I think he means Alonso likely isn't carrying anywhere near enough fuel. It was showboating for the crowd rather than carrying a realistic amount of fuel for a race. Although especially if they haven't sold many race day tickets it will ensure the place is rammed.
2008 Spanish GP - Race 4/18
- Thread starter rpstewart
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I think he means Alonso likely isn't carrying anywhere near enough fuel. It was showboating for the crowd rather than carrying a realistic amount of fuel for a race. Although especially if they haven't sold many race day tickets it will ensure the place is rammed.
It was funny though that although everyone in the TV coverage knew this they kept saying "welcome back". Although the TV people also have a vested interest in getting the rating figures up too.
I think next race force india should run with only enough fuel for one lap per session, stuff the race
And still - it's not okay that a Grand Prix driver makes every effort to go for pole? He won't be pitting five laps in. He might be on a fairly short first stint. That would be about it. It's not like he's in a Super Aguri, is it?
My God, how have I ended up defending Fernando "Petulant ****" Alonso"?!?!?!
Every effort for pole? Its no longer a see whose fastest but the first lap of the race, no use going really light and compromising the whole race on one lap.
I dont know lets see when he pits first, basically they could have blown any chance of a better finish by making sure the spaniard is upfront.
He could have just be very very fast. Somehow I think very very light.
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The only position Alonso cares about is first, after all he is a double world champion and finishing nicely in the points just doesn't cut it for someone like him.
Alonso's going nowhere fast this year with Renault, I think both him and us know that. So what's he to do? He's at his home GP and in front of his home crowd, so he wants to give them something to cheer about. He's that kinda guy and let's be honest, this'll be the high point of his season.
Alonso's going nowhere fast this year with Renault, I think both him and us know that. So what's he to do? He's at his home GP and in front of his home crowd, so he wants to give them something to cheer about. He's that kinda guy and let's be honest, this'll be the high point of his season.
The Renault is simply not fast enough to build up enough of a gap before having to pit. All we can hope is Fred gets a bit over-enthusiastic and drives into Kimi on the first corner. Not that I have anything against Kimi in the slightest, but it's about the only thing that will stop him disappearing into the distance tomorrow afternoon.
Thing is, that rarely works, as he has to overtake first, not exactly easy these days!
At the start, off the start line
Generally, Ive noticed that Alonso is careful and understands the concept of finishing. He doesnt make the panic manouvres that Hamilton has done in the past.
Its unlikely that Alonso would jeapardise his own race, if it means taking a risk on the first corner.
Ive often thought about the fuel strategy. Personally, I am of the opinion that you should do anything you can to qualify in the first few positions. If you end up qualifying in 6th place, say, then after only 2-3 laps, you could find yourself 10s behind the leader. This would be insummountable if that leader happens to have a faster car than you. I think its best to fuel light, get in front, then if need be, you can hold the faster cars behind you. When you pit, you will be out of sync and will probably come out (after the pit) without any cars around you, allowing you to concentrate on getting the best laps out of the car, rather than following a slower car or risking someone (like Hamilton), running into the back of you.
Its unlikely that Alonso would jeapardise his own race, if it means taking a risk on the first corner.
Ive often thought about the fuel strategy. Personally, I am of the opinion that you should do anything you can to qualify in the first few positions. If you end up qualifying in 6th place, say, then after only 2-3 laps, you could find yourself 10s behind the leader. This would be insummountable if that leader happens to have a faster car than you. I think its best to fuel light, get in front, then if need be, you can hold the faster cars behind you. When you pit, you will be out of sync and will probably come out (after the pit) without any cars around you, allowing you to concentrate on getting the best laps out of the car, rather than following a slower car or risking someone (like Hamilton), running into the back of you.
Alonso may not be high and dry though - its not the easiest circuit to overtake and if he can stay in a relatively good position after the first round of pit stops he might end up getting a fair few points (he will probably end up driving a long last stint to maximise his strategy and ensure his first stop isnt too long)...
Its easier to drop back through the field than to overtake to get to the same position - especially with how overtaking works in F1 at the moment. He wont be challenging for the podium whatever happens...
EDIT: For once sunama we agree
ps3ud0
Its easier to drop back through the field than to overtake to get to the same position - especially with how overtaking works in F1 at the moment. He wont be challenging for the podium whatever happens...
EDIT: For once sunama we agree
ps3ud0
Well put.
Damn straight. Unless of course, 4 out of 6 of the Ferraris, McLarens and BMWs drop out, which I cant see happening.
EDIT: For once sunama we agree
I disagree Fred is definitely going to win he's got loads more fuel than Kimi.
ok perhaps not
Kimi, Bob, Phil or maybe Phil in second.
I wish Hammi hadn't signed such a long deal with Macmerc
Kimi had to leave to win the title.
ok perhaps not
Kimi, Bob, Phil or maybe Phil in second.
I wish Hammi hadn't signed such a long deal with Macmerc
Kimi had to leave to win the title.
There's certainly nothing wrong with pitting early. It means he can get it out the way and have a high fuel load to have a long second stint. It is a huge gamble but if there is a safety car or something in the later stage of the race when everyone else is pitting then it could work out quite good for FA.
Still the odds are against it.
Still the odds are against it.
... And Michael had to quit
... and Alonso had to have changed teams
... and Mclaren had to saboutage there own efforts
You cant say the reason Kimi won is cos he left McLaren. The only reason Mclaren didnt win both champs last year was that they dropped the ball on many occasions. Arguably, if Kimi has stayed and it had been Kimi and Lewis then I recon Mclaren would have had the constructors and Kimi the drivers easy.
But we will never know, so Im going to stop going on about it.
I think I would rather be Hamilton (if he has 5+ laps more fuel than Alonso) than Alonso. Hamilton with a lighter car for those 5 laps and if he gets a bit of clear air will make up 2 - 3 secs a lap over Alonso with the heavier car after pitting. Then pitting later he *may* come out in front of him. Kimi has done this a few times and Schumi did it quite often. Running longer is always the winner.
Not necessarily.
The problem these days is that a lot of drivers are crashing into one another. Now, if you can run trouble free, without any traffic, then I totally agree - pitting later is better than running a short first stint. However, when you consider that by running a longer first stint, you will qualify lower down the grid and are more likely to have an incident, than if you qualify on the front row.
Not on the first three rows. Hamilton had has accident in Bahrain cause he dropped down to 10th and got caught up in the frantic dash for places by the lower midfield drivers. Yes the lower down the grid the risk may be greater but i don't think that is in the mind of the stratergy people for the frnt teams. The topthree make up the front three rows, only when you get a light Alonso in there does it screw things up for them. Last year BMW were always going light in quali to try to make up for lack of performance to match ferarri and mclaren. It hardly did them any good unless either one of the top two dropped out.
They should. If they realise that their drivers regularly end up in collisions, then at some point they have to begin thinking about attempting to qualify their cars on lighter fuel loads, even if it means sacrificing some race pace. Indeed, this is one of the reasons why teams fuel their cars lighter for qualifying and the first stint of the race.
Anyway, it should be a good race, as the times suggest that most of the cars are pretty close, in terms of performance. Normally, they aren't bunched up so closely as we saw today, in qualifying. Ferrari's race pace 'should' be better than their qualifying pace, in relation to the rest of the field.
Ive said this many times before and I shall say it again: McLaren really shot themselves in the foot by getting rid of Alonso. Had he been there, they would've scored more point and potentially, couldve won the constructors title, assuming that Alonso and Hamilton would've been (as they were last year) the best driver pairing in F1.