Raj,
Very well stated.

It is not hatred for Alonso, it is simply a complete lack of respect for him and his actions.
He does not even belong in the same sentence as Senna (who I hold up as best ever).

He has talent, a huge sponsor, tremendous influence in the team, Ferrari is clearly favored by Benie and the FIA. And yet, he was unable to force an error on Petrov, followed by a pathetic displays of character...see, there is that word again. By being with Ferrari, he simply feels entitled.

Yet in the end, justice prevailed. He did not deserve to be WDC, at least from Germany on.

The outcome of this will be the simple reality that Ferrari will never allow this to happen again. Starting next year, Alonso will clearly be given #1 status from the start, unlike RBR and probably McLaren. That is certain.

 

Vettel won, afterall he had the best car, clearly.

The guys with the second best car (McLaren) screwed their own season up (at least Hamilton did).

The guy with the third best car (FA) drove well enough (after being gifted a win) to make it interesting but he and the team failed to deliver in the last race.

Did Vettel deserve it? Idk that's more philosophical than I care to get into. He was the fastest and frankly had the least amount of pressure at the end. Webber was probably the most consistent but let the pressure get to him at the end. Alonso IMHO is still the best driver in F1 but made mistakes early on that were, at the end, too costly to overcome.

Alonso (disappointing he couldn't get it done) and Ferrari (disappointing they made the wrong call, hindsight is always 20/20) lost the championship and Vettel along with RedBull won it. Horner looks like a genius for backing the right "Bull." Or was it a case of nurture vs nature?

Since A.Wayne isn't showing up I suggest we move on to 2011.

I think next year will be even more competitive.

With one full year of testing and development under his and the team's belt, Schumi and the whole Mercedes team should play a bigger role in the championship. After all looked what Fisichella's testing in a few races last year did for Ferrari.

Speaking of Ferrari I believe with Alonso coming back to an already competitive team (which he hasn't done since his early days at Renault), they will make for a formidable challenger to RedBull. And after Massa being relegated to testing in the second half of the year, I'm sure they'll improve.

RedBull has Adrian Newey a commitment from Renault and a heck of a driver in Vettel; they'll no doubt be up to the task of defending their multiple championships.

The question marks for me are McLaren and Renault, although both showed signs of great speed. McLaren seemed to lose their way towards the end and was really third best best behind RedBull and Ferrari (at least Alonso's car). Renault has shown some speed but will they improve enough to really contend? They do have Kubica (for now) and he is capable of delivering results.

 

^^ I agree with a lot you said there and the Schumi reference of being better with a year under his belt and some testing on Pirelli's is sure to signal A. Wayne from whatever rock he is lying under right now.

However, I think that Red Bull is now going to favor Vettel even more and make him closer to what a #1 driver is.... not like Ferrari where Alonso is the clear #1, but more like McLaren where it's not said out loud, but implied. Now that he has a WDC under his belt, coupled with the fact he is very young, Red Bull has a very bright future ahead for many years. IIRC, Vettel is locked up thorough 2012 or 2013?

Ferrari will not get off to a slow start like they did in 2010. There will be no mistake that all resources will go to FA with Massa in the supporting role from day 1. The car is good and from what I've read in tire testing, the Ferrari likes the soft compound, but not the hard.

McLaren showed that they can still develop with the best of them as witnessed by their new wings in Abu Dhabi. Mac had only the slightest chance of a WDC for Hamilton, but still pushed hard to the end and it could be argued that their car's improvement and Hamilton and Button on the Podium sunk the ship for Alonso's title hopes too. Look for McLaren to be at the very top when the season opens again.

Mercedes: I hope that Stuttgart gives them proper resources to improve the car. Hoping Schumi can show what he did toward the end of the 2010 season too.

Renault: How is Kubica not in a top team? What else does he have to prove? Couldn't RK be a WDC if given the right package? He is blindingly quick, seems to be a good development driver, does not rock the boat within the team, makes very few if not the fewest mistakes of anyone on grid. This last point is key as we've seen time and time again, he who makes the least mistakes, wins.

I just wish ltc would throw his support behind someone like Kubica instead of Sato. That's all I'm saying, the guy is a WDC in waiting.

 

Sums it up nicely!

 

I disagree with your statement. It was quite obvious, this circuit was going to have minimal passing. The McLaren with it's great top end could not reel in the Renaults. Ferrari was never the fastest car in the straights, not the fastest in turns. RBR was fastest in turns, McLaren was fastest in straights and Ferrari was good all around, but never the best at either.

Lewis Hamilton, who is considered the master at passing could do little to even put a dent on Kubica through the straights. The circuit does not allow any passing. All, if any passing was going to happen in the pits, unless ofcourse the car getting passed had no F-duct, i.e Saubers. Besides that, zero passing, zilch, from anyone. If the driver ahead didn't make a mistake, you were not going to be able to pass them. Alonso tried hard, very hard, to the point he went off track a few times. Fortunately, the runoffs are paved so there is little lost in going off track. Petrov drove an excallent race and admitted himself that passing would be impossible.

I remember Alonso using the same tactic years back on Schumi, where he essentially blocked him throughout the race because he knew where his car was slower.

I was the 1st to give the team it's due in Monza, where they got him out ahead of button. I call it as I see it, there were times when the team got him ahead and there were times when the team got him down. Unfortunately, at the last race, with everything on the line, the team and the strategist let him down.
I just want people to accept how it happened and not try to twist it just because it was Alonso. How come no one is talking about Hammy not being able to pass Vettel. Hammy had the fastest car on the straights and needed to win to have any chance. He couldn't do anything, and we all know how aggressive he can be.

I just hate this constant Alonso bashing. Pathetic.

 

That is because Ferrari used this tactic to great success in the past. They did it with Schumi and won numerous championships. You can't mess with success. They have realized what Alonso brings to the plate and know he can deliver, if they give him a half way decent car.
With the way Massa drove, he doesn't even deserve to be in the team, especially after he threw the team under the bus.
This is a team sport and the best driver will make it his team. That is what happened with Vettel. If Vettel would have had a clear advantage over Webber earlier, RBR would clearly have made him #1. Their future is tied into Vettel, so they preferred the fair route, to allow their chosen one to have a chance. It all worked for them in the end. I congratulate them for sticking to their guns, even when the whole world criticized them. 3 races back, everyone thought RBR was silly to do what they were doing. No one gave Vettel a fighting chance, especially after his engine blew up in Korea.
Webber folded under pressure. If it was anyone else besides Webber, chances are, they could have been champion. Webber in the same car qualified 5th, while his team mate got pole.
As far as Bernie siding with Ferrari, if that was actually true, Alonso would have been the WDC. He had a clear advantage with 1 race to go. He would have a found a way to gift Ferrari the championship.

 

Like others have said, insightful synopsis. I am stuck as to where Kubica could go after next year. He seems to be the odd man out, destined to never really have the ride to contend for the WDC.

Like Schumacher before, anyone paired with Alonso at Ferrari will be racing for 2nd. McLaren and Red Bull have their #1 drivers for the foreseeable future and after next year may be looking to their own feeder programs for their next driver. Red Bull probably already has that in Ricciardo. Mercedes is the most likely candidate if Schumacher does not produce next year, but that is hinged on their opinion of Rosberg's development skills. Also doesn't Mercedes have their own driver program?

Most likely scenario to me is that Renault continues to develop, gives Kubica a few wins next year and he stays put for 2012.

 

^
Maybe it has just become a vehicle to get at A.Wayne. Too bad he didn't come and stand in the "well", now he is trying to wrangle out of it.

I wouldn't worry too much about Internet characters judging character! Mirrors are helpful in that regard and if you can live with that then good on ya!

Come on A. Wayne take your lumps, make the necessary apologies and recognize that F1 is like Barnum and Bailey combined with the WWF...and everyone gets a turn to win. I smell a fix!

 

Very well said. Couldn't have said it better.
Raj

 

So besides Abu Dhabi, what other tracks should be removed from the schedule?

I guarantee if Alonso were running 3rd or 4th and no one could pass him and he won the WDC, there would no complaining about the track.
Clearly he would have driven a masterful race, keeping everyone behind him, doing exactly what he needed to do to win the title, yada yada yada.

What, they assumed Vettel wasn't going to stay in front and win? Expecting another Renault engine failure? The strategy was simplistic, rigid and flawed. The whole ego massaging was humorous to listen to. I give credit to Aldo Stella for working with the biggest diva in F1 today.

BTW, how do you condone Alonso's display toward Petrov?
character. He has no idea what the word means. Truly a pathetic excuse for a 2x WDC.

Its just observation and personal opinion, nothing more.

 

^

Passion and frustration in the heat of the moment!

 

Not that it mattered in the end, but what was the reason given for allowing Ferrari to keep the 7 points from Germany and simply pay a minimal fine?

 

^
I think you answered your own question....because it didn't matter in the end!

A thinking person has to at least consider that some of these finishes and events are just a little too pat to be coincidental...but then again truth has always been stranger than fiction.

My antennae are raised!

 

Jean Todt thinks passing at Abu Dhabi is a problem that needs correcting, notice they have put Brazil back on as the last race of the year?


Todt to press for more overtaking

ESPNF1 Staff
November 19, 2010

"We need to encourage more overtaking," he said. "In Abu Dhabi it was impossible. I'm speaking as the president of the FIA. Hamilton had fresh tyres and was two seconds faster than Kubica and yet he failed to pass.
"From now on, before a new circuit is approved, we will evaluate the potential for the spectacle as well as the safety. We have already convened a meeting with technical experts such as Patrick Head and Rory Byrne."

However, Hermann Tilke, the designer of almost all the new Formula One circuits, recently dismissed suggestions he had produced unexciting tracks. "Some races have a lot of action, others not. That is the same in every sport," he said. "Racing is very dangerous, and nobody wants dead or injured drivers.

"Fans always want fast curves. But these curves are counterproductive for passing. For sure, you need fast curves. But for passing, the best design is to have a slow curve, a long straightaway and then another slow curve."

 

Hey, it wasn't pretty, but as someone who has a fiercely competitive nature, for me, it's understandable in the heat of the moment... it's not like he got out of the car slugged him... like my other hero Senna I guess he was completely devoid of morals and character too! Maybe I have a thing for bad boys