!!!! come on.... you don't find that a bit ridiculous?!

Should drivers toot their own horns?!

(EDITED BY MOD: INAPPROPRIATE COMMENT DELETED)

Should Barcelona sign Fernando Torres?

Answer is no.

My admiration for Alonso the driver went up several notches this year after the Valencia but my opinion of Alonso the personality has never been lower.

All this blowing the horn (aided by Andrew Benson) annoyed me a little earlier but now I can only laugh at him.

I'm starting to believe this samurai stuff is why Alonso's losing. He's getting obsessed with talking about the warrior on the high ground and people hugging him in the street. Have any of the other greats gone on this much about not winning in such an indirect way or did they just get on with the job in question?

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"We can not drive slower, just to make the races more exciting." Alain Prost

Kimi Raikkonen thinks he's a deceased 1976 world champion.

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"I am a believer, but I start each Grand Prix with 195 liters of fuel behind me," he explains. "I don't rely entirely on God, I rely on Prost."

I suppose I do. It would depend really on whether that's his own perception of himself, or if that's actually what fans are voluntarily doing. Not to put down Fernando or anything, but given his fascination with samurais (i.e his tattoo), I would assume that it's merely his own perception.. so I do agree with you. Even still, I don't think he's 'tooting his own horn' as vigorously as is suggested.

Having said that, I'm more interested in the cryptic message behind your '44.'

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He also said "I will give ferrari an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind me, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join me in the sun. In time, i will help them accomplish wonders. You see, i'm not just anyone, One day, i'm gonna have to make a choice. i will have to decide what kind of man i want to grow up to be. Whoever that man is, good character or bad, i'm gonna change the world."

Was it just me who assumed this thread would be about drivers being allowed to have horns which they can sound when they feel another driver has impeded them

Nope, not just you.

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Räikkönen - Vettel - Rosberg - Bottas

You're right. The second quote in essence is saying "I don't care what people think about me because people adore me."

It's a shame because he had an exceptional first half of the season.

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Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.

I don't see why he shouldn't be tooting his own horn. He's still the only active driver with 2 WDCs in his name, and could very well have 4 if only he had scored just a few more points.

It's not like he's a hasbeen or neverwas who's spouting stuff he can't back up.

oh please... many could argue they could have more... Hamilton would have 2 titles if Alonso had not blocked his pit stall. Kimi could have 2 or 3 if the Macca did not break down so much, Alonso could have 3 or 4... the list goes on

Hakk is still around

Oh wow

You dont drive F1 cars well unless you have alot of self belief. Simple as that

And even if we remove the "if such and such happened/didn't happen", Alonso is still a two-time WDC.

He still hasn't been able to win a WDC driving anything other than a blue car, but he's a two-time WDC just the same.

IMO he has the right to feel proud of what he has achieved and that is what he is talking about. Dont forget he is hailed a hero in Spain and rightly so. Seriously how many drivers in F1 today would have achieved what he has done in that Ferrari?

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I can understand these comments coming from him because it's his character


What I don't get is why is Ferrari showering him with compliments in every given moment its like they're kissing his ass! Everyone knows that he drove well this season, but to praise him like this is a bit over the top.. Does Alonso have a say at who is his team principal as well at Ferrari?

Show me a top F1-driver who isn't arrogant in some way... all are. All of them are bad loosers, Vettel is even one of the worst.

I don't see the point of constantly diminishing Alonso in some way... he must really annoy some of you guys.. :S

EDIT: With so many threads about Ferrari and Alonso... mabey we deserve a Ferrari UBERTHREAD OF BASHING??

Ain't that the truth.

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Forza Fernando !

Big surprise, F1 driver thinks that they are pretty good at what they do and that is appreciated by some people.

How on earth are you supposed to be the best in the business without self-belief?, seems like the popular fad on here post season is to Alonso bash.

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Support: Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Heikki Kovalainen
Respect: Alonso, Schumacher, Newey
Not so keen on: Vettel, Di Resta, whoever decides to red flag when it rains in F1

No, it really isn't. Titles are not what matters. You will be hard pressed to find any Formula 1 expert who thinks they do. Nigel Roebuck, Martin Brundle, Murray Walker, etc, etc. Each are on record about this point.

If titles mattered, you would not see Stirling Moss and Gilles Villeneuve regularly at the top of the experts' best-ever F1 drivers lists. I remember even the reader's poll of top-100 drivers that F1 Racing Magazine held several years ago had Villenueve at #5 and Moss right around there as well; and the guy who finished #1 had 5 fewer titles than the guy in 2nd.
How many experts think Schumacher with 7 his titles is the best ever? Very few.

But you're a Vettel fan, so you would naturally say that titles matter. By your logic Vettel is as good as Stewart, Senna and Lauda were, and is better than Jim Clark, Stirling Moss, Tazio Nuvlari and Gilles Villeneuve, who between them only won two titles.

no, I am not saying titles are all that matter. I am saying it is very funny coming from a man who was obsessed with winning his 3rd and now a week later calls himself a "samuria" and says titles are not what matters. Something tells me if he had gotten 3 that is all that would have matttered to him.

Bottom line is that he should let others put him on a pedistal, he is too good to put himself up there....

Going by certain post histories, I have to say that it is amazing how some peopple let their (internet) world revolve around a guy that they despise so much.

For someone posting a thread that asks a general question, the post itself feels rather... targeted. I do hope it isn't, Hakk?

Posters, feel free to throw other drivers' quotes into the mix, or this thread may not last much longer.

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I've run out of patience with tyre threads. There is an official one: USE IT.

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... 'cause everybody's on the run.

Alonso must have compromising pictures of Luca and the Ferrari brass. That's the only explanation. They are kissing his butt like he's the supreme leader of North Korea and they are the citizens.The fact that Luca would go as far as dissing Schumi to build up praise for Alonso shows how ridiculous this is getting,

I don't know which 10 year old girl called him Samurai or Gladiator, If I see him on the street I'll call him MAFIA BOSS

Exactly, dissing schumi was a shocker. It can't be only Santander's money!! Every Alonso screw-up immediately gets its blessings and justifications from the bosses. The tweets, the open criticizing of the team, the "only talk no results" comment, and it goes on!

Maybe Alonso uses black magic?

Agree 100% with this. A bit unrelated, but I watched an Australian cricket match a few weeks ago. One of the fielders was trying to run out the batsman (throw the ball at the stumps when he is out of his crease) and you could hear one of his team mates shouting out to the fielder "Back yourself mate, back yourself!" As you say, it's all about having that self belief, something Fernando displayed all throughout the season, even when his back was to the wall.

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Ofcourse titles matter. They are the ultimate goal for each and every driver in F1. Even Alonso has said he wants that third WDC before retiring.

Titles are not the ONLY thing that matter. That would be a correct statement. But they matter.

He is a samurai all right. Committed suicide so to speak. Killed his own reputation. Gladiator, though, he is not. Gladiators are forced to fight. He went in all guns blazing, the biggest being his mouth rivalled only by his ego. Still got slain in the end and now is trying to rise like a flaccid Phoenix from the ashes.

10 year olds lead busy lives. It was probably someone at the onset of dementia.

Possibly the most intelligent post I've read on PF1.

Most experts will rate Prost and Senna a cut above Schumacher, there's just no debate about it.

I'm certain Raikkonen and Hamilton fans will agree how little titles mean when comparing drivers.