planetf1.com

Fernando Alonso says he would have no qualms about playing a supporting role to Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa if the Brazilian needed it.

The Spanish driver has overshadowed Massa in the three years they have been together at the Italian squad, but the Brazilian had a much stronger second half of the 2012 Formula 1 season, during which he was faster than Alonso in some races.

Massa said on Thursday that his resurgence has left him upbeat about his chances of fighting for wins and the title in 2013.

Alonso insisted people continue to under-rate Massa, who he reckons has proven to be one of the best drivers in the F1 field.

"Sure, it is not the first time I have helped him and surely it will not be the last," Alonso said when asked if he would support Massa's title challenge if required.

"We help each other continuously, for the good of Ferrari.

"Felipe is one of the best drivers in the world. I have been repeating this for three years, and at times people look surprised when I say this during press conferences."

Alonso believes his gap to Massa in the standings in the past three years has been 'strange' and reckons they do not reflect the Brazilian's real speed.

"At the end of the 2012 season people realised he is one of the best in the world," Alonso said.

"These last few seasons there was a gap that I never had [with team-mates] in the past, and points wise it was something strange, because usually we should have been on a more equal level as far as points are concerned."

Massa, who secured a one-year contract thanks to his late resurgence in 2012, is convinced that Ferrari wants him to be as strong as Alonso rather than just playing a supporting role.

"I cannot really imagine or think about a team that does not want one of its drivers to be competitive," he said.

"It would be absurd to have just one good car, and one good driver."

Fernando has his agenda set! Looking at it from a different perspective, had Massa been competitive throughout 2010 and 2012, Alonso would've probably taken the title. The number 2's job is to take points away from the rivals, something Webber was quite proficient at doing in RBR. Alonso knows he's still likely to win in a head-to-head against Massa, but would rather a teammate that finishes right behind him rather than out of the points altogether. End of the day, he ultimately loses if he's totally wiping the floor with his teammate. A nice little motivational talk there.

Now this is good! Some people will still bang on about how he demands number one status but this pretty much debunked that theory.

Fernando has his agenda set! Looking at it from a different perspective, had Massa been competitive throughout 2010 and 2012, Alonso would've probably taken the title. The number 2's job is to take points away from the rivals, something Webber was quite proficient at doing in RBR. Alonso knows he's still likely to win in a head-to-head against Massa, but would rather a teammate that finishes right behind him rather than out of the points altogether. End of the day, he ultimately loses if he's totally wiping the floor with his teammate. A nice little motivational talk there.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105186



Alonso a no.2 ??

Alonso will do what Ferrari says, if Massa is fighting for the title and Alonso is not, he will help Felipe, I don't know why it's in question, it's common sense.

Alonso will do what Ferrari says, if Massa is fighting for the title and Alonso is not, he will help Felipe, I don't know why it's in question, it's common sense.

I'd like to see someone hold that article up to him if Massa actually was leading.

He's only saying it because he knows that there is no way in hell Massa will beat him.

Schumacher helped Irvine so why not.

The only way Alonso would help Massa is if he was out of the title himself, so why not.
Also what is the chances of that, unless we have another 1999

I'd like to see someone hold that article up to him if Massa actually was leading.

He's only saying it because he knows that there is no way in hell Massa will beat him.

Now this is good! Some people will still bang on about how he demands number one status but this pretty much debunked that theory.

Seriously? It's easy to say it in a media interview...saying and doing are two different things! IF the scenario actually happened then you would be correct, but i think it's a tad premature to say it's the myth debunked

Ah, yet another with inside knowledge of what Alonso is thinking. damn we have some geniuses here on this forum, if you don't believe me, just ask them.

Or a sane persons response would be that I'm just saying that until it happens, it's all talk.

If Vettel came out and said the same thing I'd have the same views. It's all well and good saying it, but until the driver is put in that position there is no way of knowing what he'll do.

Damn you really are a genius...clearly your level of intellect is far superior...

No, rick...

Apparently not,I am not a genuis, as I don't have the inside knowledge of what Alonso is really thinking like you do... it is YOU who claim to know, so I guess that makes you the resident "genius".

I hope you understand that this low intellect forumite will... until shown otherwise... take Fernando Alonso's words about what he thinks, before taking your words about what Alonso thinks as fact.

Some of you run around claiming that you know all.... you know what the person is "really saying"... and what is worse than that, you speak it as though it is indisputable "fact". Sorry, rick... I don't buy it.

At the least I have a direct quote from Alonso to defend what I said. Could you provide one credible source to prove what you're saying? Besides, why would you choose to believe some nutters on interweb, than Alonso himself?

ahem, 2008?

At the least I have a direct quote from Alonso to defend what I said. Could you provide one credible source to prove what you're saying? Besides, why would you choose to believe some nutters on interweb, than Alonso himself?

Look at 1999, Ferrari wanted Irvine to win the title badly

Off-topic, ever so slightly:
This was doubted at the time. Do you know more than we do?
For what it's worth; it seemed as if Ferrari were lost when it had to work for Irvine as their number one driver, and found its feet again when Schumacher was back. That also seemed the time Irvine's performance slumped again, though I admit that might simply be coincidence.

I genuinely believe that if they didn't want Irvine to win they would have told Schumacher to scamper off into the Sepang sunset and said Irvine just couldn't keep up with him. That the switch happened suggests to me they did want to win it just as badly with both drivers. Luca DmZ knew what a WDC win would do for Ferrari back home. I have no doubt Schumacher didn't want Irvine to win though and didn't give Hakkinen half as hard a time in Japan as he could have. It all worked out perfectly for him in the end of course. Luca didn't care who won Ferrari's titles though, just that Ferrari won them.

That needs a word of explanation, at least for me.

If you mean that there could come a time during which Massa were far more comfortable or confident with the car than Alonso(/Räikkönen) I understand why you bring 2008 up. The difference between 2012-13 and 2008 is of course driver equality, which was in force then, but not now. I think a lot would depend on how happy Santander would be to see Alonso's needs ignored in favour of those of Massa.

Listening to what nutters on interweb? I said Alonso saying in an interview he will back Massa up and actually DOING what he says are two very different things. Your delusional if you think the "Alonso demands #1 status myth is debunked" just because Fernando says it in an interview. He wasn't exactly going to say "i will never support Felipe no matter what the situation"

Inless we have a 1999, this scenario won't happen anyway

I genuinely believe that if they didn't want Irvine to win they would have told Schumacher to scamper off into the Sepang sunset and said Irvine just couldn't keep up with him. That the switch happened suggests to me they did want to win it just as badly with both drivers. Luca DmZ knew what a WDC win would do for Ferrari back home. I have no doubt Schumacher didn't want Irvine to win though and didn't give Hakkinen half as hard a time in Japan as he could have. It all worked out perfectly for him in the end of course. Luca didn't care who won Ferrari's titles though, just that Ferrari won them.

If they wanted to win all they had to do was remember how many wheels went on a Ferrari

I genuinely believe that if they didn't want Irvine to win they would have told Schumacher to scamper off into the Sepang sunset and said Irvine just couldn't keep up with him. That the switch happened suggests to me they did want to win it just as badly with both drivers. Luca DmZ knew what a WDC win would do for Ferrari back home. I have no doubt Schumacher didn't want Irvine to win though and didn't give Hakkinen half as hard a time in Japan as he could have. It all worked out perfectly for him in the end of course. Luca didn't care who won Ferrari's titles though, just that Ferrari won them.