BBC Sport - Fernando Alonso on frustration at Ferrari, Vettel and the future Seemingly he has forgotten that he's won both his championships due to the misfortune of others and also driving in the best cars... He'd do himself a great favour by just shutting his mouth. ''I bring 6 tenths to a team''. Does he carry his ego in a 2nd private jet behind him? You don't win 4 WDC's in a row, or 8 races in a row, by being average. Doing that, you must have something special. When you beat your teammate as much as Vettel has done...it starts showing his potential. IMO, especially since 2011, Vettel has started maturing a lot as a racing driver. Has he made a single mistake this year?
It's obvious that Alonso's got quite a large ego but at the same time I feel he is the dominant driver in current F1. Don't get me wrong Vettel hasn't and probably never will get the recognition he probably deserves unless he wins in a less dominant car or for another team. Despite his arrogance I would have to agree with Alonso and say that Vettel IS in the the best car which I personally think is the reason for his domination. Look at Mark Webber, a good driver but far from the best, yet he is still at the front of the pack when his car is working. Put Vettel in the same troublesome Ferrari as Alonso and it'll be Alonso every time... just my $.02
Unless Ferrari produce a championship car for 2014,... Alonso is going to have a complete meltdown! Oh to see Ferrari chasing Wiliam's in 2014...
Seems factual, unless you think RB doesn't have a ridiculously dominant car? Closest thing that can even get a whiff of them is a Lotus, usually 20-30ish seconds down the road... It's another consecutive year for Alonso to finish 2nd in the championship with undeniably the 4th to 6th fastest car on the grid. Kinda sucks to be him, but that's F1 for ya and imho that still takes some serious skill to achieve...probably why many ppl liken him to Senna; they both are capable of driving the car beyond its design limitation.
Vettel hasn't made a mistake all year? Maybe. But, has he been pushed? At all? By anyone? Unless it's not a "mistake" to ignore team orders and pass your teammate when told to hold position. Clearly intentional, so, maybe it's not a "mistake". But, you get the drift. CW
RB had the best car. Everyone knows it. It's no secret its easier to win with a car that goes faster.
No fan of Alonso here, but I think these comments are from frustration, knowing that time is running out to win a 3rd (or 4th) WDC. It must hurt to see a young kid win 4 in a row with relative ease (wonder how MS felt when Alonso won his 2....) All the "hate" for Vettel I think due to 4 things : 1) He has won early & often, making it seem easy or "gifted" (ie as if he didn't work for it) 2) He is in the best (Newey) car, taking focus away from his contribution (the fact that he has wiped the floor with his teammate, or out-qualified and out-run everyone in the races seems forgotten...) 3) Vettel is not an emotional driver (ie Senna) but a conservative German (ie Schumacher) thus not beloved by fans And the biggest reason for the lack of love... 4) He isn't driving for Ferrari For the good of the sport, I hope the cars ARE more equal next year, so we can truly see how Vettel vs. Hamilton vs. Alonso et al compare. Bill
Vettel obliterates his teammate (considered good but not great) race after race,... finishes 1st,... it's all car. Vettel is mediocre. Alonso obliterates his teamate in race,... not so dominant in quali. Teammate widely considered past his prime. Alonso finishes 2nd. It's all Alonso. Car is rubbish. Sorry,... can't have it both ways. Is the RBR better than the ferrari?? Almost certainly. One can never really know w/o same driver testing. But to dismiss Vettel with his performance for 4 years running is disrespectful, as well as demonstrating a complete lack of understanding of what he has accomplished. Alonso's quote is better directed back at himself.
For many, it may not be hatred for Vettel as much as it is an unwillingness to overcredit him. Clearly, he is talented, but, as stated so many times, he's got the best car on the grid. Without question. So, how much of his success can be attributed to him v. the car? He works hard. He's disciplined. He seems to be a likable (enough) guy. The stunt he pulled with Webber was unnecessary and a self-inflicted wound. Even MS had a history of being in the best car(s) of the period, though. Same with Senna and Prost. Does anyone question their accomplishments because of that? CW
Who is dismissing Vettel? But if you cannot acknowledge the dominance of the RB car (consistently 1-2 in qualy) then you are delusional. Have you watched the races this year? The RB car is out of this world as Boullier @ Lotus puts it. No one on the grid can even mount a challenge, no one. Mercedes had speed potential the first few races, but their cars just destroyed the tires. Are you saying Hamilton is a slouch and can't match/better Vettel's driving? If you think it's an easy feat to race from midfield at every race and still finish 2nd in the championship then you have a very valid point. When has either Ferrari been on pole? Car is pretty clearly the 4th-6th fastest car in the grid...yet Alonso is 2nd in the standings? And where is Massa? How do you explain it then?
Actually it's Benson, the author of the article, who's at it again. He asked Fred about Vettel and his potential greatness, something a bit rude to begin with. Then Benson goes on to spin Alonso's answer. Shame on him. The easy to understand answer was more or less that it's hard to tell at the moment what Vettel's legacy will eventually be because Vettel is driving such a dominant car. Alonso gave an example; i.e. if Vettel ends up in a car like other drivers have sometime in the future and continues to win, he'll be regarded as great. If, on the other hand, he has an average car some day and constantly finishes mid pack............... well then........... not so much. But, at the moment you can't say for sure because the RB is so different from the other cars. Anyone who knows anything about F-1 would be hard pressed to argue with that but yet the author incorrectly sums up the comment by saying, "The barb - that Vettel has been able to dominate only because his car is on another level from the rest - is implied, but unmistakable." Rubbish. It irks me that magazine writers publish a quote and then sum it up by offering their biased personal opinion disguised as some sort of universal truth as if the readers are too childish to read and understand on their own. I think most fare-minded folks would agree that second third and fourth best cars have been close to one another during the year and have switched positions to some degree as the year went on, but clearly everyone else is way behind the RB. What Alonso makes sense even if one knows little or nothing about the history of Formula One.
So Webber is a back of the back driver? Fair enough. If that's your argument. I think the car is fantastic and Vettel is fantastic. If you can't acknowledge if it was all car,... webber would be p2 every race,... and would certainly have won a few more races along the way? average 2 / year? No delusions here. Perhaps you should look in the mirror.
I hate to see Seb dominating so much, but despite all of us saying he is not as good as he is because he has a great car, it doesn't really matter. he has 4 WDC, and will likely have a lot more. Judge the car by the constructors championships. Vettel is currently head and shoulders above his peers. In many ways he has gone about his business during this recent dominance in a less than ideal way(going against team orders, backstabbing his team mate, showboating with donuts after his races). Every time he wins and yells "yes!" And raises his finger in the "I'm number 1" gesture it really frustrates me, amongst many others I suspect, as well, judging by all the boos at trophy ceremonies this year, and all the negative press. We all should be marveling about how he is so dominant in pole positions and how he is at least 2 seconds ahead of everybody by the first lap, but Seb's attitude and actions have painted a much different picture of him.
+1 As I already noted here, whenever Alonso gets a good result, it's because he's pulled off a superhuman effort. How do we know Vettel is not doing the same? If Alonso is so superhuman, where are his results lately, and why is he being beaten by his teammate in qualifying? One on Vettel's strengths is his Senna-like qualifying skills which gives him the opportunity to control races from the front.
I've lost a lot of respect for Alonso over the last months. Do we have any other champion on the grid who makes such disrespectful comments? The others, Räikkönen, Button, even Hamilton keep their mouths shut and work. Alonso seems to be disintegrating psychologically.
You are delusional. Re-read my comments, I have made zero reference to "it's all car" or anything even directly at Vettel. You're so defensive you don't even realize it. And actually yes, Webber is usually P2 or P3 when the car doesn't self-combust...lol poor guy has dnf'd so often this season I've lost count...there was a JPEG of his horrid Sunday luck floating around somewhere. Answer my questions: When was the last time you saw a Ferrari in the front or even the second row of qualy? Is it not true that Ferrari has the 4th to 6th fastest car on the grid? Is Alonso not 2nd in the championship despite having the 4th-6th fastest car? I never once took anything away from Vettel, I'm just highlighting that Alonso isn't too shabby. How else would you naysayers like to explain it then?
Ferrari may have the 4th fastest car NOW for qualifing. But first half (specifically until the tire change) Ferrari was likely the fastest car during the race and remains a decent RACE car(alonso competes for fastest laps during race). Of the MB, Lotus, Ferrari neither car is strongest every track. Gro is the only one who has broken out latley other than that Ferrari has been the most consistent of them. They have never been the fastest in Quali plus I dont see Alonso as a very strong qualifier. I could argue that Vet or Ham could have had that Ferrari on the front row more than a few times this year. Ferrari is not the 6th fastest car. In one race they may have issues but race to race no way. MB was fast in quali but had major issue in race form which has kept them from doing much. Their only claim for 2nd in the WCC is that both ROS and HAM have contributed poles and wins to their total. Both drivers have had very bad races which have hurt their idividual chances. Lotus struggled for speed mid year but has been the best with tires. GRO was doing nothing for the team (Way worse than Massa) until last handful of races which is why they are behind Ferrari.
Fangio had a superior car. Schumacher had a superior car. Now Vettel. I take nothing away from Vettel's ability, he is a true champion. Nor do I suggest that he is not as good as Alonso, or that Alonso is not demonstrating extreme talent. We really do not know, may answers here are based on one's prejudice, not on anything factual. I can understand Alonso's frustration. For whatever reason, he has not been given the tools to win another championship. That is Ferrari's fault. Alonso has come to work everyday and given it 150%. I believe Alonso is probably the fastest of all on the grid, but I base that on his performance in a mediocre car. Yet, I wonder who would really be the fastest if both drivers were in the RB, or in the same Ferrari. Would Vettel be able to wrestle the Ferrari? Any answer is just a guess. We will understand more next year when Kimi is in the same car as Alonso. Kimi has the ability to be the fastest, and possibly he has something to prove. What I really hope is in 2014 there will be actual racing in F1. Without that, F1 is starting a downward spiral. And I still do not like the 3 car team BS, the cost would drive out the small teams, and that would be terrible for the sport. Watching 4 or 5 teams, 12-15 cars, would be totally boring.
Tauro Rosso mean anything? Also Alonso is not the fastest Hamilton was faster when he had the same equipment.
That would indeed be the best situation for all. I hear what Fernando is saying and agree that the RB9 is on another planet versus the rest of the grid, but I also think that Vet is one of the best drivers on the grid. If the other teams can somehow produce something close to what Newey is doing, we'll have a great F1 season with competition among the best drivers. Right now, it sucks because nobody even realizes that Vettel is doing this against great competition. With the competition being this significantly out-classed, people will either conclude that a) the RB9 is significantly better than anything else on the grid or b) Vettel accomplished his records against an inferior field. Personally, I don't think any top driver is this much better than the competition unless you have an f1-quality driver competing in Formula Ford or some lesser series.
It's VETTEL AND RB, not RB alone. Having the best car doesn't happen by accident. The driver has A LOT to do with that. It takes special technical skills for a driver to be able to provide the feedback needed to make the car do exactly what you want it to do. A lot of people just don't understand that. Just like with most top-level sports, you need to be the WHOLE PACKAGE to be the best. HE made the RB the best car; something Webber couldn't do. Yes, Vettel would probably struggle on a lesser car initially, but he'd help make it better and better. Nobody drives like you, so all the developmental drivers are only going to get you so far.... unless you're IT . Lewis Hamilton and Massa are clear examples, even publicly saying they didn't know what was wrong with their cars. They clearly don't have the technical knowledge to make a car the very best, so they leave their racing fate to others. Even when he was starting F1, many said Vettel provided the best feedback of any driver. You also need to add that skill to make a winning combination. And of course RB has what it takes. However, with just Webber on the grid, nobody would say RB has the best car. Credit where it's due folks.
Correct... Webber managed 9 wins in 4 years (~2/yr). Vettel is on the cusp of winning 9 in a row and 13 in a season. The Car is great AND Vettel is great.
