Is Fernando Alonso for real?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raphael123

I don't see why people believe Hamilton did deliberately drive slower than he could to hold up the Ferrari's. Hamilton qualified 0.7 behind Alonso. He was around 0.9-1s slower in the first stint. Its to be expected you lose a bit of time (0.2-0.3 at least) when you have to drive as defensively as Lewis did to keep the Ferrari's back, when you have to take different lines and different braking points.

---

Yes, but if I were a McLaren critic, I would say that's pretty damn suss though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raphael123

Hamilton qualified 0.7 behind Alonso. He was around 0.9-1s slower in the first stint. Its to be expected you lose a bit of time (0.2-0.3 at least) when you have to drive as defensively as Lewis did to keep the Ferrari's back, when you have to take different lines and different braking points.

---

I read somewhere that Hamilton blew his las quali-lap because he he thought it was gonna rain and that is why he lost so much compared to Alonso...

Of course he deliberately holded Ferraris, it was only common sense to do that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malllen

Ah, I see where you're at.

Well in contrast, I just think that's because Hamilton is pretty bloody good, especially compared to someone like Fisi.

---

And that takes away some of the Alonsos unique brilliance, would you say? ;)

Think what will happen next year, Hamilton knows the tracks, has driven F1 a year and is much more comfortable. If Alonso is brilliant and Hamilton starts to beat him consistently what is Hamilton then? Or is there a little possibility that Alonso is not as good as everyone thought... :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malllen

Yes, but if I were a McLaren critic, I would say that's pretty damn suss though.

---

I'm not saying you hate McLaren, but a 'McLaren-hater' I guess could say it's suss.

But when you look at the figures. It really isn't that unrealistic! If anything he should have been losing even more time some might say!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PSfan

What dirty tactics? Ok here we go, on Hamilton's first stint with Massa and Kimi on his tail, Hamilton was dropping almost a sec. a lap to Alonso. After the first round of pit stops, Kimi came out about 10 sec back of Hamilton, on that stint Hamilton was actually faster then Alonso clawing back to I believe less then 8 secs to Alonso. After the last set of stops, After Hamilton cleared the Honda's he was about 20 secs back of Alonso, but cut it to about 17 after he was pushed by Kimi. So there is no way your gonna convince me that Hamilton was almost a sec a lap slower then Alonso in the first stint without being told to hold up the ferraris (Hamilton did set fast lap of the race remember...)

---

Yes, he was quite far off Alonso in Qualie, and then on top of having to drive as defensively as he did against the Ferrari's, losing 1sec a lap really wasn't that much of a surprise. On top of that he had more fuel.

Yes he caught up Alonso in the 2nd stint. One because he pitted in later, which helped him catch Alonso, then on top of that, he had a shorter pitstop (hence why he pitted in BEFORE Alonso for the 2nd pitstop, even though he came in later), and by then Alonso wasn't pushing like he was in the 1st stint.

And I think you'll find for the majority of the 3rd stint, Alonso was clearly the quicker driver right until the end when Alonso justed cruised to the finish in the final couple of laps. Hamilton struggled in that last stint.

Just because Ron stated it was a good tactical victory, I don't think he meant he asked Hamilton to slow down, more likely he told him to make sure they didn't get passed, and the pit stop strategies worked to perfection etc. I think we have got so use to Ferrari's way of using team-orders, some people assume every team will stoop to Ferrari's level, which even Ferrari don't do anymore since the departure of the man who wanted it implemented, Michael Schumacher.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shalafi

Think what will happen next year,

---

No need to get ahead of yourself ;) lets wait and see!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theugsquirrel

No need to get ahead of yourself ;) lets wait and see!

---

Yes. It doesnt take that long...

About Alonso vs Hamilton.

Alonso is still new to the team and probably the car is still not perfectly suitable to his driving style. If he gets used better to the car, then maybe he will beat Hamilton more convincingly? (LH started testing McLaren earlier than FA)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jens

About Alonso vs Hamilton.

Alonso is still new to the team and probably the car is still not perfectly suitable to his driving style. If he gets used better to the car, then maybe he will beat Hamilton more convincingly? (LH started testing McLaren earlier than FA)

---

My wild quess would be that Hamilton have more potential to get better than Alonso... If other is 2 time WDC and other is rookie it would be quite bizarre to think that Alonso would be the one with more room to improve.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shalafi

Yes. It doesnt take that long...

---

I am goingo to apply the same logic you are using to compare Alonso and Hamilton, but with M Shucmacher and Massa in 2006. Michael is god and Massa was a noob, but Massa did beat michael on two occasions, so therefore we must asumed that after a year learning the car he would have been able to beat Michael consistently in 2007. If Massa is better than Schumi, and hamilton is better than Massa (for what we saw at malasya)... then is only about time Hamilton is the best driver of the world, without winning a race yet. If Massa is greater than Schumi and Alonso is better than Massa, then Alonso is better than Schumi. I am geting a little bit confused... So the list for best drivers goes like this:
1. Hamilton
2 Alonso
3. Massa
4 Michale Schumacher

Do you really believe it? On the other hand if you do really think that this years Mclaren cars potential has a lot more to do with Raikkonen's input rather than Alonso's, the why McLKaren have been so crappy the last 5 years, while Kimi was their car developer¿?