The Official 2013 F1 Thread. Spoilers possible!

In that pairing Vettel would be #1 and Alonso#2... It is Alonso who is not the team player, remember when he was asked to share with Lewis...

Alonso is a world class driver and an even bigger prick, ask the guys a Renault and McLaren. Vettel is a better driver, so what if he's a little cockey. Anyone having had that much succes in the world arena would too.

In any team # 1 or 2 is fluid depending on who is there. Alonso maybe #1 now with Massa but bring in Seb, Kimmi and maybe even Nico and his shit will start to stink again. Remember how Alonso used to piss on the carpet at McLaren when Lewis had a bit of succes...

Perhaps before he had a few world titles, Vettel would accept at #2 slot on a team. Not any longer.

I believe that Hamilton, Alonso, and Vettel would no longer accept a #2 slot anywhere. Maybe Kimi can be included in this list, but I'm not so sure.

I'll have what he's having.

Rightly or wrongly, I get the feeling that Kimi doesn't really care, as long he gets a set-up he can drive. I think all that drama is the stuff he hates about F1.

:huh

if they have a better season... does this change?

probably one or two here that would disagree.....

Great article !

The trouble with the Hamilton-v-Alonso spat at McLaren is that we've not heard the full story (yet). Much of what came out of that is what McLaren let us have and given that they wanted to hang on to Hamilton, they (understandably) inferred that Alonso was the most guilty party.

I've never heard anything bad from Renault about Alonso. I'd be interested in anything you have about his two times with them.

You could be right, but I don't think we'll get anything new from McLaren now. I think if they wanted to say anything else on the matter they would have done so when Hamilton jumped ship.

I remember hearing or reading something about Alonso screwing over someone at Renault after the incident at Singapour when Piquet jr "hit the wall". If I'm not mistaken Favilo took the heat as team principal and his agent to get him over to Ferrari. I know this is vague but it's all I can remember!

I don't suppose we will get much from any source until the protagonists are writing their memoirs. It will be interesting nonetheless.

There's a persistent rumour that Alonso did know about the planned crash in advance but nothing more than that (at present). Everything I read about Alonso's time(s) at Renault suggest that they liked him even if they couldn't get him to provide the feedback about the car that his team-mates did. Their liking may have something to do with the two championships he delivered for them despite the car not being very good and at a time when Ferrari were so dominant.

I believe that rumour and believe that Falvio saved Fernado's carrear by taking the heat. I aslo think thier liking had a lot to do with Falvio and Fernado being best buds along with the professional relationship. If I'm not mistaken Fernado was Falvio's best man.

I don't see how Alonso could have ever been held responsible for that.
He wasn't driving Piquet's car, and he's not the team boss.
Flavio taking the media and regulatory heat is only proper, he was the boss.

I think probably not. For one thing, I wonder how much longer Brawn wants to do this? For another, the snake Lauda. And for a third, these manufacturer teams are like massive ships under way; they change direction slowly and with the greatest of reluctance.

There's no doubt in my mind that the plan was either hatched by or nurtured by Flavio Briatore. I believe Alonso probably knew about it. But the whole world hates a fink, so even if he was inclined to rat them out (and obviously, I don't think he was) he wouldn't have.

I don't like Alonso, but it's way off the mark to claim that Flavio fell on his sword to help him.

The NBC kids gave the best explanation for why Brawn was low on fuel in Malaysia. Brawn expected a wetter race = lower revs = less fuel consumption.

When the track dried out quickly, the cars used more gas than they'd fueled for. So they had to dial it down to make the distance.

Alonso thinks the tires make qualifying well less important.

I don't agree. You have to get a nose in front of Red Bull. Do that, and they're neutered.

During practice they played more of the RedBull radio discussions.
Vettel sounded like he was crying when Webber gave him the squeeze.

+1

Niki Lauda is a special kind of nasty, it is not if he will back stab Brawn or any one else for that matter but when.

I have to agree with Alonso here. These tires are so shity they are ruining Pirelli's reputation. F1 is/was thought to be the pinicle of motorsports and yet they can't go more then x laps before they fall of a cilf. Kimi last year was a joke, lost like 10 spots in a few laps because of the tires falling off... That is silly!

When it is no longer about outright speed and more about saving tires, it's silly.

This is "Eco Friendly F1". It's ok, but not as much fun as the real F1 was. I miss all out speed, two tire supliers, refuling at every pit stop, 1 engine per race weekend. Better yet anyone remember qualifing engines...

I also miss original track layouts... Remember when eau rouge was a chalenge to the drivers and equipement. Everything had to be perfect to run through there flat. Since the change any Joe blow in a back grid car can go flat. That kind of takes the special out of it for me...

Anyways Wxwax, we'll see if your right cause a hole bunch of them got thier nose in front of the Red Bulls for the start of this one. It's a bold move to not even set a time. I hope it works out for either Seb or Jenson. It would help bring to light the stupidity of putting junkyard tires on the quickest cars in motor sports...