Is Fernando Alonso for real?

[race aficionado]

Now this is the understatement thread title of the year.


When young Fernando appeared in Renault and started winning, we were also all witnessing a new fantastic car (design and engine) appearing front and center ....and challenging Michael and his Ferrari.
While many of us were waiting and expecting Juan Pablo or Kimi to dethrone the Champ Michael, Fernando appeared front and center and for 2 years in a row showed us all who was the new King.
. . . . . but he was driving that amazing blue car that seemed indestructible... so that was why he was probably winning would be the sarcastics fan point of view . . .

Then his bonehead and untimely move to Mclaren - well, at least I thought it was bonehead and untimely - why leave a winning team for a mediocre and unrealiable "exploding motor" team?
Well, Alonso comes in, gets into a Mclaren and says: "No wonder Kimi could not beat me in this car" and then proceedes to work with the team to set up the car, or whatever it is that they did so that this car no longer goes "Boom!"

What is the reason for this great upsurge of McLaren?
Does Alonso have a lot to do with it? It looks like it is because what a change a year makes.
Kimi and Juan never had it like this and I am no F1 genius to know the answer but I do tend to go towards Alonso's talents having to do with it.

McLaren are in for a great year.
The champ Alonso is shinning again and he has a superb team mate.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on those new and improved Mclarens are going to take us for a ride.

mokin:

[e2mtt]

Yeah it looks like the results are speaking for themselves. Just as MS was essential in molding Ferrari back into a winning team, FA seems to have brought along both the winning attitude AND the technical smartness that it takes to be WDC. I have to think that Mclaren's fantastic starting ability so far must be in part due to Alonso's setup & tuning preferences, as that was of course a strong point of the Renault.

[fizzicist]

Lest we forget that by about May/June last year, Mclaren knew that both their drivers were leaving. At that point in time, they were in a so-so position championship wise. They froze development and started on the 07 car.

Fernando is brilliant, but it ain't all him. Remember the upsurge in Ferrari's form when Irvine was allowed to test. Schuey had a lot to do with it, but lets not get carried away!

[Juppe]

Yeah it looks like the results are speaking for themselves. Just as MS was essential in molding Ferrari back into a winning team, FA seems to have brought along both the winning attitude AND the technical smartness that it takes to be WDC. I have to think that Mclaren's fantastic starting ability so far must be in part due to Alonso's setup & tuning preferences, as that was of course a strong point of the Renault.

You guys are really reading too much in this. McLaren has been a fast car every other year and this tendency seems to continue. It is too early to say, if they will be reliable this year as well, but we will see.

2005 McLaren was the fastest car on the grid, I wouldn't say it was all because of Kimi's car development abilities.

[akv89]

Alonso is the youngest race winner, champion, and double-world champion and the man to dethrone Michael Schumacher. You can't pull off things like that simply with a good car. I think he's already proved his worth as the best complete driver on the current grid and he will probably continue to do so at whatever team he is in the next few years. If he can keep up the snobbish image that some have of him, then he may even be as polarizing a figure as Schumacher

[jso1985]

I think Fernando Alonso motivated the team to work harder but he didn't do any miracle, McLaren has been a winning team for many years, not far back in time in 2005 they had the fastest car. So Alonso helped a lot but I still think the team could have made a good car without him.
Now that Fernando can do impressive drives like the one he did today is certainly something not many can do !

[Ranger]

Of course he's for real!

The statistics speak for themselves. Youngest world champion, double world champion, race winner, pole winner.

I think that's pretty real to me.

[ShiftingGears]

I think that hes got a good chance of being the only person since Fangio to win back to back world championships in different teams.

[Sleeper]

The MP4-22 woul have been a top line car whoever was driving it, remember the design was all but complete by the time Alonso first set foot in a McLaren. The strength of the basic car has nothing to do with him, though he most certainly will be the one to lead the development of the car along with de la Rosa.

[leopard]

It is simply because Alonso has ability to dig more potency of the real capacity of the car, luckily Mercedez has it better than Renault.