1955 replies to this topic

[dannyricsshoe]

My grandpa's favorite driver. Would be up there with Hamilton if not for some bad decisions. In a top car he'd be in a title race next year.

A bit similar to Vettel post Red Bull. He drank from the poisonous red chalice and never got the drive he needed after. Sometimes you just get unlucky.

Edited by dannyricsshoe, 29 May 2021 - 05:10.

[masa90]

40 years watching the sport doesn't mean as much as you think it does. Nothing is linear, everyone is different, and driver conditioning is always improving. Everyone likes to pigeonhole athletes for retirement through age alone.
 

You just need to look at Erkki Mustakari to find out that amount of races spectated does not mean you know the sport. (Finnish people know what I mean)

 

 

On the matter of topic. Lets see how Alonso will do in Baku. He needs to up his game in quali, otherwise the sunday will again be compromised heavily.

[ARTGP]

You just need to look at Erkki Mustakari to find out that amount of races spectated does not mean you know the sport. (Finnish people know what I mean)

 

 

On the matter of topic. Lets see how Alonso will do in Baku. He needs to up his game in quali, otherwise the sunday will again be compromised heavily.

 

Should be very easy to overtake if the car is quick. Conversely, very easy to be overtaken if the car is slow. Baku has always been a bit of a middling track for Alpine/Renault.

Edited by ARTGP, 29 May 2021 - 15:10.

[GunnarN7]

From my memory, Alonso was, usually, way faster than Massa and Kimi on QLFs. You cherrypicked one of the very few instances in which Massa managed to sligtly beat him. The average gap between Alonso and Massa must have been huge, like over 0.5s. And for Kimi not that different, either.

 

Btw, on 2007, the GOAT could only outqualify Alonso when he had a lighter car and Alonso was completely new to that oversteery, Bridgestone-shod, Mclaren. A 180º contrast to the understeery, Michelin-shod, Renault that he was used to. Still, he did not underperform against the GOAT, who people, deludedly, take as a super qualifier

It would be interesting if someone had the time to calculate the average gap between Alonso and Massa, on 2012(the year you mentioned). I am almost certain it´s entirely opposite to what you suggested there.

 

Alonso is such a great qualifier(the only driver who really was faster than him was Trulli, in 2004, especially), I remember so many fantastic laps from him (in Barcelona alone, I remember 2 very special ones, his 2013´s and 2017´s). This myth that Alonso is a poor qualifier is just a narrative widely spread by those who loath him(though, pretend no to do so and to be neutral and objective about things), similarly, to the narrative that Schumacher´s comeback was a complete fiasco and that even on 2012 Rosberg outshone, or was faster than him.

 

Did you not read the post I sent after this one you're quoting? I never said Alonso was a poor qualifier, I only said that he's had bad streaks before. Some people were saying in this thread that he's lost his edge in qualifying and I was answering to that by looking into his previous years, and seeing him struggling in qualifying, even if it was unusual, it's not something new or unseen. I think I didn't pick the right words to get that point across, but at the same time I think you're overreacting a little bit.

 

2012 wasn't the only period I mentioned. He "only" beat Massa 11-8 in 2013, and I believe something similar happened with Button in 2015. 

 

Is this me saying he's a poor qualifier? No. I'm only saying he's had issues with one lap pace before, or at least that's one department he hasn't been on the same level of perfection as his other areas of expertise such as race pace, race starts or racecraft (although his racecraft ability was also questionable in some occasions with Heidfeld and so on. He's certainly one of those drivers who were flattered by the introduction of the DRS, but he can't be perfect I guess). 

Edited by GunnarN7, 29 May 2021 - 15:47.

[RainyAfterlifeDaylight]

My grandpa's favorite driver...

Your grandpa has got a new fan   

[KnucklesAgain]

Alonso has so far struggled on his F1 comeback after two years out, having been out-qualified by Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon in the past four races.

Ocon raked in 12 of Alpine's 17 points, with just five points scored by the double world champion.

The Spaniard believes the nature of the 2021 F1 calendar has made the first part of the season harder for him, because he hadn't raced at Imola since 2006 and had never raced before at Portimao, two circuits that were added to the calendar last year.

Those circuits were followed by the challenging street circuits of Monaco, at which Alonso finished 13th, and this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, prompting Alonso to suggest that the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard will feel like a new start for him.

"In a way the start of the season is not the best possible calendar for a newcoming driver," Alonso said.

"I had Imola, I had Portimao, two circuits that I was not racing for years or never like in Portimao, and the guys were racing four months ago in the last year championship.

"And then two street circuits, Baku and Monaco.

"So, [from] the first six races of the championship four were extremely challenging to get used to.

 

"From France a new championship hopefully starts for me. But yeah, on the steering side I hope we can get something that I feel a little bit better the balance of the car [with] and more feedback than what I feel now."

 

Alonso believes getting on top of Pirelli's tyres will be crucial to performing better in qualifying than he has done so far, saying he needs to a better job of understanding "the variables" of an F1 weekend.

"I think it is a little bit random what do we get. I will not say that it is a luck factor, but there is something that is hidden."

"At different times of the weekend some people [are] at the back of the grid in FP2, some people in FP3, some people in Q2.

" So, why all these variables are happening in a weekend, you know? And as I said, it's not down to luck. We need to understand better.

"But I'm not worried. I've been very strong all weekend in a way, comparing the first weekends. I was happy, and I was strong in the race.

"There's still 18 races to go in the championship and we will do the mathematics in December, not now."

 

 

https://www.autospor...hip-for-alonso/