'Alonso should have stayed at McLaren'

[mad_ani]

http://planetf1.com/news/18227/6245191/-Alonso-should-have-stayed-at-McLaren-


Fernando Alonso would have come out a stronger person had he remained at McLaren after his tension-fraught season with Lewis Hamilton, according to Steve Nielsen.

Alonso's one and only season with McLaren saw the double World Champion partnered with Hamilton, who was in his rookie campaign. However, the latter's results were by no means that of a rookie.

Hamilton took the fight to Alonso out on track, causing a great deal of tension within the team as the Spaniard was not given the number one status that he had been guaranteed at his previous team, Renault.

The on-track feud soon turned into off-track drama with reports of in-fighting and favouritism making headlines as did McLaren's involvement in the Stepneygate spy scandal.

The end result was that Alonso left McLaren at the end of that one season to return to Renault. However, if he had been the Spaniard's manager, Renault's sporting director Steve Nielsen says he would have told Alonso to stay and fight Hamilton.

"Fernando was clearly our No1 driver. I think he liked that. And when he joined McLaren, I'm sure he expected the same thing," Nielsen told eurosport.fr.

"But McLaren treat their drivers equally and Lewis, even though in his first year in F1, was very fast. Fernando was shocked at having been denied No1 status and surprised by Lewis's speed. It was an uncomfortable situation for him.

"From there his relationship with McLaren deteriorated and everything about it has been published (in the Stepneygate scandal). We know what happened and he came back (to Renault).

"In fact, I think - and I do not know if he agrees with me on this but he knows I love him - that return to us was probably a mistake.

"If I had been his manager at the time, I would have said: 'Listen, you have to do this, stay and beat this guy.

"Firstly because you have the best car now, secondly because your best chance of being Champion next season is by still driving for McLaren.'

"I think he would have come out stronger."

IMO, I think so too...he would have been more competitive than Hekki though....

PS: A thread for your opinions and not driver bashing....

[Ste]

Don't agree. Tensions within the team would have just gotten worse and worse, put the team off their championships and probably have cost them the 2008 title (not that they deserved that anyway :-D).

Alonso drove well at Renault and he was always going to come to Ferrari anyway. Top drivers like Alonso don't suddenly lose their edge because of spending a couple of seasons at an under-performing team.

[mad_ani]

Don't agree. Tensions within the team would have just gotten worse and worse, put the team off their championships and probably have cost them the 2008 title (not that they deserved that anyway :-D).

Alonso drove well at Renault and he was always going to come to Ferrari anyway. Top drivers like Alonso don't suddenly lose their edge because of spending a couple of seasons at an under-performing team.

Prost and Senna, although fierce rivals stayed just 1 yr at Mclaren in 1988...but it looks ok with JB and LH now....slight tensions were building up in 2007 when LH and FA were there, this time around....
Although, he lost being 2nd in the championship in 2007, he could have stayed on and challenged the following year....and also thru 2009...

Of course, Alonso has not lost his fighting spirit or his edge...but we are yet to see if he can fend off Massa (whom I hope, takes the fight to Alonso in the 2nd half of the season)..(hoping to see a good battle between our drivers...but dominating the field)

[Greig]

Yawn, silly thread, the author of course knows what they are doing...boring, firstly he states not about driver bashing, then goes on to say Alonso has yet to fend of Massa and hopes Massa comes back, what has Massa got to do with McLaren and Alonso, oh yeah nothing......but it will create driver bashing....

[aroutis]

Prost and Senna, although fierce rivals stayed just 1 yr at Mclaren in 1988...but it looks ok with JB and LH now....slight tensions were building up in 2007 when LH and FA were there, this time around....
Although, he lost being 2nd in the championship in 2007, he could have stayed on and challenged the following year....and also thru 2009...

Of course, Alonso has not lost his fighting spirit or his edge...but we are yet to see if he can fend off Massa (whom I hope, takes the fight to Alonso in the 2nd half of the season)..
Honestly I think Alonso is doing just fine as it is with Ferrari. I think Ferrari should be concerned more with Massa's performance right now.

[epiclyaddicted]

Fernando Alonso would have come out a stronger person had he remained at McLaren after his tension-fraught season with Lewis Hamilton, according to Steve Nielsen.

Who is this Steve Nielsen? And how come he knows what's better for Alonso than Alonso himself? Is he psychic or something? :roll

[Greig]

Sporting Director at Renault, prob just wanted his name mentioned since nobody knows who he is :-D

I bet he has no idea what went on at McLaren, and when your team boss states they are racing against you, it's probably best to leave LOL

[mad_ani]

Honestly I think Alonso is doing just fine as it is with Ferrari. I think Ferrari should be concerned more with Massa's performance right now.

No doubt on that, but would it have been worth his while spending time at Mclaren than the 2 years at Renault....??

Also as I said...I hope we dont criticize Massa in this thread although Alonso has obtained more points than Massa in the same car...:-) and hoping both drivers do well in the 2nd half of the season...

[mad_ani]

Sporting Director at Renault, prob just wanted his name mentioned since nobody knows who he is :-D

I bet he has no idea what went on at McLaren, and when your team boss states they are racing against you, it's probably best to leave LOL

Well it was because Alonso threatened Ron Dennis by exposing the team with the emails about spy scandals??? I doubt if Alonso would have left Mclaren if it werent for Ron Dennis...He did sign with Mclaren a year before he won his second championship....so he wanted to go there and hopefully stick around...but it didnt work that way

[Greig]

Also as I said...I hope we dont criticize Massa in this thread although Alonso has obtained more points than Massa in the same car...:-) and hoping both drivers do well in the 2nd half of the season...

So you hope its just a thread to attack Alonso do you, and trot out your spygate speach, yawn, tiring

[Katu]

he wasted 2 seasons in Renault, there are many people who blame him for knowing about crash-gate, but that's anyway better than spending 2 season with Hamilton

[Kingdom Hearts]

Can he drive in a complete hell with the team favouring Hamilton?. After the spygate is ridiculous to suggest that Alonso should have stayed in McLaren. It's a shame that Dennis was so incompetent managing his drivers because they could have achieved many great things, the good thing is that Fernando is with us now, sadly for him, he lost 2 years in Renault.

[Hermann]

What a piece of crap. And the worst thing is: you get to read that piece of crap by the british press again, again and again. But then, what else to expect from P-F1.

[Agron]

Another bash thread by the usual suspect...
When your team is ok with your teammate bitching to the FIA to demote you...twice, when your family has to stay in another team's box thanks to the open hostility towards you and them (even before Hungary), and when your boss says his team isn't racing against it's rivals, but against you, those are signs that you are an idiot if you stay.
Fitting his car with tyres with wrong pressures several times, a gearbox that was to be thrown away, etc., allowing your teammate to take your extra laps and from Hungary onwards having no extra laps also helps to make a decision.

As Alonso said, he prefers to end 6th in a team that wants him to be 5th, than end 3rd in a team that wants him to be 4th.

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

What a piece of crap. And the worst thing is: you get to read that piece of crap by the british press again, again and again. But then, what else to expect from P-F1.

agreed i've noticed most f1 sites are mclaren bias (maybe we should start a press gate) :-)

but it does annoy me tho im a Ferrari fan last thing i wanna see is **** being forced into my eyes lol

[nash929]

Even if Alonso wanted to stay at Macca, I don't think Ron Dennis would have resigned him. There were too much tension between Alonso and Hamilton. We all know who Ron would prefer between the two, so it would be pointless if he stayed there.

[Ant Raikkonen]

Alonso should've stayed at Mclaren?

Is that because his hair's getting a bit long?

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

naaa he looks better in red :-)

[straycat]

it is a perfect team. he and Shumi are perhaps the best developement drivers on the grid... mclaren wants brits in the cockpits. when jense is winning he is "tops' with them and when ham is winning he is the top-dog...
i like the current personnel within Ferrari as it is...perhaps bring in a couple more engineers but other than that i think this is the best team we have had in some time.
Fernando is in his first year in the red car, the team will only grow stronger each week...he drives hard, even when there is no chance of gathering points...he does not give up and is extremely competitive. he also knows how to make a car last and at times when he seems a bit lethargic it is because he knows the limits of each componant and does not exceed that limit.
sv and lh will push their cars beyond the limit because they really dont understand much more than just driving...this is the one reason that i believe Fernando will win the WDC this year and never count Filipe out...isnt vettle on his 5th engine?
the season is only half gone, lets just be patient and see who is the last man standing.

[DBXdarkangel]

Here is a thought from me, Alonso at Renault turned them into a winning team, he left and they went down the toilet. He joined Mclaren who was in the toilet and turned them into a winning team (driver input i mean) then Shamilton wont the championship in the car Alonso helped develop. He joined Ferrari who was in the toilet and they are coming good now. Personaly i think next years car will be Awsome. Fact is its easy to tweak a winning car than take a one and turn that into a winning car. Lets face it thats why Schuey won so many championships, It was all about driver input and twaeking a good thing....My 2 cents.

[nash929]

Here is a thought from me, Alonso at Renault turned them into a winning team, he left and they went down the toilet. He joined Mclaren who was in the toilet and turned them into a winning team (driver input i mean) then Shamilton wont the championship in the car Alonso helped develop. He joined Ferrari who was in the toilet and they are coming good now. Personaly i think next years car will be Awsome. Fact is its easy to tweak a winning car than take a one and turn that into a winning car. Lets face it thats why Schuey won so many championships, It was all about driver input and twaeking a good thing....My 2 cents.

Agreed. Hamilton is a good driver, no contentions on that, but in terms of car development, he has nothing on Alonso, MS and even Felipe.

[Tifosi]

Yes, Alonso would have been a stronger person if he had stayed at McLaren.

It's probably easier to build up your arm muscles quite quickly if you are constantly hitting Lewis hard over the head with the palm of your hand! :-D

[LAROSA SpA]

It's probably easier to build up your arm muscles quite quickly if you are constantly hitting Lewis hard over the head with the palm of your hand! :-D

:thumb Although it would knock NO sense into his little cheating head :-P

[mad_ani]

Here is a thought from me, Alonso at Renault turned them into a winning team, he left and they went down the toilet. He joined Mclaren who was in the toilet and turned them into a winning team (driver input i mean) then Shamilton wont the championship in the car Alonso helped develop. He joined Ferrari who was in the toilet and they are coming good now. Personaly i think next years car will be Awsome. Fact is its easy to tweak a winning car than take a one and turn that into a winning car. Lets face it thats why Schuey won so many championships, It was all about driver input and twaeking a good thing....My 2 cents.

Well you must also remember Alonso went back to Renault for a whole 2 years after his Mclaren tenure...

PS: I dont think Ferrari were that bad. They finished a close 4th behind Mclaren on a car they stopped developing in August...

I hope u can see the future. and its bloody well true......I dont know how far the 2011 car has been developed or what kind of tires Pirelli are gonna make or how Kers will affect the car...

[redb]

agreed i've noticed most f1 sites are mclaren bias (maybe we should start a press gate) :-)

but it does annoy me tho im a Ferrari fan last thing i wanna see is **** being forced into my eyes lol

Planet F1 are so far up Mclaren and Hamilton's behind, they can probably taste the food Hamilton is digesting

[mad_ani]

Agreed. Hamilton is a good driver, no contentions on that, but in terms of car development, he has nothing on Alonso, MS and even Felipe.

Source??? apart from the fact that Lewis is in this 3rd season and the rest 7+ ??

[Greig]

Source??? apart from the fact that Lewis is in this 3rd season and the rest 7+ ??

If you want sources for opinions then you might as well stop posting :-)

[mad_ani]

If you want sources for opinions then you might as well stop posting :-)

I believe i asked the poster the source of his information posted.... :)

[DBXdarkangel]

Well you must also remember Alonso went back to Renault for a whole 2 years after his Mclaren tenure......

I sugest you learn to read Bro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Alonso#2008.E2.80.932009:_Return_to_Renau lt

He went back to renault and wasnt there long enough to develop the car, he was already trying to sign with ferrari and lets face, EVERYONE who is working for a company they have no future with, dont want to perform. Simple mate.
I seem to remember he only wanted a 1 year deal with Flavio as he was going to sign with Ferrari.

If you want to Bash Nando then maybe your on the wrong Forum??

[nash929]

I believe i asked the poster the source of his information posted.... :)

It is an opinion, but just to clear it out, what kind of source do you need? Hamy being a good driver or FA, MS and FM better in terms of Car development? :)

[Greig]

I believe i asked the poster the source of his information posted.... :)

so we can all ask for the source of your opinions? it's a forum

[mad_ani]

Agreed. Hamilton is a good driver, no contentions on that, but in terms of car development, he has nothing on Alonso, MS and even Felipe.

I just wondered how u opined Lewis is not as good as Alonso, MS and even Felipe at car development??

[mad_ani]

I sugest you learn to read Bro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Alonso#2008.E2.80.932009:_Return_to_Renau lt

He went back to renault and wasnt there long enough to develop the car, he was already trying to sign with ferrari and lets face, EVERYONE who is working for a company they have no future with, dont want to perform. Simple mate.
I seem to remember he only wanted a 1 year deal with Flavio as he was going to sign with Ferrari.


If you want to Bash Nando then maybe your on the wrong Forum??

In your opinion, Alonso stay with Mclaren for 1 year and helped develop the 2008 car (from ur post above " He joined Mclaren who was in the toilet and turned them into a winning team (driver input i mean) then Shamilton wont the championship in the car ")....

and yet he stayed at Renault for 2 years and did nothing in your opinion???

NO....Renault was not good enough in-spite of Alonso.

[nash929]

I just wondered how u opined Lewis is not as good as Alonso, MS and even Felipe at car development??

Granted, he only has 3 full seasons under his belt. But how many wins or even high point finishes has Hamy put up with an inferior setup of his car? Alonso won 2 championships for Renault which came from nowhere prior to the winning years, while Schumacher and Felipe had their hands in developing one of the most dominant seasons in F1. Again, I am not taking away anything from Hamilton, I am giving him credit where it's due.

And oh, i'm a big fan of FA,MS and FM, that is why i will always put those 3 above any other current drivers.

[DBXdarkangel]

If you want to Bash Nando then maybe your on the wrong Forum??

And i say again..........

[Agron]

Drivers provide input, on how the car behaves, how a new piece is working and where they want their car to improve to gain speed or make it easier to drive. Alonso has been highly praised by Renault and McLaren as one of the best at doing so, and not long ago Ferrari have started praising him too.

It is the job of engineers to research, develop and solve those problems. Renault after 2006 was a shell of their former self, that's the reason Alonso and other top staff left, they knew they weren't going to build a championship contender car again. No matter how good the input is, if those using the data are not good enough or don't have enough resources, they can't compete with a wealthier team with more experienced professionals, the driver is only a very small, yet important part of car development.

But I guess Kimibots don't care about reasoning; they probably consider repeating the same half truths, twisted comments and outright misinformation over and over again is good enough for them to suceed in their crusade against those that they perceive have wronged their Idol and Reason for Living.

[bladeswing]

Maybe this Nielsen guy should stay in his tub with crocs in it. That should make him a better person too.

[Anni]

Maybe this Nielsen guy should stay in his tub with crocs in it. That should make him a better person too.

Why don´t we talk about it in an impartial way? I don´t think he meant any offense. Nobody said Alonso is a bad guy since he went back to renault, Nielsen is just saying it might have been better if he had stayed at McLaren. Maybe this whole year at McLaren is still preying on Alonso´s subconsiousness. Everyone who has been in a situation where he didn´t get along with people at work knows how this can strain you even years later. It wasn´t a nice situation at all and it is left unsolved, they never sorted things out. If Alonso had stayed they could have found a way to get along, if they had all really tried.
I think this could have been an interessting thread if the discussion was about if it would have been better for Alonso himself to stay and not about who is a bad guy and who is a good guy.

[Hermann]

Its always easy to say 'should have' years later. At the time, it was impossible for Fernando to stay at Macca and Nielsen should know that. I have no idea what he is actually talking about now.

Fernando has a total falling-out with RD who was his boss, he didn't want to stay, and RD (and Hamilton as well) didn't want him to stay (the more after what happened with those emails).

He also said after he came back to Renault that he prefers to be in a team that wants him to be third, than in a team that doesn't want him to win (or something similar i don't remember the exact quote), and that he knew he was giving up a good car but chose life.

This is something that has never been discussed in the press. Instead, they spread the story he had been 'fired' while it is clear he wasn't. Like Haug said before, it had to be a 'mutual agreement'. Both sides didn't want to continue for certain reasons. So whats there to discuss now actually?