Indy 500 - Alonso

Undoubtedly it takes scrotem (sorry - wasnt sure what I could say) to do those speeds in that traffic, but if one of the worst f1 drivers in current memory is able to win it......what does it say about the level of skill required?

Well done to Alonso for adapting so quickly to unusual cars, and for qualifying so highly and racing at the front for the majority before engine failure , Im just not sure its as big a deal as it should be.

I seem to remember Montoya being a (season) champion before coming over to F1, ....and didnt Nige also win a whole campaign too?

Obviously three completely different cars, three completely different tracks and skills required but isnt it significant that a lot of average F1 drivers have won Indy (or led a lot of laps) but very few Indy winners have converted favourably to F1

I respect Le Mans completely as much for the relentless reliability, the driving skill at running for that length of time (even with driver changes), and normally however many weather changes etc - of the Triple Crown I would say Indy is by far the easiest to accomplish if you have already won / experienced either of the other two in a significant amount
 
FrankJH said:
Undoubtedly it takes scrotem (sorry - wasnt sure what I could say) to do those speeds in that traffic, but if one of the worst f1 drivers in current memory is able to win it......what does it say about the level of skill required?
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Maybe it says that Sato was a lot better than he's given credit for?

FrankJH said:
isnt it significant that a lot of average F1 drivers have won Indy (or led a lot of laps) but very few Indy winners have converted favourably to F1
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Drivers who raced in F1 before winning Indy: Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emmo Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell, Takuma Sato. So 4 F1 champions, plus one of the better drivers to come out of Japan. Not sure what your definitions of 'a lot' or 'average' are though :)

Drivers who won Indy before racing in F1: Mario Andretti (became F1 champion), Mark Donahue (died before the car was sorted), Jacques Villeneuve (became F1 champion), Juan Montoya (won some F1 races). So, we have two that became champion and one who won a bunch and fought for titles. Does that come across as 'favourable'? :)

Basically, not many drivers ever make the switch. Of those that do, the majority find some success. Because good drivers are good drivers, whether in an Indycar, a Formula car or a tin-top.
 
FrankJH said:
Undoubtedly it takes scrotem (sorry - wasnt sure what I could say) to do those speeds in that traffic, but if one of the worst f1 drivers in current memory is able to win it......what does it say about the level of skill required?
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Sato was absolutely fantastic prior to F1, as brave wheel to wheel as you will ever see. I really don't see that not making it in a series that's about as unequal as you can get is a bad mark against him and therefore Indy. Plus it was only his second win in years so a bit like saying F1 is a joke because Maldonado won a race.

By the same token you could say Villeneuve turned up and got pole on a track he'd never seen before and completely out raced the field in his debut from Cart and he turned up in F1 when corners weren't flat and aero grip absurd.
 
dannyjo22 said:
Sato was absolutely fantastic prior to F1, as brave wheel to wheel as you will ever see. I really don't see that not making it in a series that's about as unequal as you can get is a bad mark against him and therefore Indy. Plus it was only his second win in years so a bit like saying F1 is a joke because Maldonado won a race.

By the same token you could say Villeneuve turned up and got pole on a track he'd never seen before and completely out raced the field in his debut from Cart and he turned up in F1 when corners weren't flat and aero grip absurd.
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Villeneuve proved himself over a whole season, not just a single race

Being brave is one aspect but its not the only thing that matters - which is exactly the whole point. Indy 500 is just about being brave, f1 isnt there is a lot of skill involved - one reason why Sato failed dismally
 
FrankJH said:
Indy 500 is just about being brave, f1 isnt there is a lot of skill involved - one reason why Sato failed dismally
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Did he 'fail dismally' in F1?

First drove for Jordan in 2002, when they were a completely spent force. Showed speed, but a bit wild (typical rookie). Managed to beat his much more experienced team mate in six races, got points at Suzuka. Test-drove for BAR the next season until the team and Villeneuve fell out, so drove the last race of the season for them and finished 6th. 2004, he made the podium in America and got 34 points over the season despite the engine grenading on him in six races. He then had a poor 2005 before occasionally starring with the Super Aguri for the next couple of years. For example...


Seriously Frank, you've now referred to him as being "one of the worst f1 drivers in current memory" and having "failed dismally". What makes you say that he was that bad?
 
As much as I liked Alonso appearing, he was allegedly paid £300,000 for participating and has dominated the pre-race and post-race media to the point it must be winding up the other drivers.
 
EVH - actually, the person who was winding up other drivers was our own dearest Lewis Hamilton!

Road and Track said:
Last weekend was the Indy 500, the world's biggest single day sporting event. And if you have been off the internet for the last month or so (maybe you were on safari?), you might not have heard, but two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso skipped the Monaco Grand Prix and decided to run the Indy 500 instead.

As you'd expect, he did a damn good job. Alonso qualified fifth, led 27 laps in the race, and fell out on lap 180 when his Honda engine failed. It was impressive, exactly what you'd expect from a driver who has been qualifying his dog slow F1 car in the upper half of the field thanks to some truly heroic driving. That performance was enough for him to be awarded Rookie of the Year (though many thought the honor should have gone to third place finisher Ed Jones).

Eternal optimist and all-around fun happy guy Lewis Hamilton saw Alonso's accomplishment quite a bit differently. This is what he told France's L'Equipe:

"I took a look at the qualifying results. Fernando, in his first qualifying, came fifth. Does that say something about (the level) of Indy Car? Great drivers, if they can’t succeed in Formula One, look for titles in other races, but to see him come fifth against drivers who do this all year round is…interesting."

Say what you will, but it take a lot of skill to belittle both a fellow F1 champion and the entire IndyCar field in one quote. Impressive.

Indy veteran Tony Kanaan didn't take all that kindly to what Lewis said, and came back with his own zinger to Brazil's GLOBO:

"What can I say? (Hamilton) competed in a two-car world championship last year and was second, so I don't think he can say much. It was a pleasure to have Fernando here. He is humble, not like some of his colleagues who were making comments this month."

That is the absolute perfect shade.
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The boy just isn't smart...:p
 
JRS said:
EVH - actually, the person who was winding up other drivers was our own dearest Lewis Hamilton!



The boy just isn't smart...:p
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Idiotic thing to say, no doubt. I was referring to the fact that the drivers were beginning to refer to themselves as "the other 32" which to me was a passive aggressive way of saying he's hogged the limelight since he got here.
 
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