[MCR]

So we all agree that both car and driver needs to be good to win WDC. Also luck plays a crucial role. So saying Button won because of good car and Alonso lost out because of bad car makes no sense. Button is definitely a good driver. His driving style is smooth and devoid of any histrionics!
Look who else is complaining that the car doesn't suit him!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116015

[StarrySky]

In an other forum, someone has noticed that a new article on Alonso and his time as a McLaren driver has popped up at the McLaren website, where he was persona non grata so far. It is taken as a sign that Alonso is on his way to McLaren-Honda. But 2015 or 2016?

[anachronix]

Lot of tweets about Alonso/Mclaren agreeing a deal for 2015 and also Button staying at Mclaren for next year.

So who is coming to Ferrari? I hope Ferrari gives Bianchi a chance

[Blue_V]

Originally Posted by anachronix

Guess he was holidaying at Hawaii in 2011 and 2013

Alonso is good, but you also need a car to be up there fighting.

If the car was good enough ,why didn't Massa finish closer to Alonso in WDC? Why is Sebastien so far off Ricciardo? Or kimi so far off from Alonso?

Its a classic case of is it the driver or the car. But some drivers can make a difference when car's performance is not where they would like it to be. When car is great even the slower team mate can be great.

[asr245]

Originally Posted by zenren

His championship was purely due to the car advantage more than his driving skill. He just had to be better than Barrichello during first half of that season to win every race, similar to what we are seeing this year with Mercedes. By the time others caught up with the Brawn cars, there were not enough races to catch up Button's lead. How else would you explain Button's 6 wins out of first 7 races and 0 wins from remaining 10 races (after others caught up) in the same season? If he was really so good, he would have won at least a couple of races in the second half!

Actually Rubens won a couple of races in the remaining 10 races, does that mean he was really good? Rubens wasn't a bad driver (I would put him in MW category) but when the car was good, it was always Button who put it on pole and won.

Originally Posted by zenren

Here are the points break-up season by season. Lewis scored more points than Button in 2 of those seasons with Button beating Lewis in 2011.

2010: Lewis clearly outscores Button
240-Lewis
214-Button

2011: Button clearly outscores Lewis
270-Button
227-Lewis

2012: Tight battle - I would say a tie, though there are 2 points difference technically which is again in favour of Lewis, not Button.
190-Lewis
188-Button

Technically, Button has scored more points than Lewis during their time together because his lead in 2011 is more than the total lead of Lewis in remaining 2 seasons. Whoever came up with this statistic found a clever way to put Button on top since head to head in championships is the usual comparison where Lewis comes on top. We can find similar statistics in any driver pair where either of them is 'better' than the other.

Yes there are a lot more. LH had whole lot more poles than JB (so not surprising). When it came to races, it was I think 10-8 in favour of LH. Races in wet, it was in favour of JB. Many consider wet weather to be the ultimate driver's test and JB was well on top of that, but still he won a "lucky" championship.

I am not saying he's at the level of an FA or LH but when the car is to his liking, he's just as fast as any of them. He deserves more respect than he's given.

[polopm]

Guys
Are we looking at 3 car McLaren - Alonso, JB, KMag ??

The 3 car chorus seems to be picking up steam now!

[zenren]

Originally Posted by polopm

Guys
Are we looking at 3 car McLaren - Alonso, JB, KMag ??

The 3 car chorus seems to be picking up steam now!

If it is 3 cars, why would Alonso want to go to McLaren and not to Mercedes?

[deetjohn]

A brilliant and gripping piece by Nigel Roebuck of MotorSport Magazine. What will Alonso do?

He draws parallel between Alonso and Gilles Villeneuve. After all, both their Ferrari days have a lot similarities. Winning a handful of races with widespread acclaim for their performance punching a Ferrari above its weight.

Roebuck also touches upon the notion that why Mattiacci would wish to see Alonso leave.

A startling stat from the article.

In the last 5 years, there have been 11 Grand Prix victories for Ferrari, all of them scored by Alonso. As I write, prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando has scored 1162 points in that period, his team-mates – Massa and Räikkönen – 541.

It looks as if Alonso' loss could set Ferrari back by many years. But what history shows us is that the world outside knows nothing much about what might happen in the next season(s). A recent example is Lewis' move to Mercedes. With hindsight, it was a move as perfect as it could get. But back then, almost everyone thought Lewis was a fool to leave 'his' team. Same goes for Alonso' appointment at Ferrari. It was supposed to be the start of many championship winning years, but it was not to be. So, let's wait and watch and not jump to many conclusions.

The article says, we could have an announcement as early as next weekend, in Suzuka.

[Fullrevs]

I wouldnt say Lewis's move to Mercedes was foolish in hindsight. I think he very well knew that once the V6 engines were coming that Mercedes was going to be the best. These things are looked at atleast a couple years in advance. Ross Brawn to me was the architect and it has to be said that some of his hard work is what is being seen today. Add to that Paddy Lowes entry to Mercedes was the final icing on the cake for Lewis.

Its widely known that Ross Brawn strongly pitched for Lewis Hamilton to ensure he had his complete team. For all you know, a lot of us made fun of Michael Schumachers return. Who is to say that he too wasnt involved in getting the Mercedes as strong as it is today?!

On another news story, Sergio Marchionne confirms that Alonso and Kimi will stay at Ferrari next season:

The legendary F1 team are going through a slump with their last title success coming in 2008 and Luca di Montezemolo has paid the price as he was last week replaced by Marchionne as head of the marque.

There has also been speculation in recent weeks that Alonso could leave the team for greener pastures, but Marchionne insists they won't change their drivers and everyone at Maranello is determined to provide them with a title-challenging car.

"They will continue with us because they are at the heart of our project - two formidable drivers, two World Champions," he told Spain's mundodeportivo.com. "We only have to give them a car that can match their talent and we will see them at the top again, no doubt."

He added that the "recovery" should already start next year.

Ferrari's future in Formula 1 is also secured with Marchionne saying "we will be in F1 for a long time. Luca has informed me that the contract with Bernie [Ecclestone] is until 2020, but if it was me I would say that by 120 more."

news article from Planetf1.com

If this was just to keep the tifosi shut for a while and if Alonso is going to Mclaren, I would expect Ferrari to make a huge payout to get Vettel to Maranello. He fits the Ferrari requirement just perfectly and he will have the whole team around him.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

I wouldnt say Lewis's move to Mercedes was foolish in hindsight. I think he very well knew that once the V6 engines were coming that Mercedes was going to be the best. These things are looked at atleast a couple years in advance. Ross Brawn to me was the architect and it has to be said that some of his hard work is what is being seen today. Add to that Paddy Lowes entry to Mercedes was the final icing on the cake for Lewis.

LOL! I didn't say Lewis' move to Mercedes was foolish, far from it in fact. Now in 2014, it looks a decision so easy to make. But back in 2012, it was not as clear cut and was a leap of faith. McLaren was pretty strong in 2012 and they won a few races as well while Mercedes had a tough time mid table. And remember McLaren was getting the same V6 engine.

All I wanted to say was it not so easy for media or fans to call the future with regard to movement of drivers between teams.

[polopm]

Originally Posted by zenren

If it is 3 cars, why would Alonso want to go to McLaren and not to Mercedes?

3 roosters in same hen house, no no no. That is not going to work out.
Alonso needs some docile beings around. He is not going to go there.

Also Alonso thrives in an environment where he is the center of attraction and not an equal driver. He will get it in McLaren. Equality be damned, McLaren have got shareholders who are very angry on where the team are. They are not able to attract sponsors. Honda will need to prove it as well. Alonso can drive a bargain (if he wants to).

[Fullrevs]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

LOL! I didn't say Lewis' move to Mercedes was foolish, far from it in fact. Now in 2014, it looks a decision so easy to make. But back in 2012, it was not as clear cut and was a leap of faith. McLaren was pretty strong in 2012 and they won a few races as well while Mercedes had a tough time mid table. And remember McLaren was getting the same V6 engine.

All I wanted to say was it not so easy for media or fans to call the future with regard to movement of drivers between teams.

Mclaren's fall out with Mercedes has definitely caused Ron Dennis some tensions. They are nothing beyond a customer team at the moment. I think even Force India get more involvement from Mercedes engineers compared to Mclaren.

[Blue_V]

Ferrari confirm driver selection issues

"This issue is being dealt with by Mattiacci, and we will discuss it after October 13," said Marchionne, referring to the date on which he will take command.

He also seemed to confirm that Scuderia Ferrari has to deal with an issue of driver selection.

"I confirm this," said Marchionne, "but the decision also depends on the drivers and what they want."

[Fullrevs]

This happens so frequently. Alonso must be feeling quite left out because all his old bosses/colleagues aren't there anymore. Domenicalli, Montezemolo have gone and they were strong supporters of the Spaniard.

Mattiacci is in and obviously he wants to show who is boss. Its going to be a sad day for Ferrari if Alonso leaves. Hope he punches his weight above the new boss and stays back.

[Blue_V]

The report claims Honda is about three months behind schedule in the development of its first turbo V6 “power unit,” having encountered problems even greater than those struck by Renault as the troubled French marque prepared for 2014.

The specialist Autosprint said Honda's development V6 currently consumes too much fuel and produces too little power.

"To try to recover," the report explained, "Honda is investing massively and mobilizing people and businesses around Japan." - See more at: http://autoweek.com/article/formula-....3MJdfRXI.dpuf

Source

Problems apart, its great to see Honda return to F1 again and again. They have a true racing spirit in their culture.