Alonso: I call my grandmother every night

Here's a little gem from the Charlie Whiting interview, about Monza 2006. 

http://plus.autospor...7350.1398749298

First he explained that he hadn't done anything wrong. Then he started to get a little more excited, saying "What am I going to tell my grandmother about this when I speak to her? I call her every night!" Then he stood up, got more angry and threw his sunglasses across the room and really started shouting.

 

I've never seen a driver do anything like that before and I felt for his health, really. Seriously. If anyone went into a race so fraught then they are a danger to themselves. Whether or not a penalty was right was neither here or there, but I've never seen a driver get that cross before.

"What am i going to tell my grandmother when i speak to her ?"

"Grandma, it cannot be my fault i impeded Felipe, so it must be yours"

This needed its own thread? The upside though is that I read the interview and found this other gem:

July 16:
 

Have the rules become too complex and out of control?
Gary Anderson

CW: To some extent, yes. I think they are more complex than they need to be

Other article, July 16:

But F1 race director Charlie Whiting thinks that although having simpler rules would be a good thing for the sport, achieving it would be almost impossible.
"It is very difficult to get less complicated, because the cars, the teams, the procedures, everything they do, is more complicated," he explained.

"They are seeking more and more clarity, which involves more and more words in rules typically.

"You never sees rule books getting thinner, do you? I would like things to be simpler, but when you look at the complexity of the whole sport it is very difficult to make the rules simple.

"We are being continually asked to make things clearer, but you can't do that with fewer words unfortunately."

 

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/114978

Which one is it, Charlie?

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 17 July 2014 - 06:10.

That explains a lot, Fernando ...

I didn't know his grandma has passed, glad you mentioned it otherwise an innocent joke would of been made and deemed rude.

To be fair to Charlie, there is nothing there that isn't ok to comment on.

Edited by teejay, 17 July 2014 - 07:20.

This needed its own thread? The upside though is that I read the interview and found this other gem:

 

July 16:
 

 

 

Other article, July 16:

 

 

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/114978

 

Which one is it, Charlie?

I don't see any difference. He's saying simpler would appear better, but it would be difficult to implement simpler rules.

It's great to hear that Fernando had a close relation with his grandmother.

That he also has less laudable character traits is well known, and throwing a tantrum after the shenanigans in Monza is hardly incomprehensible - even if it is perhaps not very impressive.
 

The fact that the described incident, dumb but hardly shocking, caused Charlie Whiting to '[feel] for his health, really' might explain the dozens of laps wasted behind safety cars every season.

Edited by Nonesuch, 17 July 2014 - 08:12.

Alonso had a right to be pissed off. It was a corrupt penalty.

Alonso was right to be pissed off.

Everytime I start to like Ferrari a bit something like this pops up and reminds that, no, I hate that team and the methods which they use to gain advantages time and time again.

So....emmmm....

What's the point now on talking about this chapter 8 years later with that special focus in his grandmother issue, something quite "personal"?

It is irrelevant at this point. Another of many "anger attacks" that we have seen so many times in sport. Very interesting...

To be fair to Charlie, there is nothing there that isn't ok to comment on.

Whilst it may be OK and accurate? there just feels something a little off to me about the comments from Charlie, bearing in mind he is making a less than flattering statement about a current driver in a series he is 'chief policman' of. Maybe if he wanted to make the comments it would have been better to wait until one or both of them had moved on from the sport.

Apart from that its nice to see that Fernando rang his Gran every night - its more than I do and makes me feel a little bad, will probably ring mine tonight now

Alonso went on to have an engine failure in that race, so the penalty sort of didn't matter in the end (even though you could argue semantics about it and the affect it had on his race and pushing his engine)

Then Schumacher had an engine failure in Suzuka..

It was the best championship fight I've enjoyed watching in my time of watching F1, separate from the team or drivers I support or not.  I loved that 2006 season.  The cars were great too, the regs.  The cars were pulling more G's than ever before and every lap was flatout.  There was still plenty of passing, minus a few tracks where it isn't suited (DRS would have helped there).  And Jenson Button won a race that season, so James Allen got to have an orgasm.

Pretty low from Charlie to talk about this things, specially when Alonso's grandmother is dead. The penalty was a farce, glad that at the end of that season Charlie, Bernie and all his minions got a big pie on their faces.

I don't see the problem

I don't see the problem

Both my grannies are dead, and I don't mind anyone talking about them. In fact, it's nice to hear them talked about.

The only issue anyone can have with what he said is that they think it's embarrassing for Alonso.

Edited by oetzi, 17 July 2014 - 08:58.

Both my grannies are dead, and I don't mind anyone talking about them. In fact, it's nice to hear them talked about.

 

The only issue anyone can have with what he said is that they think it's embarrassing for Alonso.

But was Alonso aware that Charlie was giving an interview talking about Alonso's relation to his grandma in such a context? It is nice to have memories and remember old relatives in most of the cases, obviously, but that doesn't seem to be the point here.

Its not really the comments about his Grandmother that I have an issue with - more the ones about him losing his temper to the extent he is a danger.

I found it just to be an amusing anecdote about a top driver. Sorry if it offended anyone.

But was Alonso aware that Charlie was giving an interview talking about Alonso's relation to his grandma in such a context? It is nice to have memories and remember old relatives in most of the cases, obviously, but that doesn't seem to be the point here.

Is he aware that you're asking me questions about whether he was aware of what Charlie said?

Perhaps I should get permission before I answer.

Its not really the comments about his Grandmother that I have an issue with - more the ones about him losing his temper to the extent he is a danger.

Well, if he was jumping around, smashing things and invoking his granny, it's probably fair to say he was less than 100% stable at that point. 

Edited by oetzi, 17 July 2014 - 09:16.

Not even a huge fan of Alonso's personality (admire his skills though) and I didn't follow the 2006 season but from the little I know about that incident in Monza I can totally understand him erupting like that

I found it just to be an amusing anecdote about a top driver. Sorry if it offended anyone.

I love that we have this thread! Don't take it so serously, Slideways is just taking the piss out of Fred.

 yeah - figured that ;) . I don't have a problem with the thread I just think the comments from Charlie are inappropriate about a current driver given his position in the sport, I just think it could cause a bit of friction with both Fernando and Ferrari? and I'm not sure why he would decide to bring it up now. It just may have been best to wait until he was retired and release a book or something. (I hope he does, I would so buy that )

  It just may have been best to wait until he was retired and release a book or something. (I hope he does, I would so buy that )

You might be waiting a while. He's a pupil of Bernie's.

yeah - figured that ;) . I don't have a problem with the thread I just think the comments from Charlie are inappropriate about a current driver given his position in the sport, I just think it could cause a bit of friction with both Fernando and Ferrari? and I'm not sure why he would decide to bring it up now. It just may have been best to wait until he was retired and release a book or something. (I hope he does, I would so buy that )

Well, if he was jumping around, smashing things and invoking his granny, it's probably fair to say he was less than 100% stable at that point. 

There was no race at that point. If you remember the race, he looked 100% stable as always, brilliant even, until the car failed. Who cares for some smashed stuff in Whitings office aside form Charlie himself maybe?

And besides, it looks as if he made a lasting impression, which was probably helpful in the long term. Better be know as the ill-tempered bastard than just another kid to be shoved around.

There was no race at that point. If you remember the race, he looked 100% stable as always, brilliant even, until the car failed. Who cares for some smashed stuff in Whitings office aside form Charlie himself maybe?

 

And besides, it looks as if he made a lasting impression, which was probably helpful in the long term. Better be know as the ill-tempered bastard than just another kid to be shoved around.

 

Absolutely - better be known as a dangerous loon than a nice guy who'll wave someone by

Is he aware that you're asking me questions about whether he was aware of what Charlie said?

 

Perhaps I should get permission before I answer.

Ok, ok... whatever....

Alonso went on to have an engine failure in that race, so the penalty sort of didn't matter in the end (even though you could argue semantics about it and the affect it had on his race and pushing his engine)
 
Then Schumacher had an engine failure in Suzuka..
 
It was the best championship fight I've enjoyed watching in my time of watching F1, separate from the team or drivers I support or not.  I loved that 2006 season.  The cars were great too, the regs.  The cars were pulling more G's than ever before and every lap was flatout.  There was still plenty of passing, minus a few tracks where it isn't suited (DRS would have helped there).  And Jenson Button won a race that season, so James Allen got to have an orgasm.

This thread makes me feel bad. I don't call my grandmother every night. I must be an awful grandson.

I don't see any difference. He's saying simpler would appear better, but it would be difficult to implement simpler rules.

If they cannot be simpler then they are not more complex than they need to be, IMO

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 17 July 2014 - 15:20.

Nice humanizing touch.

I used to call mine a lot too.

I'm not sure why he would decide to bring it up now

Pretty low from Charlie to talk about this things

The premise of the article is that people from F1 were invited to submit questions.

Here is the beginning of the question:

Have you ever seen a driver more emotional than Fernando Alonso was at Monza in 2006 when he was given a penalty for impeding Felipe Massa?
Steve Nielsen

CW: No. I never have. He was incandescent. He wanted to come and see me and Steve brought him up.

That incident has to be seen in context. And not whatever FIA conspiracy fever dream the forum is having on any given day. 

That was the first year of knockout qualifying and the first year of impeding penalties. I remember Fisichella losing his **** over Villeneuve after one of the sessions at the Nurburgring and not thinking anything really happened. But JV was penalised and missed Q3 I think. At that point I thought "Okay, so it's zero tolerance on being ahead of another car". So Monza didn't surprise me at all, it seemed consistent. A quick check of the data would have shown whether Massa suffered *any* effects from Alonso's car and if it's an all or nothing rule...

Here's a little gem from the Charlie Whiting interview, about Monza 2006. 

 

http://plus.autospor...7350.1398749298

First he explained that he hadn't done anything wrong. Then he started to get a little more excited, saying "What am I going to tell my grandmother about this when I speak to her? I call her every night!" Then he stood up, got more angry and threw his sunglasses across the room and really started shouting.

Fernando, you got the answer yourself: "I haven't done anything wrong Grandma".  

Good man... i don't care how some people view it. Surely, it came out in a worst possible way, but you got to admire that he called his granny as often as he did.

That incident has to be seen in context. And not whatever FIA conspiracy fever dream the forum is having on any given day. 

 

That was the first year of knockout qualifying and the first year of impeding penalties. I remember Fisichella losing his **** over Villeneuve after one of the sessions at the Nurburgring and not thinking anything really happened. But JV was penalised and missed Q3 I think. At that point I thought "Okay, so it's zero tolerance on being ahead of another car". So Monza didn't surprise me at all, it seemed consistent. A quick check of the data would have shown whether Massa suffered *any* effects from Alonso's car and if it's an all or nothing rule...

 

It was consistent, yes. Consistently amazingly dumb. Just like Villeneuve's penalty.

soo reading his grandma is dead i had a vision of a phone next to a tombstone ringing

and there are plenty of times i would of been very tempted to shout "are you ****ing ********", at charlie

Unless he has permission from the driver to reveal these little anecdotes, babbling Charlie needs to keep all driver-Race Director conversations under his hat.  First, they are mostly adrenaline based, so things will be said that may make little since unless you are in the driver's head - or at least in the room with them and know their history.  Second, it is unprofessional.  Third it may quell speech a bit because now drivers are aware that he is a human walkie talkie.

It seemed like a 'human' reaction. His reaction seemed like some sort of bullsh*t I spit out when I am that 'pissed-off-over-the-edge-c**t-that-I-say-nonsense' bastard and I immediately blurt out obscene & immature remarks.

Fernando is human. Get over it.

Pretty low from Charlie to talk about this things, specially when Alonso's grandmother is dead. The penalty was a farce, glad that at the end of that season Charlie, Bernie and all his minions got a big pie on their faces.

So....emmmm....

What's the point now on talking about this chapter 8 years later with that special focus in his grandmother issue, something quite "personal"?

It is irrelevant at this point. Another of many "anger attacks" that we have seen so many times in sport. Very interesting...

this

The "what am I going to say to my grandma?" bit is priceless, with all respect to the late grandmother.

However, Whiting is as unprofessional as he can be.

Not that this is a new information.

Third it may quell speech a bit because now drivers are aware that he is a human walkie talkie.

He doesn't mention it for 8 years.  He then gets asked very specifically about it, by someone else who was in the room (who was on Alonso's side, by the way!), and mentions it and suddenly he's a walkie talkie?

Sheesh.

He doesn't mention it for 8 years.  He then gets asked very specifically about it, by someone else who was in the room (who was on Alonso's side, by the way!), and mentions it and suddenly he's a walkie talkie?

 

Sheesh.

I don't mind that he told this anecdote, it is amusing, where he went over the line for me, was "he is a danger to himself and others" part, especcially, knowing that you can say a lot about Fernando, but that is definitely not his MO.