12-09-2013, 21:36
Common consensus says that this experiment by Ferrari is likely to end in tears. And no, not because of Raikkonen, for the Finn is unflappable. He is not a modern-day F1 racer in true terms, is as apolitical as they come and will never succumb to playing games within a team. His no-nonsense approach lifts him, and maybe, just maybe, will lift Alonso as well. Team-mates in F1 can have that effect on each other.
Alonso's overtaking manoeuvre on Raikkonen's Lotus on the inside-line at the second corner of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at this year's Spanish GP (a race that Alonso went on to win!) tells you enough about his superiority over his future team-mate. These two are the best drivers in terms of race-pace and race-craft at the moment, and only Lewis and Vettel come close, if you consider qualifying-pace as well. Alonso will probably just shave it, narrowly, and finish ahead of Kimi.
However, it is one thing for Ferrari to say that Alonso is their 'key asset' and that Kimi's presence will only spur him further. That he has matured enough since the McLaren days to handle this situation. And it is a completely different thing, the off-chance that reverse happens.
What then? What if Kimi is leading Alonso at the half-way mark next season? How will Alonso behave, for he has never handled a team-mate's challenge since 2007 and even then, he didn't handle it all that well? For once, we want to see that happen.
We want to see Alonso challenged by his team-mate and indeed finish on top. We want him to throw the gauntlet at Vettel, that he beat an equal driver in equal machinery, fair and square. What we don't want to see are toys thrown out of the pram. We don't want to see Alonso go down in history as a cry-baby, a whiner, a problem Champion who shivered at the prospect of an equal team-mate. This is his test.
How he handles Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari is how Fernando Alonso will be remembered.
Chetan Narula
http://www.planetf1.com/editorial/891790...m-Champion
Alonso's overtaking manoeuvre on Raikkonen's Lotus on the inside-line at the second corner of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at this year's Spanish GP (a race that Alonso went on to win!) tells you enough about his superiority over his future team-mate. These two are the best drivers in terms of race-pace and race-craft at the moment, and only Lewis and Vettel come close, if you consider qualifying-pace as well. Alonso will probably just shave it, narrowly, and finish ahead of Kimi.
However, it is one thing for Ferrari to say that Alonso is their 'key asset' and that Kimi's presence will only spur him further. That he has matured enough since the McLaren days to handle this situation. And it is a completely different thing, the off-chance that reverse happens.
What then? What if Kimi is leading Alonso at the half-way mark next season? How will Alonso behave, for he has never handled a team-mate's challenge since 2007 and even then, he didn't handle it all that well? For once, we want to see that happen.
We want to see Alonso challenged by his team-mate and indeed finish on top. We want him to throw the gauntlet at Vettel, that he beat an equal driver in equal machinery, fair and square. What we don't want to see are toys thrown out of the pram. We don't want to see Alonso go down in history as a cry-baby, a whiner, a problem Champion who shivered at the prospect of an equal team-mate. This is his test.
How he handles Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari is how Fernando Alonso will be remembered.
Chetan Narula
http://www.planetf1.com/editorial/891790...m-Champion
Fernando es de otro planeta