Right. Much hope indeed.
But for Alonso to win will be much harder 2012 than what it was 2011, because of Vettel, Button and Hamilton, and also Raikkonen, maybe the quickest driver ever, is here again.

And every team has new cars, built according to the new rules.

2. Fernando Alonso (WDC: 4th, Best finish: 1st in Britain)

On paper 2011 may have looked like a very poor season for Alonso, but considering his equipment it could also be described as one of his greatest.

Overall the F150º Italia was only ever the third quickest car in the field. Therefore to be in with a realistic chance for second place in the driver’s championship at the final race was a very impressive achievement. Throughout the season he has constantly out-driven the car, extracting every last possible drop of performance out of it.

Valencia was one of the tracks where Red Bull was most dominant. Despite this, Alonso did brilliantly to split the pair of them in the race and finish second. Pushing Button and Hamilton hard for victory in Japan and Abu Dhabi respectively was also mighty, especially as the development had stopped on the car by that point.

The German GP was another fine drive, when despite the cool conditions (which were tough for Ferrari with their tyre warm-up issues) he nearly managed to win the race.
Alonso's sole win came at Silverstone (© Ferrari)

Albeit helped by a mistake in the Red Bull pit box, Alonso’s victory at Silverstone was one of the most emphatic we saw from anyone during the season. If it wasn’t for the red flag he may well have won the Monaco GP, as he was pushing Vettel very hard on much fresher tyres.

Alonso was also very strong at Spa, coming back from 8th to get involved in the fight for race victory. If it hadn’t have been for a badly timed safety car he may have won there too.

He finished on the podium ten times during the season. Teammate Felipe Massa’s best finish was only fifth. It may well have been that Massa’s showings demonstrated the true performance of the Ferrari, therefore showing just what an incredible job Alonso managed to do.

It may seem unfair that Jenson didn’t get second on this list. However it was the fact that Alonso put his car in places where it didn’t deserve to be so regularly in races this year, that puts him ahead of the Brit.

If he had managed to win a couple more races it might have been enough to just pip Vettel to the top spot.

It’s amazing how much Alonso has achieved in his career, considering he has never had a car that has consistently been the best in the field.

Right. Much hope indeed.
But for Alonso to win will be much harder 2012 than what it was 2011, because of Vettel, Button and Hamilton, and also Raikkonen, maybe the quickest driver ever, is here again.

And every team has new cars, built according to the new rules.

also Raikkonen, maybe the quickest driver ever

even back then, there would be a difference. but the gap would be smaller.

So basically you are saying that Alonso, Hamilton and button would all dominate Felipe and Kimi in any car?

From thef1times, Who were the top 10 drivers of 2011?.


2. Fernando Alonso (WDC: 4th, Best finish: 1st in Britain)

On paper 2011 may have looked like a very poor season for Alonso, but considering his equipment it could also be described as one of his greatest.

Overall the F150º Italia was only ever the third quickest car in the field. Therefore to be in with a realistic chance for second place in the driver’s championship at the final race was a very impressive achievement. Throughout the season he has constantly out-driven the car, extracting every last possible drop of performance out of it.

Valencia was one of the tracks where Red Bull was most dominant. Despite this, Alonso did brilliantly to split the pair of them in the race and finish second. Pushing Button and Hamilton hard for victory in Japan and Abu Dhabi respectively was also mighty, especially as the development had stopped on the car by that point.

The German GP was another fine drive, when despite the cool conditions (which were tough for Ferrari with their tyre warm-up issues) he nearly managed to win the race.
Alonso's sole win came at Silverstone (© Ferrari)

Albeit helped by a mistake in the Red Bull pit box, Alonso’s victory at Silverstone was one of the most emphatic we saw from anyone during the season. If it wasn’t for the red flag he may well have won the Monaco GP, as he was pushing Vettel very hard on much fresher tyres.

Alonso was also very strong at Spa, coming back from 8th to get involved in the fight for race victory. If it hadn’t have been for a badly timed safety car he may have won there too.

He finished on the podium ten times during the season. Teammate Felipe Massa’s best finish was only fifth. It may well have been that Massa’s showings demonstrated the true performance of the Ferrari, therefore showing just what an incredible job Alonso managed to do.

It may seem unfair that Jenson didn’t get second on this list. However it was the fact that Alonso put his car in places where it didn’t deserve to be so regularly in races this year, that puts him ahead of the Brit.

If he had managed to win a couple more races it might have been enough to just pip Vettel to the top spot.

It’s amazing how much Alonso has achieved in his career, considering he has never had a car that has consistently been the best in the field.

even if you win maybe 4-5 or more titles, 2012 will be the year i will always remember as the most outstanding performance of all time.
thanks god i have the whole seasons recorded.

2011 you mean?

Fernando waiting 2012......

we too

Drivers always do mistakes, but this year I tried to improve the biggest mistakes that I did last year, and I tried to do only small mistakes this year that people don’t see.

I think that it is not possible to be in another place than Ferrari; any move after that is a step backward. And I won two championships, I won 27 Formula One Grands Prix, and I like this team. I like their way of thinking, and the Italian and the Spanish, we are quite similar in the way of culture, sense of humor. There are many things that make me feel at home here. I signed a contract until 2016 and I will be 35 years old then, so maybe that’s the right moment to retire. Maybe not. But if it is not the right moment, and I have the possibility to keep driving for Ferrari then I will do it. But if I don’t have that possibility, that moment will be a good moment to retire.

A new interview from some days ago (at least published some days ago).

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/sports/a...nted=1&_r=2

I like this part:





Let's hope he is on top of his game by 2016 and the car is good, this way probably we will enjoy Alonso's driving for more years.

I don't wanna be harsh but man, If you don't have anything to say or anything to bring the table, don't use this thread as your fanwork thread, there are other places for this kind of stuff, like safety-car.

A new interview from some days ago (at least published some days ago).

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/sports/a...nted=1&_r=2

AUTOSPORT TEAM PRINCIPALS' TOP TEN - 2011 RESULTS

1. Vettel 241 UP 1
2. Button 200 UP 4
3. Alonso 188 DOWN 2
4. Hamilton 122 DOWN 1
5. Rosberg 90 UP 2
6. Webber 70 DOWN 2
7. Di Resta 44 NEW ENTRY
8. Sutil 38 RE-ENTRY FROM 2009
9. Kovalainen 26 RE-ENTRY FROM 2008
10. Schumacher 23 NEW ENTRY

I honestly don't see how Button can be rated above Alonso after his lackluster first half but I am biased.

Fernando Alonso

Ferrari, he could never be discounted.
If there was a chink of daylight he'd be
through it, and he carried this team as a
true and inspirational leader. He spends
more time at Maranello than even Michael
Schumacher used to and he backs up his
assumption of leadership with delivery of
the goods on the track. The Ferrari was
often a respectably good car on Sunday with
its light tyre usage bringing it strongly into
play by the end of the stints, but usually this
could be used only to reclaim the ground
lost early in the stints - and its qualifying
de?cit left him starting from too far back.
He did a couple of ‘miracle’ qualifying
laps - in Barcelona and Singapore - and
followed that up in Spain with a stunner of
a start that took him to the front. He was a
lapped ?fth by the end... But at Silverstone,
through a combination of factors, the car was
right in the ballpark and it would actually
have been surprising had he not then
delivered the sure-footed victory he did.
That's how much of a gold standard he is.

And Alonso was spared from this explosion only beacuse he was granted inmunity.

What individuals were punished? Even the two who actually participated in the exchange of information escaped actual sanction (other than losing their jobs, which also happened Alonso, but not de la Rosa). It seems Alonso knew about the information, as did Pedro de la Rosa. That being the case, I cannot but believe that many other McLaren employees were aware of it. Mike Coughlan is now back in F1. As is de la Rosa.

This was a McLaren problem and a Ferrari problem, not something a driver could be held responsible for. It does not seem that Ferrari hold it against him.

To try to get back on topic, Ferrari have benefitted from Spygate by acquiring Alonso who might otherwise be happily ensconced in one of the McLarens.

Feeble attempt at spinning and disinformation.

Mark Webber has revealed he had mixed feelings when he beat Fernando Alonso to third place in the 2011 constructors’ standings.

The pair, who are friends, lead similarly guarded private lives, so in the closing stages of the championship they considered the ’prize’ that went along with pipping the other to the post for third place.

"Only the top three drivers have to go", said Australian Webber, referring to the official FIA prize-giving gala, which was held recently in India.

"Jenson, Fernando and I had had a bit of a joke on the drivers’ parade before the final race of the season in Brazil last month.

"We were all keen to improve our championship positions, but none of us were that up for any extra travel," he wrote in his last BBC column for the year.

"In the end, I won in Brazil, relegating Fernando to fourth. He’s an intense competitor but I don’t think he was that unhappy about losing out by one point," said Webber.

"I got a text message from him the day before I was going to India, reminding me that I had to go. It was along the lines of ’This is your captain speaking, your flight is ready for boarding’. It made me smile."

But this year Ferrari was way off, because the car simply wasn’t good enough. Alonso managed to secure one win at Silverstone – on the weekend that exhaust blowing was restricted by the FIA – but elsewhere, he was rarely even within a sniff of victory.

And yet for many people he was one of the drivers of the season. He never gave up, and despite demonstrating that he had the third best car by qualifying fifth time after time, he managed to score a remarkable 10 podiums.

It’s no great surprise that Alonso has so successfully integrated himself with the team. Indeed, I always thought he should have gone to Italy for 2007 instead of Raikkonen, although when I suggested that at the time of Kimi’s announcement, Jean Todt and Ross Brawn said that the Spaniard hadn’t even been on their radar. Instead Ron Dennis pounced.

Copied over from Ferarri 2012 thread.

"What individuals were punished? Even the two who actually participated in the exchange of information escaped actual sanction (other than losing their jobs, which also happened Alonso, but not de la Rosa). It seems Alonso knew about the information, as did Pedro de la Rosa. That being the case, I cannot but believe that many other McLaren employees were aware of it. Mike Coughlan is now back in F1. As is de la Rosa.

This was a McLaren problem and a Ferrari problem, not something a driver could be held responsible for. It does not seem that Ferrari hold it against him.

To try to get back on topic, Ferrari have benefitted from Spygate by acquiring Alonso who might otherwise be happily ensconced in one of the McLarens."

Which part is wrong?

It looks like today is a day for many news.

Alonso jokes as Webber wins FIA ’prize’



http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/Alonso-...rize,34935.html

Love this two

COOPER: Ferrari Celebrates, Looks Ahead







Full article. http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/coo...ooks-ahead//P2/

All of it is wrong.

1- Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan were punished with a two years ban from motorsports. They didn't escape anything.

2- Alonso didn't loose his job. He wanted out and Ron complied.

3- It doesn't seem that Alonso knew about the information. There are proof that he not only knew about, but was trying to use it.

4- You can believe what you want about others being involved at McLaren but the FIA only had proof of the involvement on 4 of them(de la Rosa, Stepmey, Coughlan and Alonso) Two were punished and two were not.

These are well known facts.

i have a questions

why alonso grow his beard in the winter ?

i have a questions

why alonso grow his beard in the winter ?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73154

"Although the governing body could not impose formal punishment against the pair over their involvement in the 2007 spy case between McLaren and Ferrari, it did recommend to its licence holders that they should be wary of working with either of them until July 2009."

They lost their jobs, which is what I said. The FIA has no power to ban them.

Mutual consent was the official line:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport...one/7074737.stm

He did not want out.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/oct/3...torsports.sport

Pointless statement. We all know that Alonso knew.

Only one did not lose their job. His involvement was exactly the same as Alonso's.

Which begs the question. If Alonso lost his job because of spygate why didn't de la Rosa loose his ?

If you want to argue with the facts, go right ahead. But I'm afraid you'll have to do it by yourself.

Sure, the FIA recommended the ban and everybody folowed suit. Not a ban at all.

You know what I realized here; you are trying to argue here that Alonso lost his job because of his involvement in the spygate scandal, which is even more ludicrous than to say he was fired.

Since you said it seems he knew about it, no, not pointless at all.

Which begs the question. If Alonso lost his job because of spygate why didn't de la Rosa loose his ?

If you want to argue with the facts, go right ahead. But I'm afraid you'll have to do it by yourself.

De La Rosa got immunity from Max, as promissed.

i have a questions

why alonso grow his beard in the winter ?

This did not mean that Ron Dennis and McLaren had to keep him. Yet, they have been very loyal to him in the years since.

I haven't seen him with a beard this winter (at least, nothing like last year)

Anyway, for those who haven't seen this photo yet: It's Hilarious



The 3 Kings

What individuals were punished? Even the two who actually participated in the exchange of information escaped actual sanction (other than losing their jobs, which also happened Alonso, but not de la Rosa).

No, I did not say why Alonso was sacked (or claim that it was certain he was).

How would it look if they fired him for co-operating with the FIA?
Yes, they've been very loyal, although he's left them twice since.

What individuals were punished? Even the two who actually participated in the exchange of information escaped actual sanction (other than losing their jobs, which also happened Alonso, but not de la Rosa). It seems Alonso knew about the information, as did Pedro de la Rosa. That being the case, I cannot but believe that many other McLaren employees were aware of it. Mike Coughlan is now back in F1. As is de la Rosa.

This was a McLaren problem and a Ferrari problem, not something a driver could be held responsible for. It does not seem that Ferrari hold it against him.

To try to get back on topic, Ferrari have benefitted from Spygate by acquiring Alonso who might otherwise be happily ensconced in one of the McLarens.

Because it's colder in the winter ?

i want funnier answer

His pet hamster needs somewhere to hibernate?