Hamilton deserves more respect

Haha, no. I was just pointing out the double standard between Hamilton and Alonso. When Alonso complains, he’s toxic, but when Hamilton does it, he’s a perfectionist, blowing off steam, lighting a fire under his team, or whatever the excuse du jour is. Both are great drivers, but there are certainly classier ones out there. I agree that Ric appears overrated.

 

In my humble opinion they both suck, big time....i must also add that Elton is faster but Alonso could drive a bad car, not elton...but they both suck...again...

 

Who do you like from the previous generation and the new one? Massa and Leclerc are my two favorites. Massa had a lot of heart.

 

HRH The Queen doesn't decide who gets Knighted.

BLM was PC flavour of the month, so Sir Loo it is

 

I really don't think Hamilton has ever damaged a team like Alonso did.

Alonso willingly participated twice to FIA enquiries:
- During the 2007 Spygate enquiry at McLaren Alonso participated by breaching confidentiality.
Although he knew very little about it initially, his testimony became pivotal to sanction the team, levy a $100M fine, and make Ron Dennis lose his job.
Alonso was exonerated.

- During the 2010 Crashgate enquiry at Renault, concerning facts that occured at the Singapore GP the previous year, although his role (or at least his knowledge) was hardly in doubt, Alonso here again voluntered to co-operate with the FIA against his employer.
The FIA suspended Flavio Briatore (team principal), Pat Symmons ( chief technical officer?) for life, forced the Renault to sell the team (Genii), and collect a heavy fine.
Alonso was exanorated.

It's not for no reason that Horner said:"Alonso leaves trouble behind, wherever he goes".
But he was a good driver, no doubt about that.

 

As far as I know, Alonso didn´t tell anything about the crashgate. Personally, I think he didn´t know anything: if I was Briatore, I wouldn´t tell him. Drivers are the weak link when keeping a secret, they always have a microphone under their noses.

About McLaren, let´s remember that FIA threatened the drivers and the McLaren crew with severe punishment if they didn´t cooperate. The test driver, De La Rosa, also sung, like other team members. Meanwhile, Hamilton refused to go to the hearing, he wasn´t pressured to do so, and was exonerated. I think they just wanted to keep their new wonder boy (aka, cash cow) clean.

 

So you’re saying that Alonso is on the side of justice?

 

I did not state that Hamilton was smarter than his engineers, I stated that he made 40× the money the lesser engineers make but less than 40× what the top MB engineers make. The average engineer back in the MB chassis plane makes less than $1M while the top engineers make over $1M and Lewis is over $40M.

 

Even someone like me, who generally defends Lewis, has a problem with his whining today.

In a situation like Lewis faced yesterday, I did him absolutely no good to vent in public. There was nothing to be done with the car to make it any better.........that day.

 

I think the issues with Charles/Ferrari and Hamilton/Merc are different in this case. Huge disappointment for Charles, but the team wanted to gamble by keeping the pole knowing that being in front is so critical in Monaco. While frustrating, that is forgivable.

Hamilton's issues were a) the team changed his set up right before Qualifying and the car became much worse and b) they pitted him before everyone else, which was a disastrous call based on previous Monaco GP's. (They seem to always struggle at Monaco for some reason...I remember them pitting him out of the lead later in the race during a safety car and he ended up finishing 4th or 5th (as nobody else pitted)). Hold his tongue? Yes, but if you ask a question in the heat of the battle, you know some of that's going to slip out. His frustration is borne of team-inflicted wounds.

I would have been very upset. In a tight championship battle, you can't throw away a race weekend, but it does happen sometimes. I can respect both the diplomat and the red-arse in this situation.

 

I guess i'll be in the minority on this but i've seen much worse. I've seen all kinds off lash outs in motorsports. I just rewatched Hamilton's radio, nothing unusual with him to voice concern when in a championship fight. His engineer even said on the radio the team didn't perform good. You guys are'nt ready for nascar if this shocks you. Kimi curses to his team over the radio, and he's fighting for 15th place in the championship!!! Nothing triggered me emotionally at all when i watched it. I'll try and watch the post race again to see if i missed something. Drivers question things all the time on the radio. This just didn't trigger me in any way. Things like Vettel switching the 1st place sign at the end of the race gets me going a little, this was nothing. Again, i'm fine with being the minority on this. You guys feel free to get emotional about it.

 

No, I am saying is that there is a smell of suspicion wherever Alonso goes.

 

Alonso participated willingly to the 2 enquiries, and used them to settle scores.

 

Monaco may not be their favourite circuit, but the Mercedes team was very much looking under-par this weekend.
The cars weren't set up properly, the tyre strategy was wrong, and to compound it, another wheelnut problem befelt Botas, terminal this time.
The result was surely disastrous by their standards
One expects that from teams with less ambition, but not from Mercedes.

 

I have already explained about McLaren.
Alonso left in 2007 after a monumental fracas, cost to both sides.
In 2014, it's Honda who wanted Alonso onboard, they were bringing $100M a year!
Ron Dennis was against it, following the first spat., but he was overruled by the board.

The first time with Renault under Briatore was quite successful, bringing 2 titles.
Briatore took him back for 2008 when Alonso jumped ship from McLaren, and had nowhere to go.
The crashgate damage that relation, and as Renault was selling; Alonso went to Ferrari.


Renault took him back this time, under new managenent with different executives, a different structure.
Now it's Alpine with a new CEO and team principal
So they all probably started with a new slate and no bad feelings from the past, I would guess.
For Alonso, at 41 it's his last chance saloon.

 

Suspisicion of justice?

 

The team wouldn't change his setup by themselves...it's a team decision but that buck ultimately stops at the driver. He is the chap driving the car and if he agrees with the change, he's as much at fault for the end result as the team is. Similarly, if he decides not to change the setup and struggles. Same thing. Bottas showed that the car clearly had pace for a 2nd row start at least (and a very close one at that). We're always told about Lewis' driving prowess so if Bottas can put it 0.060 behind Max, surely Lewis could be that bit faster?

As for the strategy...I don't think they had much option. In monaco if a gap appears behind you there is a very short window of opportunity to box when you're in close proximity of rival drivers. Had they waited another lap, it would've been Gasly that had a chance at the undercut, or possibly again Vettel. The in and outlap simply weren't fast enough.

Secondly, again on the Strategy...Lewis fully agreed with the team before the pitstop happened that they where about to pit. He didn't say anything that he's got plenty of tyres. He in the end steered it into the box. The same team that's given him winning strategies time and time again for the last 8 years I might add...It was only after he pitted and that he lost the position he came on the radio saying he had more tyres. It wasn't the first time he's done this, btw...he's done this just about any time he's lost time or a position during what he feels is a pitstop error. He instantly berates the team and announces to the world his presumed superior strategy...that he was remarkably quiet on beforehand. He could take a leaf from Vettel's book, who quite often at Ferrari disagreed with whatever pitstop they had in plan for him and rejected the pit call, often to his disadvantage.

I'm all for excusing a heat of the moment thing but both after quali and after the race he continued his public tirades against his team. Not the first time...not the last.

 

I think Lewis should voice his concerns win his team screws up more often, to me he has been praising them too much. I think he should lay into the team on the radio more than he does. They are like family there, the team members are not laying around with their feelings hurt, trust me. It's really just giving people entertainment, something to talk about. Bottas does less attacking on the team radio, that's why the pits screw up much more with him than with Hamilton.

 

One small element might have (perhpas, perhaps?) played also in his balance: according to many sources, Bottas has been informed that his contract will not be renewed for 2022, and that Russell will have his seat next year. This might have upset Lewis also.

Rgds

 

Draw your own conclusions...

Rgds

https://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/en/formula-1/bottas-out-russell-in-for-2022-source,160010.html