62 replies to this topic

[engineblock1]

Now that he is going, a time to reflect back on some of his key victories in Formula 1.

Since the poll allows 20 options only, I excluded some options from 2005/06 which were from pole to chequered flag. Nevertheless, if I missed some important option, feel free to discuss.

[MonkeySpin]

It has been that long, I literally cannot remember any of his wins.

[jwill189]

Now that he is going, a time to reflect back on some of his key victories in Formula 1.

Since the poll allows 20 options only, I excluded some options from 2005/06 which were from pole to chequered flag. Nevertheless, if I missed some important option, feel free to discuss.

 

2012 European Grand Prix for me.  Honorable mentions go to the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, and 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.

[garoidb]

The 2007 European Grand Prix win was a memorable one, as was the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. In fact, though, many of his most memorable drives or moments were not victories. 

[sladealonso]

For me it has to be Malaysia 2012, the fact that Ferrari looked like mid table fodder up till then just lets it stick in my memory. Honourable mentions to Europe 2012, Europe 2007, Singapore 2010 and Korea 2010.

[jwill189]

The 2007 European Grand Prix win was a memorable one, as was the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. In fact, though, many of his most memorable drives or moments were not victories. 

 

The 2006 and 2014 Hungarian Grand Prixs were also great drives.  The former was a wheel nut issue and the latter was bad luck with the safety car.

[screamingV16]

2007 European GP. Great late race move and very enjoyable slap-down of Massa.

[f1paul]

Tough call. I've narrowed it down to five.

 

2005 San Marino

2007 European Grand Prix (Nurburgring)

2010 Singapore

2012 European GP (Valencia)

2013 Spain

 

If I had to choose I'd probably choose 2012 at Valencia. 11th to 1st whilst passing drivers on a tricky circuit in Spain as well! 

 

Although San Marino 2005 is a close second. 

 

Apart from a few of his wins in 05 and 06, he's had to work pretty hard for every F1 win he's had.

[messy]

2012 Malaysia, Germany and Valencia all stick in my mind because I'll hold 2012 up as a season equally heroic to any I've seen, any of the Schumacher 'against the odds' late nineties seasons, Kimi's run at the 2003 title in a year old car, Hamilton's debut year. Alonso put in some brilliant drives that year.

[William Hunt]

A driver's first F1 win is always memorable

[Disgrace]

I would choose three. San Marino in '05 was the "changing of the guard" moment the sport desperately needed after so many years of Schumacher dominance. Alonso announced himself as a top driver with that victory. Europe '07 was epic for the move for the win and Singapore '10 was just a masterclass of a weekend.

[realracer200]

Hungary in the rain, i don't remember if it was 2005 or 2006.

[screamingV16]

Hungary in the rain, i don't remember if it was 2005 or 2006.

 

He was leading in the wet in 06, but then lost a wheel and retired and Button won.

[Vielleicht]

This thread is going to make me cry.

[AlexPrime]

2012 Valencia
2005 Imola

[P123]

San Marino '05, Bahrain '06, Europe (Nurburgring) '07 and Europe (Valencia) '12.

And just for fun, Hungary '06 and the opening laps:

Edited by P123, 14 August 2018 - 21:25.

[NixxxoN]

His 3 most memorable are the ones that got most votes, obviously excluding the 2008 singapore grand prix, that has troll votings and shouldn't even be included in the poll.....

[as65p]

His 3 most memorable are the ones that got most votes, obviously excluding the 2008 singapore grand prix, that has troll votings and shouldn't even be included in the poll.....

 

Well, it depends. For all the things going on that day (which would obviously have led to instant disqualification if it had become known on the day), it was still a great driving performance.

[NixxxoN]

Well, it depends. For all the things going on that day (which would obviously have led to instant disqualification if it had become known on the day), it was still a great driving performance.

Yes and no, great performance yes he did no mistakes and drove very well, but memorable not at all, not by his fault obviously but I dont think he likes to remember that

[TomNokoe]

Valencia 2012 always bugged me.

Vettel retired ahead of him and he got in front of Hamilton thanks to a typical McLaren pit stop.

Similarly, Malaysia 2012 was a day when all those around him lost their heads, McLaren in particular, and Perez was a dead cert to overtake him before his error.

Japan 2008 for me. Anyone could've won that race.

[Vielleicht]

Valencia 2012 always bugged me.

Vettel retired ahead of him and he got in front of Hamilton thanks to a typical McLaren pit stop.

There's an element of that. But it's the never giving up and the emotion on the podium and the personal circumstance he had that makes it memorable for me.  But it's not the most memorable.

 

For me that's Imola 2005. That was the real game-changer moment.

[ArrowsLivery]

Valencia 2012 always bugged me.

Vettel retired ahead of him and he got in front of Hamilton thanks to a typical McLaren pit stop.

Similarly, Malaysia 2012 was a day when all those around him lost their heads, McLaren in particular, and Perez was a dead cert to overtake him before his error.

Japan 2008 for me. Anyone could've won that race.

The 2012 Ferrari was the best car in the wet, so I don’t see what was so special about it. As a whole the 2012 car was nowhere near as bad as his fans would like to claim. It was just UGLY, and had a very poor first impression (the Australian race).

[crespo]

I hold Italy 2010 in very high regard. It was a straight up mano a mano vs Jenson, Ferrari vs Mclaren, where any mistake would have meant giving up the win. That was one of the races with the tightest margins of error I can recall. Both of them drove spectacularly, and Alonso got his win in Monza with Ferrari on his first try. That one's up there for me. It wasn't the most eventful race, per se, but I was tense the entire time.

 

Hungary 2006 was so close to being his wet/mixed condition master class. He had a ridiculous lead before the wheel nut came loose. Huge shame.

 

The grand chelem in Singapore 2010 needs no further description. I believe it to be, probably, his finest qualifying performance.

 

2012 Malaysia was such a relief after that horrendous pre-season, where the car just looked impossible to compete. Checo was catching up and it seemed inevitable he would win up until his error in the penultimate corner with a handful of laps left. Alonso put in decent results throughout the first half of the season up until his victories in Valencia and Hockenheim, when he truly solidified his title chances. Even though he strung together podiums for the rest of the season, Hungary and DNF's aside, it still wasn't enough to overcome the Red Bull/Vettel domination in the second half.

 

I can't really pin down a favorite, heck I can't even pin down 3, but these aforementioned along with Suzuka 2006 are my most memorable.

Edited by crespo, 15 August 2018 - 19:37.

[AvranaKern]

2005 San Marino GP has got to be at the top of the list. I still remember Briatore's hyper-excited radio call caught by the cameras. It was all orgasmic and it wasn't without a good reason. Though that year's Ferrari was marred by made-up tyre rules, Schumacher was clearly on par with Alonso, even better. Alonso's ultra-aggressive and clever defense is perhaps an antidote against the clique who almost always wants to see aggression as the proof of good racing. That day both Schumacher and Alonso showed a great battle can yield no overtaking, yet be memorable as hell. That race was Alonso's masterpiece.

 

He won races he had no right to win in both 2010 and 2012 seasons, which arguably offered the best and most mature Alonso we ever saw. It's a travesty that he didn't at least win one title. 2008 Singapore and 2010 German GPs are also memorable, but perhaps for different reasons. 

[kosmos]

Voted for Valencia 2012, it was unexpected and emotional and very important for the title fight. I will like to mention one race he didn't won but it should have one, one of the best displays of wet racing ever, Hungary 2006.

[Sleeping]

Japan 2006. Valencia 2012 is a close second.

[Bleu]

Singapore 2008 is definitely memorable but not for reasons we like.

[Scotracer]

Why Suzuka 2006, when Michael had been leading and his engine blew?

[worms2011]

The 2012 Ferrari was the best car in the wet, so I don’t see what was so special about it. As a whole the 2012 car was nowhere near as bad as his fans would like to claim. It was just UGLY, and had a very poor first impression (the Australian race).

Where was Massa in the wet then?

[jannyg]

2010 Korea GP and that laugh on the radio after. I honestly thought the championship was clinched right there

[Bleu]

Why Suzuka 2006, when Michael had been leading and his engine blew?

 

When the question is about memorable it can be memorable for different reasons. 

Suzuka 2006 was a great performance by Alonso. The qualifying seemed to favour those on Bridgestones, so it ended with Ferrari 1-2 and Toyota 3-4. Alonso was 5th, passed Trulli at the start and Ralf some laps later. Massa dropped behind during the round of pit stops and he was just few seconds behind Michael at the time of his retirement.

[Stumpy29]

I love telling my 5 yr old F1 loving son that there was a time before he was born when the greatest driver in the world was winning races.

[engineblock1]

When the question is about memorable it can be memorable for different reasons. 

Suzuka 2006 was a great performance by Alonso. The qualifying seemed to favour those on Bridgestones, so it ended with Ferrari 1-2 and Toyota 3-4. Alonso was 5th, passed Trulli at the start and Ralf some laps later. Massa dropped behind during the round of pit stops and he was just few seconds behind Michael at the time of his retirement.

 

I was just watching the race from Suzuka 2006 yesterday (actually after listening to retirement news, I am finding all his best races from the past). It indeed was a great performance from him to minimize the damage that day, when Ferraris were quite competitive, and his best chance was to finish P2. And he was in there. Probably if Michael's engine did not blow, he would still have gone strong for Brazil.

Nevertheless, victory that day seemed sweet because Michael had also won a race where Alonso's engine blew up. That day must have lightened up tifosi, this day lightened up Alonso fans. So it is memorable IMO.

[SCUDmissile]

Valencia 2012

[Eff1]

I voted for the 2012 European GP.
That was an incredible drive. Some of his overtaking that day was brilliant.


Malaysia 2012 was also really memorable. Ferrari were nowhere on raw pace. Everyone lost their heads in the rain and he kept his.

Nurburgring 2007 was great too - he stole that win from Massa.

Other notables are Hungary 2006 and 2014.
If you don’t know about 2006 look it up on YouTube - there a 15min onboard of him from the start till lap 6 or so.....passing car after car.

[haryantofan666]

Singapore 2008 is the one I remember best, because it got the most attention.

 

btw does anybody know if they stripped that one away from him due to match fixing or does he officially still have that one?

[Henri Greuter]

It has been that long, I literally cannot remember any of his wins.

The only ones on the list I do remember are the first one and that Signapore 2008 deal...


Interesting that Hockenheim 2010 is left out of the sequence. (now "why" )

That one was memorable too to the extend that it may have cost both Fernando and Ferrari a lot of support from the not-fans of either....

Edited by Henri Greuter, 15 August 2018 - 11:08.

[JtP2]

Getting some of the teams he has driven for to pay him as much as they did?

[JG]

The first one was special, 2003 at Hungaroring. A future F1 Champ in the making.

[Risil]

I finally warmed to Alonso after his performances in 2012. There was some luck involved in the points haul he got, but it has rarely happened that a driver's challenged for the title in a car that for most of the year was clearly only good enough for the midfield. Shades of Frentzen in 1999, or Kubica in 2008, or Hamilton in 2009, except Alonso really did nearly win the whole championship.

 

So on that basis, I'll pick any of his three wins (Malaysia, Valencia, Germany) from that year.

[SophieB]

Alonso winning in Valencia 2012 is my favourite, in part because it obviously meant so much to him that he had a little cry on the podium, which was very touching. Andrea Stella blubbing and then praising Alonso in tones of uncomprehending wonder when he won in Malaysia was also pretty great.

[Knowlesy]

Nurburgring 2007 was the most memorable and exciting.

 

I think his best win is not in the poll and that would be Spain 2006. It was a lights to flag thing but he absolutely destroyed the field that day and it has always stuck with me somehow. Just relentless pace that had even Schumacher gasping.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Singapore 2008 for all the wrong reasons.

 

Valencia 2012  / Italy 2010 for all the right reasons. 

[The Kanisteri]

Singapore 2008. I've had zero respect on him after that.
Hyvästi, tuulenpesä.

[Spillage]

I think Valencia 2012 was his best win. I think it's probably the best win of any driver in the last ten years or so.Almost deserved z world title on its own.

 

I don't think Imola '05 was that impressive, to be honest. He inherited the lead from Raikkonen and was nowhere near as quick as Schumacher; it's just that Imola doesn't lend itself to overtaking. It was definitely memorable though.

Edited by Spillage, 15 August 2018 - 13:27.

[MastaKink]

The 2012 Ferrari was the best car in the wet, so I don’t see what was so special about it. As a whole the 2012 car was nowhere near as bad as his fans would like to claim. It was just UGLY, and had a very poor first impression (the Australian race).

 

They couldn't even outqualify a Mercedes before they fixed the coanda in Spain that year, it was a proper dog in Malaysia. He just kept his head when others lost theirs and got the job done despite qualifying 8th and 1.3 seconds behind pole.

 

Once fixed it was different story but even the later wet races didn't suggest it was the best in the wet. Why would the RB or McLaren go backwards in the wet and the Ferrari shoot forward? Evened out maybe but ahead is a stretch, the RB still looked good to me. 

[sopa]

Chose five races from the poll.

 

2007 European Grand Prix - outraced Massa in the wet in the end.

2010 Italian Grand Prix - beat Button in a straight fight to win in front of tifosi.

2010 Singapore Grand Prix - beat Vettel in a straight fight and established himself as a strong contender for the championship.

2012 Malaysian Grand Prix - masterful drive in difficult conditions and held off the charging Perez.

2012 European Grand Prix - inspired drive through the field even if assisted by unluck of some rivals.

[Baddoer]

2010 Germany has to be here

[boillot]

First that come to my mind are Japan 2008, Malaysia and Valencia 2012. China 2005 as well.

[Izzyeviel]

Imola will always be talked about because of the adverts, singapore because of Piquet, and Germany 'Alonso is faster than you'. My terrible mind won't let me remember the details of his other wins.