17 Burst results for "Fernando Alonso"
Box of Neutrals
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Box of Neutrals
"House bad. The Fernando Alonso junket experience. And you're listening to box of neutrals. Here. How good it is to be back, yes. You've survived the first 5 minutes of last week's survive the first 5 of this week. Back again, it is Michael and rob still hosted by Michael and rob box of mutuals leading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This weekend, yes, Formula One just keeps happening, doesn't it? Good news for Max Verstappen. Dan used from Mercedes though because someone, it's so bad rob. They've had to pull the brake glass lever and write an open letter to the affair. Oh, you know that's when did you get an open letter from other Zac Brown or it's a wolf? It means why are they addressing the members? It's not a 40 clown. And it's just one rice. After all, I'm very surprised for Vasa hasn't done it. It's okay, it's my first time first week. I'm on. I have three months of probation. Why isn't he writing letters as well? So letters of the week, Colin, bucks for neutrals. I can't wait for Jeff Kitts. Glitter as well. I love more team principals to write more letters. I think that should be a game campaign for the week. Plus, which box of neutrals member do you miss? That's the question being asked on the Discord channel. Yes. Very few people have said Peter the Landis, which is shy, but I guess it was only on for three minutes, which is understandable. Do we have to go through your Discord messages and the best team names that have joined formula mcginley still aiming for that magic 6 time paying off or don't ask to join. That's all to come on. These episodes, the box of
Analog(ue)
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Analog(ue)
"Being third, which is where he was in qualifying, being third Monaco doesn't mean anything. He was just lucky that Ferrari a bad strategy which meant by being third he could win that race. But you're only going to put it in the if you are going to put your car in the wall to protect qualifying position, you would do it if you were first. If you're going to do it all, which I do not believe he would do. Agreed. But you're not going to do it for third. Couldn't agree more. I'm right there with you. So this was the prevailing theory as to why max is apparently mad at him, right? And I actually think there were people in the, as they say, Verstappen camp, like family who were saying that that was the issue. So I don't know, right? We don't know because they've never said, but it seemed obvious, but then there is this clip of max saying, I had no problem with this, like in the episode. It's just not true. It's just like the whole thing is silly, but nevertheless, I'm not going to quibble over it. They either a were told not to or it was they are asked not to or they just decided not to, which I actually think is the most likely. That the drive to survive people didn't want to immediately exclude Max Verstappen again, right? So I think that they kind of just like look, the way that there is no proof of this, no one ever said it. So all we're going to be doing is kind of the thing that people don't like, which is like making a story of something that isn't overtly there. Like Chico being halfway out the door, right? Right, but that genuinely, though, like I know what you mean, but there would have 100% being people saying that at the time because people say it all the time, including me, including you. If someone's not logged in, even if they are locked in, like Daniel Ricciardo, right? Daniel Ricciardo was locked in at McLaren for years and we were saying he's going to get fired and he did. So like, that would have 100% been people saying that like, because there always is about the Red Bull seat, right? Can anyone stand up to the glory of Max Verstappen, right? That's the thing that's always said. I guarantee you at some point this season, people will be saying it about check out. They will. So it's just is what it is, right? But yeah, I would say overall, like I wasn't super looking forward to watching it this season because the last season left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth because it wasn't that great and there was a lot of crap in there and also just like the general reaction online to the last season was also not good. It annoyed me when I was reading about how many drivers had given up so much time and nothing was used, right? Like that there were genuinely stories that could have been told and they had the footage of them but decided not to do them because they wanted to make it look like Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz hey at each other instead. That's what they preferred to do in that season. And so I wasn't like super looking forward to it, but this isn't I loved it. Like I think it was a return to form for them the fact that they focused on the Oscar piastre thing and the cost cap, like I was so happy because they were too huge stories that weren't happening on track so I wouldn't have been surprised if they didn't show it because they don't have track footage necessarily to go along with these things, but they found a really good way to tell the stories and the piastre episode is awesome. It's one of the best episodes to drive to survive. They got so much stuff that I don't know how they got. Showing the negotiations. Hearing Omar and Zach Brown talking about. This is going to cost us so much money. How much money is it really going to cost you a reputation? It was awesome. So anyway, driver survives great. We've had the first race of the season. Indeed. It's a shame that we had like a two week gap to the next one, but the schedules weird this year in general, but I had a great time this weekend. It was a great race. It was fine. I don't know. People were like, oh, I was made up so I said, yeah, but Fernando Alonso, though. But just because Red Bull won two, that's obvious. Fernando Alonso was not the obvious podium, right? So it was a fantastic race because we got that. And there was some amazing midfield racing. It was I loved it. I had a great time this weekend, but you know me, Casey, I'm just happy when the cars are on track. I don't care what they're doing. I just like watching them go around the track. I stand up for sky this year. Okay, so what does that mean? I'm not trying to be flipping. I sign up for cable, basically. Can you imagine? And now I can watch it in atmos. Atmos, wait, which one is the HD Ultra HD thing? Oh, I'm sorry for video. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes. So they have it in Ultra HD as they call it. Oh, interesting. I don't think the F one TV stuff does that. That's awesome. Sky are doing it, right? They're sure. And they have the onboard camera thing, which you probably heard about a bunch. I don't know if that was on. I didn't hear about it much during the broadcast, but so I typically, I could get it on ESPN through terrestrial cable, but I typically use the F one TV app on the Apple TV. And then I will also second screen it on the iPad so I can either look at telemetry, which I rarely do, oftentimes I'll have a particular driver's view if there's an interesting chase going on that they're not covering on the main feed. And so I can swap between all the different driver views and team radios and whatnot. Is that what I'm talking about? Sky does that now? And you can do it in that app where you can just do, I can just do it on the TV. So they have all 20 on boards available and they have a battle channel they call it. So if there's a particular interesting battle going on on the track, but they're not showing it on TV. They just show us on that. Yeah, it's cool, man. But I just wanted it to be able to watch the coverage in the highest quality that I could get. And this is it. So it's expensive. But this is I want this. And I'm really, I'm actually really happy with it. Yeah, that's awesome. Now it's been interesting this race was super interesting because I feel like certainly in the 5 ish years that I've been watching F one, there's been way more turnover in shuffling about this year than any year I can remember. Which is very interesting. There's a lot of names that I'm like, oh right, they're racing now, like devries and sergeant and I'm trying to think of who else is new. Piastre, yeah, but there's a bunch of new names, things have been shuffled around. It's fascinating to me to see Mercedes still being a pile of garbage. I wouldn't send her a pile of garbage. They are, in my opinion, in a better place than they were this time last year, but what they realized is this is the best place they can be and it ain't good enough so they come back to the
Box of Neutrals
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Box of Neutrals
"Where it belongs. Yeah, you know what? I'm a 100% on board with that. I'm a 100% on board and I think that is a great reason actually for them to reconsider how many Melbourne gets. Because the crowds are going to be big for the foreseeable future here. The atmosphere is going to be great, where there's normally good. Okay, the track is not, could be better for racing. But a court also be better with these cars. Who knows? I mean, Fernando Alonso's overtaking in all sorts of places. So maybe we won't be thinking that so much anymore either. That's that fourth DRS and everyone's talking about. Yeah, you are, right? You've done it. You've done well. Give yourself a tick. A pat on the back, or whatever the ward is on box of neutrals. So no idea. Where are you using overseas, are we? Yes. Yes, what's yours? Do you have one? Well, no, I wasn't prepared. I'll see if I can think of one before the end of the show. But let's talk about some of the well, we can talk about some several understeer over the greed over the course of the race. Particularly proprietary. Yeah, well, look, let's just start there. Embarrassing. Yeah. It was, I mean, for the second year in a row, this team's rocked up under prepared for a season. Last year it was the brakes getting too hot, the slowest car out there. At least it was a little bit more reliable, although except for the brakes, obviously. This year they've had body work fallen off over the course of testing, stuff isn't strong enough, stuff gets too hot. Electronics failed us could be astrid's car, pneumatic pressure filed and landed North Dakota, that's an unusual problem, I feel it's very rare that happens. And he finished two laps down at the very back of the greed. This is a massive indictment on this team. I don't think I'm going to talk about all the wind tunnels not ready yet and that's true, it's not ready to lighter and I don't have the new senior at all that kind of stuff yes. But I mean, in any sport in which asked partner now we're talking about a lot. But which they can come out of a bunch of portable buildings and develop the second quickest car, even if Fernando Alonso is driving it, a performance like this from McLaren, which has an established facility, even if they got an old wind tunnel whatever, is embarrassing by definition. That's real. That's absolutely real. It warrants that sting because I'm a 100% and this is not a case of because Oscar piastre is aboard the team. This is a trend and it's concerning because it's very frustrating because McLaren were coming out of a funk and it was a real funk. It was, in fact, it was. Oh, that's real. That's absolutely real. It was a real fun. And the Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, era, quietly chipped away. Didn't make too much fanfare regain their dignity. And then they started getting a bit of cocky. They got a Daniel Ricciardo. They go, Google Chrome, on board. And so there was plenty of swagger aboard this time, and a lot of expectation. But they just haven't delivered and they've made so many missteps along the way. And I feel like it's got to a point where for me, I'm almost, I'm obsessed. For now I know it's only one race. But I'm almost upset that Oscar piastres first exposure to Formula One. Granted Daniel Ricciardo's was aboard an HR tape, but that was very different context. I think it finished too, didn't it? I feel like, yeah, I think he did. Anyway, but I feel like it was almost, I'm not speaking for him or whatever, but I just get the picture that it was like McLaren sold him the world and they delivered him. A zed card. Of a map with a lot of incorrect version. Yeah. It still says Czechoslovakia. That's what kind of map Oscar got because I feel like just a little bit of me when the Alpine is a great spot. They got points. Yale Payne will come good. Enough. Not good enough. Even worse. If Oscar had stayed with Alpine, took the course of action that they had recommended it when we're going to keep Alonso at Alpine. And we're going to put you online to Williams. I guarantee Oscar piastre would have a Grand Prix point to his name. At the time of this recording, in either team of Alpine or Williams. Yes. And that is saying something about where McLaren's app. Absolutely. I mean, Williams were one of the good stories actually the weekend, weirdly, an unexpectedly competitive, even Logan sergeant less than ten seconds behind Alex Albon to miss out on a point by not very much exactly the same lap time as Lando Norris. Yes, and that is another indictment on McLaren. Not land on our specifically, but McLaren, Lando's doing as good a job, I think, as you can. And Oscar too for a rookie in the position he's in his career. This is dire stuff, and even if you look back over the last few years since their recovery from the Honda days, it's been exaggerated. Like I've had a look at this recently for an article, and they've gone from 9th under Honda, went to 6th 5th and fourth and then the third in 2020, right? And I've sort of been slowly coming down. A lot of those years, you know, Ferrari had that engine agreement, which meant they finished 6th. Those years also went through when forced India collapsed and they lost all of their points. So would have finished ahead of them. And then the subsequent year the knock on effects of the financial problems that racing point is it then was was suffering. There are a lot of reasons actually the thing McLaren hasn't got much better than a 5th at best team in the last few years and we're actually holding them to an expectation they don't really deserve yet and obviously we all hope McLaren recovers a because we want the sport to be competitive as possible and B because there's a historic team. It ought to be doing better. But I think they sort of just not, I mean, obviously, you look at the results, they're not there, and I don't think it's enough to say, all right, a result this bad might be a blip, much like Bahrain was last year and I ended up scoring points at the next couple of races. But them being very ordinary as a team is not a blip. This is the long, long-term trend now for McLaren. This is where they've made their bed and they're lying in it. And they seem quite comfortable because they won't get up. No. I'll give you a couple of obvious things and understand. I'll give you the first one. Understeer or oversteer, McLaren should have stuck with Renault. Why did they need to move the Mercedes? There was no need. I'm going to say that's understeer. Or neutral, because I don't think it's really made any difference. And Mercedes did have the best engine. I mean, it's not so much all equal now pretty much the engines, but in the years that they made the decision. I would say they probably saw the best in. Inside say that's neutral I don't know about financially. But I'd say that's a you would say that's oversteer. Maybe overstayed. I would say it's oversteer. I don't think it's made any difference. There you go. It's important. My second oversteer. And we'll put this out to the box neutral Discord. So my two questions for the switch to back to Mercedes for McLaren to use the prickly one. It's mildly uncomfortable. Oh. Lando Norris is wasting his time. At McLaren. That is spot on. I wish that was oversteer undersea because it sounds better, but I think that's what that's neutral. That's right in the middle. I think that's a great call. Why did he sign a 100 year contract with McLaren? There was no need to. They liked him like they were fans of human. He says he likes McLaren, whatever. Sign a two or three, do you like everyone else? Yeah. And give yourself the, I mean, I'm sure he's probably got options in the contract, although McLaren negotiates weird contracts. There was just no need. And okay, immediately to this unlikely to be openings well, actually almost every team's higher up. So maybe they will be opening somewhere, but there's unlikely to be over things that fry in Mercedes Red Bull, but Red Bull did inquire into his services. And then he just signed an extension of McLaren. It just seems like a weird and I think we're definitely going to already reflecting on it as a weird a weird instance of Korea self harm. Like why? Why? Almost too comfortable. Yes. That McLaren could be just, yeah. And he's going to get frustrated and I'm worried you'll get frustrated and that will boost his performance because he is a great driver. He is a top probably top 5 on the grid at the moment. I think there's maybe
Box of Neutrals
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Box of Neutrals
"You know you're old when and I had this moment when I was watching my 7 minute highlights every month. I had a great night's sleep. I was watching that cut to the onboard of Fernando Alonso. And I remember, my God. I remember when I just got ADSL. I downloaded off UK F one dot nets. And like a ten second grab of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. Fernando was at Renault the first time around. Before he was even a world champion, which about 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix. When everyone was saying everyone, oh yeah, what's that BMW walrus knows thing? I'm from the future. Believe me, it gets worse. It sounds worse. And so I just had this moment where I just went, wow. I remember Fernando Alonso did that back then and it was seen as he was young and had the wild pair of newcomers cold. Venice and Rosie had the world at her feet or something like that. In 2004. So Eddie still at that level. It's not type it off. That's what's incredible. It's just that he's had crap teams in between and he's still driving as well now as he was back then. And so I actually think it's very impressive to say and I think it's great that he's in the sport so for here we go. I'm going to steal another AFL segment. Sliding doors. Oh yes. If Daniel, if COVID never happened and then therefore if Carlos Sainz never signed for a Ferrari, if Daniel Ricciardo then didn't sign for McLaren because he had cold feet about Renault. Then Daniel Ricciardo probably would still be at Renault or he would have been disgraced out of Renault, therefore Oscar piastre would have been at the bar and Grand Prix racing for Alpine now would have also scored point. And Fernando Alonso would I probably would have actually set up his own team. It actually would have, he says, anti dilution feed, no problem. Yeah. No problem. No problem. Whatever. It's $2 trillion. Okay. That's fine. Man, he's fine. The United States of America is JJ. I'll make it happen. Yes, and he would have won, too. They would have won. It would have won the Bahrain Grand Prix. One other thing I want to say. And this also made me laugh and he had a different right. Because he's clearly in an exceptional mood Fernando as well. Like everything is everything is really coming up Fernando and that's no exaggeration. He described Lance stroll as his hero. At the end of the rise, he's incredible. 'cause think what you will about Lance stroll's ability, but how could it possibly be that Lance stroll 24 years old. He's the hero of 41 year old man who's won two world titles. It's not possible. I think it's great because I think it must be what it's like. Being in a working for a falsehood media or organization. When you just know this is just this bullshit. But I enjoy it. But there will be people that will know better. And they will take the light and enjoyment in what I'm saying about last shot. It's better than let's be honest. If you haven't got anything nice to say about them, then don't say it. Instead, he says very nice things about Lance stroll. Whether he says so many things nicely. It's very embarrassing. It's nice. It's better than being rude and a bully in just a cable to warrior. But I also know deep down. He does not believe that. Sorry, I'm okay with that. The important distinction is that I know he doesn't believe this. I just know. With afferent, in fact, bring Fernando Alonso into this room, lock him in for an hour. And I will ask him repetitively for 60 minutes. That is the day I want. For 60 minutes, I will ask him the same question. Do you think Lance stroll is his Lance stroll actually your hero. He's Lance stroll actually your hero. Of course he. And mark my words, he will continue to say yes. Yes. John listening to box of nutrients. This break is brought to you by lick a land, and if one is back and lick a land have all you
Box of Neutrals
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Box of Neutrals
"It rule? It actually was the best. If you just hover your hand over Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez. As Fernando Alonso often does. And also manipulate the HTML to raid one, two, three, four. Well, yeah, he was about what ten seconds ahead of Carlos on. It's a brilliant battle. Also just reminding Carlos, who's the top Spaniard third. He's top dog that he's returned. Not only top dog, junkyard dog. He's just absolutely just ripping the leg of Carlos Sainz over that fence. It was a dog act and he was proud. Yes, so just the way that he just the way he's carried himself. He just knows this car is that good and he's happy. And I think that's great for 41 year old man to be driving. And I said Martin in the way that to be finished third. I think it's great. This is clearly Fernando Alonso's. I will argue this is his second wind. I hope so. Because I know when he came back and he took a long time. But let's be honest. It was slim pickings between GP two engines and not qualifying for the Indy 500 and things like that. Oh, yeah, well, he won the world endurance championship, but yeah, but there was one team that. Fernando, this is, it's great. I actually quite like what I'm seeing. It's very impressive to say. And you know what? He can enjoy the Pedro de la rosa. This is what he needs to deliver. And that's the price we pay. The thing that I found myself laughing to myself often over the course of the weekend, which is mildly disturbing because it was two in the morning. And the probably neighbors heard me out and I had the window open it was hot. But the way he was driving, as you sort of mentioned. And now it sort of made me feel old in a way that I have no right to feel. Because the way he was harassing and passing other drivers felt like a way and this is the part where I feel old and I never wanted to become this person. Maybe he's making me this person. He was doing it in a way that felt like drivers don't do anymore. Because and this is what's really interesting about this and we don't know how asthma is going to go over the course of the year. But the reason they were so strong in Bahrain is because they just had so much down force. They had obviously not quite Red Bull levels of downfalls, but much more than Ferrari and Mercedes, you could see that 'cause it's straight line speed wasn't as good as Ferrari Mercedes and Red Bull. So as Dan was not as efficient by whatever. But it meant that he couldn't pass people down the strikes. He had to pass them in corners. And that's not that easy in Bahrain. Bahrain is very like straight line, but an exit from corners certainly. And then that's sort of the way you go and obviously D ash played DRS plays a role. Even that pass you made on Carlos signs, which is of course was down the straight. Was because of the way he went through turn ten, which is not only one of the harder corners on the calendar, but a quantum you don't pass. The previous lab, or a couple laps ago, he passed Hamilton in that corner. You know, way that drivers are not meant to do. He was remarkable to watch. Yeah. And the fact that he was very clearly at the limit of the car, nearly crashed at several times, but importantly did not crash it. No, that's the distinction. It just felt like something different. And again, that makes me feel like I'm gonna turn into a boomer who tells you that things were better in my day. You know you're old when and I had this moment when I was watching my 7 minute highlights every month. I had a great night's sleep. I
Box of Neutrals
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Box of Neutrals
"The season is finally started, I'd box of neutrals like, yes, it is Michael Andrew. No more. Yes. Please for the love of God, this is the war that the first 5 minutes of the episode. I tell you what, I know we live in a post truth era, but we say do a forgotten post truth and just satire. Which was by a very long winded attempt. So come back, this is not Daryl simons and beta verandas. Michael Leonardo and rob James, so bucks of neutrals again. And for season 2023 and I'll be honest. I kind of forgot it started. Yes, well, you know what? Maybe it never did because Max Verstappen by the looks of it has already won the world championship much like last year. Maybe we just starting in a couple months. Oh, we're doing a formula E where instead of just the calendar year, we just go, it's an amalgamation of 2022 and 2023. The continuation of race 24 is the 2022. There's a 23 year old it doesn't. 20 plus. 20 plus, because I stopped counting after 20 years, maybe we recently pointed out about the midseason break, see what's going on. Lance stroll. Should he break his wrists more often? Yes, the cyborg. We're going to dub him. He's a Blade Runner. I think that's right. And I'll skip the S three. Who needs to say anymore about that? That's all to come on this episode. The box of neutrals. I thought we nailed that. Oh, no, but it just ten minutes. Here's a box of neutrals WTF. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. That's what WTF stands for isn't it? Ha ha. Every driver I see for Fernando Alonso to Sergio Pérez oh my God. I was wrong. It was box of neutrons all along. If I may made him again he asked me for my murder again if I need made a beat him again Formula One driver out of me. It's time for Fox of neutrals. Couldn't find a clay beat. Rob
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"We go. That's the end of my first part of my travel diary. Here comes another break with a few seconds for you and 24 hours for me. Welcome back to this timeline hopping, travel podcast adventure for me. It's Friday night here in Bahrain after the opening day of practice. Well, today, earlier on, much earlier on in the mid morning, Phil and I drove in in noticeably calm and traffic and unexpected, given it's the start of the weekend here in the Arab world. And I'm pleased to report that there was no repeated, the dangerous situation, I was rather left in with Kubrick got his last Friday night, the traffic chaos on the rows in the safe district this evening too. But anyway, that's more than enough on the terrible traffic around here. I had an excellent time going trackside during FP one. It really is the absolute highlight of my job. It's over to observe Fernando Alonso's the Rio and his Aston looking particularly Larry coming out of turn four. Mercedes drive is struggling too and the Ferrari drivers at the end of this didn't looking a bit of a handful. Red Bull, shockingly, the best car looking absolutely planted. It was massively sunny and good to get money to get a little bit sunburned on the top of my forehead. But that also meant that the times just not really representative at all. Not exacerbating the balance problems on various cars. Anyway, after I after I'd done that, the reason why I do go trackside during Grand Prix Fridays is basically we have a little piece to produce for the magazine specifically on track side, so I do urge you to check that out. And then afterwards, I came back and covered FPT from the media center before hitting the paddock to talk to sources, various teams, people that I know, to produce my regular Friday feature, which we do after FP two on every Grand Prix Friday. This one revealed shockingly to give me top deputy Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin appeared to have very strong one lap pace. We'll see if that's borne out too in the qualifying you guys have just watched. But Verstappen and Red Bull in any case no matter how fpt turned out and how indeed qualifying may turn out for as far as I know now, Red Bull Verstappen it can absolutely mighty on the long runs. Heavy, heavy favorite going into the race on Sunday. But I do appreciate that so far that's not much of a travel diary update so I thought I'd actually use this time now to give you a little bit of insight into what I got up to in the four days that took place between testing and the race last week. Given my Saturday work on the third day of the test finish at 5 a.m. Sunday morning as I was trying to hit the deadline for their sort of pecking order feature I was producing photo sport dot com plus but then when an auto sport magazine as well Sunday and Monday, frankly it became all about recovery because testing it really is full on days. I often find that they're sort of the practice Friday at Grand Prix events, bores out into like bears out into three days over the test. So it's just flat out what's in the cars, they're obviously running on most of the time during the day at testing and then you've got to hit the paddock and talk to people as well. So very, very intense days with a very late finish from the final night. So yes, all about recovery for the first couple of days. Also, we were finishing off the season preview issue of auto sport magazine and I produced my column explaining how we're changing driver ratings for this season, specifically, it's just about the race now. So if you were confused about how we did that in the past, that's all changed now. Then on Tuesday, I was lucky enough on slide filed my column to explore the southern half of the island. Bahrain really is really quite tiny. If you, as I said, I think earlier in this podcast, once you've driven from Manama and the city 2025 minutes down to the track, you've covered half the island. There's a massive Bahrain Air Force Base to the east of the island and on that it's just oil fields. There are sort of a few luxury hotels and residents right down on the tip of the southern coast other than that. It's not exactly very well populated. We checked out one of the more common more popular things today for tourists here, which is go to the tree of life very much in the center of Bahrain. It is surrounded by lots of other trees in the desert, but what's particularly interesting about this one is it's over 400 years old and there's two of my media center colleagues who with me on that trip reliably informed me. That's older than the United States of America. So there we go. It's also surrounded by oil fields everywhere. I've never been in an oil field before, not at any reason too, to be perfectly Frank. Basically all the piping for it is everywhere all across the desert, like driving around on these really sort of unpaved roads, the pipes, lining them, really low down to the ground with most of them and bigger ones raised up a little bit as well. We had hope to go and visit the first oil well that was dug in Bahrain. Temporarily closed, apparently, so that was a no go. It was so interesting to see some ancient rock formations that are in the middle there, middle of the island before heading down to the south coast to see the sea, have a spot of lumps, a little bit of tapas in a nice hotel that was there. So that was my Tuesday, and it was rather excellent. Monday evening, there was a media dinner hosted by the Bahrain sake, which was very, very pleasant. I'm happy to report. And then not having to report, although it's all relative, this is very much first world problems. My plan to spend Wednesday all by the swimming pool in my hotel was rather spoiled by the weather because even here in Bahrain in the desert in the middle of the Middle East, it can rain as it did on Wednesday, little spots of drizzle, not as much as there was
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"In another hotel on the thief district. So every day basically, I go and collect him and then we both together brave the Bahrain traffic, which there's no getting around it is really quite frightening. It's pretty busy. It's pretty, you've got to be able to keep your wits about you and yeah, just generally all the years I've been coming here. It's never been anywhere particularly pleasant, drive. Obviously, this part of the world, this country, there's plenty else worth getting outraged by in terms of how minorities and dissidents are treated, but given this as a travel diary, I think that there's simply no sugar coating it. I don't want to drive another mile in my ways admittedly, a very nice Toyota high car. I just don't want to. It's pretty dangerous. Last week, during testing, when there was certainly particularly bad traffic, apparently there was a big celebration taken over town, kuwaiti, national celebrating the QAT national day, having a great time, driving across roads, driving across the desert, it seemed at times even near the hotel, the unpaved bits around here, going the wrong way around about all particularly frightening, not very nice. But anyway, as I said, this is a travel diary, hence why I'm giving an update on the even the negative parts of travel. But back to things that did ghost smoothly and that was the Thursday of the Bahrain Grand Prix obviously every Thursday, the pre event media day. And things just ran very, very smoothly, obviously it helped that we had testing here last weekend, so you've gone around spoken to spoken to all of my contacts in the paddock, spoken to team PRs, introduce yourself to new people, obviously got your iron back in your ear in as well as if that makes any sense at all talking to the drivers. They're all in good form and also this paddock actually is very comfortable. They do look after everybody very well here and it's a great facility. So hats off to that here in Bahrain. But yeah, just a very smooth first day and our eyes pleased to get stuck in with asking Fernando Alonso in particular questions in the press conference. He was really interesting chatting to him, obviously, as you'll know, I do hope you've listened to the qualifying update at the start of this podcast, potentially Aston Martin in the mix as I speak right now. We expect them to be or at least based on what all the Red Bull Mercedes and Ferrari drivers were saying they've certainly got a chance of being in the mix this year, although to be fair, always worth remembering that it's even easier to not talk about your own team's potential if you're talking up another team and then obviously if it doesn't come to pot. All the better for all the better for that sort of machiavellian game, the team to the driver's role playing. But anyway, back to Alonso, yeah, it was interesting. They're sort of rumors going around about Alonzo in terms of the injury that he sustained in Melbourne last year if you remember and crashed very heavily in Q three when he was briefly threatening both position. It looked like a sort of weird driver error, but his Alpine team at the time then saying it was down to a hydraulic issue, the sort of pitched him off the track. And basically, the Alonzo is now confirmed, he broke several bones in his hand last year in that incident, and it was interesting. For several races, he was noticeably sporting strapping. I remember speaking to him in the panic in Monaco, our street had another crash in Q three, remember how that crash well adrift on the track behind the saints and Perez in qualifying there in Monaco last year. So basically it said to him, is that strapping something to help with an injury that used the scientists? No, no, no, this was all from Melbourne, and now he says, yeah, driving driving with broken bones in his hands. A Fernando Alonso, I gotta say, you know, I really think Formula One is better having you in it. I know there's a lot of dots of chatter going back a few years about drivers if you've been in the sport a long time for now no one's only now he's 20th season in Formula One. Do they deserve a place when they're young drivers struggling to get in? Well, I have to say in Alonso's case, absolutely Formula One is just much, much, much better having him in it. He's still got it. He's a terrific driver and honestly for a journalist. He's an absolute dream, because he's always he's always giving, even when he's not giving an answer, he's giving something. A little dick at his old team, Alpine and his former team at Esteban ocon when he said that Aston Martin can't possibly be in the mix because there are the class a teams, the front three teams in his words. They lapped everybody last year, even the fourth fastest team out putting they didn't name. Only 7 drivers, those 6 plus himself, of course, finished on the lead lap, so yeah, very funny there from Fernando Alonso. If of course I'm interpreting that subtext correctly. But anyway, getting a bit sidetracked down the Alonso chat, but for either way, if that's the new in the mix or not or even if they're just closer to the top three. Really good to see Alonso apparently thriving so far. Other than that, my only really update from Thursdays I went for a track run following all my work being done in the paddock, please report that I was about 40 seconds faster than I was during the run that I did with Matt and codd is back in testing. So then I don't know what's responsible for that, maybe just the three days of practice on the treadmill during the downtime between the events obviously helped. What was noticeable was there were several people cycling the track. Using the other layouts, obviously the endurance layout that was used for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. And of course, the outer loop layout as well, the secure 2020 loud. So yeah, they're not illuminated by the massive massive pylons and the lights, but nevertheless they're easily accessible. Then I drove back home, losing lots of time in traffic, but I promise I won't go any more on that with Phil. We had a lovely dinner together. But there we go. That's the end of my first part of my travel diary. Here comes another break with a few seconds for you and 24 hours for me. Welcome back to this timeline hopping, travel podcast adventure for me. It's Friday night here in Bahrain after the opening day of practice. Well, today, earlier on, much earlier
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"It will be exciting, but it will also be disruptive. And I would have thought that we should really start to see all the benefits of their new facility, not so much in 24, but 25, and then into the new era, new regulations, 26. So it's a really important investment. And incidentally, you know, obviously Aston Martin having had a very good pre season test. More good news on today while we are recording the podcast, which is a vast and not in the gonda. Lawrence Stroll's car company that he's invested so much money in and spent a lot of time and effort trying to get pointed the right direction. They have announced today profitability for the first time since the company was floated on the stock exchange four and a half years ago. And the share price is soared by about 14% just today. So it goes to show that things are pointing in the right direction generally, both for the not just the F one team, but for the car company. And fair play to Lauren stroll for sticking at it and putting the money in to make all of that possible. Shame land stroll can't point a bicycle in the right direction, isn't it? Do we know for a fact that he came off as well as his bicycle he came off, did he break both wrists? Well, there's a lot of things that are being said. They say it was a bicycle accident, obviously there are those people who say, is this like quite a man Pablo Monty. Han man Pablo Juan Pablo Montoya's so called tennis accident. The tennis accident stood in the tennis ball. And then there are people quite close to the team who say that there are he does have or at least last week did have steel pins in there, which suggests he won't be racing, but yeah, the bizarre cage eNOS of the team in the run up to the first Grand Prix and the test whilst very bizarre and you kind of feel that perhaps that was driven by Lauren sim himself who has faith in the power of his money and Swiss clinics to make anything happen and so he didn't want to rule out the possibility of Lance driving. And indeed, you know, as we speak, there's still been no news. It's looking like it was going to be Felipe drugovich. There was a very silly story doing the rounds based on speculation that Sebastian Vettel would pop out of retirement. It's actually in Vettel who is on holiday with his family and entertaining his kids by the beach right now, so not available for the Bahrain Grand Prix. It'll be great if drug a bitch gets that run because I do think too many times GP two champions in formula two champions have sat by the sidelines and kind of stalls their career and wouldn't it be nice to see a formula two champion not only get the break, get the break in the first race with the team that seems to have got a pretty handy car. So it'd be a nice turn up for the books. It'll rather it'll be very interesting because Lance Lance is clearly a competent racing driver, but the team will see what drugovich can do in that car. And it'll be very interesting then to look at the data that they get from that. And if lands ends up out for a second race of drug events, we should do the first two races. He will get to know the car very well and it'll be very interesting to see how he matches against Fernando Alonso. I've always had the belief that sooner or later Lawrence and Lance will have the conversation that he's had his opportunity and the team will move on and I think it's still too early for that to happen, but that will happen one day and should happen one day. And it'll be an interesting dynamic to see what happens with Lance being replaced in this first race or two. If I could have it at a flip on extra to that of the more number of races that Lance stories out on the sidelines, the longer it delays the inevitable fallout between Alonso and bowed strolls, I suppose. So it would be interesting because Mark saying sort of about what Djokovic can do and how close he gets to Alonso, but I suppose that that curve is sort of exponential, isn't it? Because the longer Djokovic is in the car, the more familiar he becomes, a more refined, and more ingratiated to the team. The bigger the catch up that Lance has to do having come back potentially from a physically quite severe injury. There's rumor that he's being treated by the same specialist that basically reattached Marc Marquez's arm. So the longer he's rusting us, the physical demands, the lack of time he'll have in a simulator and then it becomes one, two, three races, obviously Lance trolls had several seasons, F one, but maybe it's one, two, three races for him to get back to speed where Djokovic was and then before you know it, that could be first third of the season gone. We don't know, but an interesting and interesting sub thread. Well, I suppose that's what Reddit is. A subplot is what more traditional, isn't it? Yes, and this is the Reddit. This is a corner of the Internet, so I don't delve into being a bit late. I was interested and slightly confused not to say bemused by the run plans they had for drugovich during testing because he sort of seemed to be doing the majority of his running during daytime. He took the a.m., but like the pre lunch slot on the days he drove. Which basically is track conditions completely irrelevant to the way the Grand Prix would pan out on the Grand Prix weekend. So you couldn't really draw anything, particularly from the times he set, and certainly even if they had bolted on a set of sticky tyres, he wouldn't have been able to set a particularly representative lap time. Oh, well, representative of the condition as they were before lunch. But not in ideal time. So you kind of think what were they playing at? Completely. I wonder, again, the cynical part of me wonders how much of that might have been a Fernando Alonso land grabbed that I want the most competitive Sessions the most representative so I'm in a best dad and obviously that's to some extent that's in the team's interest because if for this first race while everyone's getting up to speed, there is a 5th place fragrance site going up for grabs, maybe it's better to get one car in 5th and the other one in 12 than it is to get to one night and once tenth with a sort of smaller spread. So I wonder if that's attached but I'd also say maybe we're reading too much into it because I thought considering they are rookies you need to get off up to F one's speed. I thought piastre drugovich and Nick de vries had really bizarre run plans like piastre was just given not even racing relations, just tool around evaluate certain things and P two seconds off the pace. If it wasn't for Alpine just doing nothing representative because their run plan I spoke to a few people at the team was literally we've got this new suspension. So we're going to go through every single click to see how it reacts and not chose times. We just want to isolate what does what? So apart from those guys going really slow, none of the rookies were sort of really, really up there. And you looked they were just some of them were just sent out on the prototypes or the hard tyres and we'll see you in a couple of hours sort of thing really sort of lame and up and representative. I know a few of them have said that they're qualifying their forte. So maybe they're hoping they can just sort of for FP three and Colleen and Bahrain they can just turn up and nail it. But maybe they haven't had the privilege of a low fuel dusk run yet to see what they can really do, but perhaps that's why they're out of Kyoto and Djokovic victim victim to that perhaps a little bit. Just picking up on what you're saying there I also thought it was very interesting that max was Max Verstappen was quite happy to let Sergio Pérez do the final part of the test and its entirety. It was almost a kind of an indication of the degree of confidence. I don't even need to do that. I think we know where we are. Actually, we could do with helping Sergio to get up to speed and get himself a little bit more geared into that car. So yeah, you can read there's a lot to be read into who does what and during those testings. But testing, but I thought it was quite telling Red Bull's confidence and Marx's personal confidence in the car is pretty sky high. Max seems to have
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"So then there or thereabouts with Alpine potentially, but we know that, well, everything indicates in terms of track side observations and what the drives and teams team bosses are saying that McLaren have fallen back. So they're in there somewhere. And then you have Alfa romeos that are still out for a Mayo, but this is the first year where that saddle but operation will have Audi backing to take it up to the cost cap Hass has a new title sponsor and politely in Nico hulkenberg, a driver that's been hired because he won't have two 7 figure car snapping crashes so they won't have to shelve their latter half development. And that's where you have all these factors. James vows gets in a point technical director. I still don't think you're going to see Williams as being anything other than a very occasional point scorer. But if they're not as cut adrift as they were last season, then suddenly you've got that famous shot from the 2022 British Grand Prix of Hamilton getting the cut back on signs and Perez and in the back of shot you've got Norris and Alpine. The Holy Grail I suppose is you have that sort of 5, 6 car train for the midfielder, every single race. So if that is the case, then roll on because I've also conscious now I feel bad mark because I've spent a little bit of this podcast saying I always don't tune into the season because Red Bull of it already won it. So I think that the midfield storylines where you've got Fernando Alonso throwing shade at all is past employees and whatever that's where the real battleground will be and yeah it would be a case of that and then really seeing how Red Bull sort of manage their cost cap but the way the way that team is wrong bank on them to nail that as well, I suppose. Going back to your point of bed Red Bull, how are they going to approach this? I think they'll be looking to take a leaf out of the Ferrari Schumacher book and if not when the championship before they go on their summer holiday, get very close to it so that it takes the pressure off this year completely. And I mean, let's face it, it will get to the if he is that dominant early in the year, it will quickly get to the point where he doesn't even need to keep winning races to win the championship. He just needs to get that consistency. So if someone comes on strongly later in the year, if Ferrari get to the point where they can be competitive in Monza, which to me always seems to be a kind of focal point. By that point, I think Red Bull would be looking the championship in the both championships in the aisle already. It is a very long season. That's also going to be a factor. We've got a lot more to think about in terms of what may happen during what is now the longer season of Formula One. But I'm sure Adrian and the team will be wanting to manage those resources in such a way that they don't end up being caught short going into 24. They'll want to make their want to keep the momentum going. So that resource allocation. So what can we do? Where can we do it? When will it really matter? And talking to a few people earlier this week, I think, again, someone said to me, it'll be like, it'll be like Jenson buttons world championship, all the winning will be done up front. At the beginning of the year and just build up such a such a momentum that actually what mattered that much what happens later on, not to say that Red Bull will back off, but just to say that if the budget cap penalty, if that restriction on era running starts to bite, it'll bite too late in the year for them to be really bothered about it. So I think it's going to be really interesting. I'm fascinated by these financial rules and regulations because it's given a third stream to what the teams have to play with. You know, we've always had the technical rules we've all had the sporting relative. Now that these financial rules and then we've got financial financial related penalties and it is driving the efficiency with which teams spend every dollar what they do, making sure can you imagine now if you do a CFD runner a wind tunneled rung and it turns out to have been a waste of time. I mean, it'll be even more unforgivable now than it's ever been. And so I think wasted eliminating waste needs making sure that your digital tools mean that your digital twin of the car, the fidelity between what you're designing and what hits the track is spot on. And I think in that regard, a Red Bull clearly have a fantastic operation in terms of ensuring that what they do at the factory translates through to performance track side and then equally when you see where McLaren are at with their problems, they have they seem to have a fairly deep seated issue where they really aren't getting on top of the problems that have actually been occurring in recent years. And I have to say, Daniel Ricciardo must be looking at the Bahrain pre season test and thinking thank goodness or not. Thank goodness I'm not in that car. I think it is a shame to say that Williams and McLaren may well be the team's battling not to be lost again. It looks like Williams had made a step forward, but it's too much as you say to expect that with everything that's happened there over the course of the last couple of years and now with James vowles arriving in and presumably facing the early days of whatever structure he wants to put in place. It's going to be to some degree to some extent a treading of a treading of water by Williams this year. Yeah, definitely that McLaren looked absolutely awful when I popped along to the drag strip control tower in bath brain and watched turn ten in really. Never has a racing car attempted to spear in apex and ended up so far away from it. Lap after lap. Even when not going particularly quickly, it did look like a disaster in the making. So a bit of a shame. It does, it does, it does raise the question about how much more of this Lando Norris is going to want to take. And he's got a contract going through to 25, I believe. But again, talking to someone at Alfa Romeo, the fact that Andrea Seidel has gone there and knows only too well, how good Lando is. You just wonder, will there will Lando's CF's contract? Will there be a financial offer made to release some early to get them into that to get them away from? McLaren said it's really it's almost shocking to be saying this because for a while there it looked like the McLaren trajectory was becoming good again and obviously there was that one off win in Monza with Daniel, but in Orlando looked he looked pretty gutted I think as a result of the test. Two interesting things to watch with the McLaren narrative where does the blame lie for this? Because they're putting all their hopes on the new wind tunnel, but if there is a regression between now and then do fingers begin to be pointed at any of the technical team. There's obviously one strand straight away when the car came up, but he was right how visible is James key at this test. So does that have to be a full guy for it? The other thing I think is interesting of particularly when you're looking at the driver lineup is Oscar piastre, because McLaren have got rid of Daniel Ricciardo because they believe they can find someone who will close what is over an average 92nd lap a 6 tenth deficit. So they've gone for an incredibly highly rated rookie who is expected to continue the Lando Norris Lewis Hamilton trend
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"Of didn't engage in that. It wasn't quite like a Q three shootout, but that under the lights and the cooler, best conditions, several teams going for finally doing a bit of performance running. Aston didn't do that. So what does that tell me? To be there very, very confident about the package. They've got one is to do their own thing. And as you say, Fernando Alonso, very happy, enjoying what I'm told is a sort of a honeymoon period with his team. But hey, if it carries on being this good, being successful, maybe it'll be a marriage that finally for Alonso lasts very nicely Formula One. Someone in the comments from that video we made over the weekend said that I wasn't big enough Aston enough and I promised them that when Alonso gets his first podium this year, we'll do a video podcast and I'll be wearing my green Aston top just to keep that one person happy. But let me tell you about the reaction to Alonso and Sebastian Vettel being a partnership this weekend. It just broke the Internet. But is that just because we put up a post on our social media, we put the two together to say, well, look, if stroll can't race this weekend, you took in drug events, your van dono, hey, what about two multiple world champions? Alex, is that just pie in the sky? Did the paddock just laugh that off is there no chance vet would come back this weekend? I certainly for Bahrain are ask them I've already come out and said that if Lance stroll can't race, that it will be Felipe gigabits. I think that if I'm not quite sure it's obviously some they're very the same right now being very cagey some sort of PR game but if you believe the rumors about how severe answered injuries are there's no way it'll be racing in Bahrain this weekend so I wouldn't be surprised at all if Felipe Djokovic does end up making its debut. That will be good for him for four minute two champion. You'd like to see people making the step up. But the sort of thinking more long term is that maybe they could get Sebastian Vettel in for Saudi Arabia now might crack answered that question considered it. He didn't dismiss it out of hand is that they have been talking, maybe there are a few whatsapps and text exchange. You never know. But in terms of ultimately boils down to there's one on the one argument, it's like, oh, it makes a mockery of having a reserve driver and things like that. But this is a business. Ultimately, it's based on results, you got to think about getting the best results possible. If I had to make a choice between a short term short term thinking because Lance stroll is going to be back eventually. Do I want Philippe drill pitch or do I want Sebastian Vettel? Well, it's not a choice. Of course, I'm going to go for Sebastian Vettel. So I wouldn't shock me if it did that. But you never know. If this car is doing as well as we hope and I think it might and I say hope because let's face it we need something to keep it interesting if Microsoft is going to water his way to 2023. So 23 F one wins in 2023, then it may be a bit to be able to do a good enough job and he could keep that drive for as long as long as Lance stroll needs him to. Absolutely. Get well soon, Lance. When we say the rumors in the paddock, they're not just people saying, oh, you know, he's really ill, but actually hearing specific things like the people working on him are the people that put marques from MotoGP back together. And they're quite specific things that you get told in the paddock and you think, okay, so it's not official from the team, but that's quite serious. So get well soon, Lance, if he is properly properly poorly very quickly finally Matt, I'll come to you because a story came out with the drivers getting together to give a bit of a pasting to this news about the proposed tyre blanket, ban. It's all in the effort. I think I've understand of saving money, but why are the drivers upset about this? They're saying it on the grounds of safety, really. Because you come out on cold tires, low traction, and it means you're filtering out the pit lane really slowly. You know, the potential for occlusion is massive and they're going, or some of them is quite a big split Verstappen in favor, signs and Lewis Hamilton against, but they're saying, if an accident happens, it's on your hand. I did notice that on Twitter James Hinchcliffe Indy car driver said, you know, I don't get it, I think it's a great spectacle. And they're sort of the debate around does scrapping tyre warmers and not having to heat the tires, not having to bring the infrastructure does that save the planet. Does it help which F one sustainability or does the sort of square around and whatever to put heat back in the tires? I've set that. The thing I'd add is I don't think it will, you know, the intention is to spice up the racing. It depends what you want. It depends if a DRS overtake is particularly satisfying to you, because DTM tried this a few years ago, they scrapped the tire warmers. And yes, by statistically, there were more overtakes but they were really unsatisfying because one car comes out the pits with cold tires. And it's a foregone conclusion. They can't put up a fight. They just resist and wait for the next pit stop when their tires are up to speed in a person it's just overtaken. It was called off. So yeah, there might be more trading of position, but you know, you want it to be satisfying protracted thing rather than just sort of easy like someone to turn the settings down a little bit. So that's my reservation, but F one's coming in from cost and sustainability angle. Well, that was going to rumble on. Guys, thank you. Have a great weekend this weekend. I'm sure we'll catch up with you. So, Alex, enjoy The Rain in Bahrain. That must be fun. But it's still incredibly windy. No one's even sitting around the swimming pool. That was going to be too much work to do to be doing such things, but yeah. Okay, sure. I might be the speeders will be on later. Well, thank you for listening to today's podcast as always, you can subscribe and your podcast app of choice in all the usual platforms and places.
The Autosport Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on The Autosport Podcast
"We're not expecting to win titles, but I just want to be happier in the car. I want to know that on one lap turn to it will behave on this way, and then the next step on turn to behave to similar way instead of the massive inconsistency they've had. I would say that inconsistency is still there. So that's a worry if not dialing up the most fundamental floor and keeping drivers happy. And yes, the sort of argument is we need to wait for our wind tunnel to come online, but how long until we start pointing fingers at the technical team or is that enough of an excuse that they need any better infrastructure for now? Because again, at the launch, they were talking about the wind cut tunnel always being the cherry on the top of the cake rather than the flower I don't know another fundamental ingredient. So I think it is a bit more disconcerting and then you have unreliability can happen to every team, but it was sort of like a perfect storm of things coming together. So with the 2022 and beyond Formula One cars, they have the flaps running over the front wheels. These were fouling in the early days, so the mechanics were whittling away at them and sort of making them all snug and not make contact with a rubber, which other teams have struggled with that before. But then come the final day, they had to bench Norris after I think it was just a 44 laps, I believe, is all he managed because then they were too weak and they needed strengthening. It's just little things like that, so last year, you know, you think back to they had two smaller brake ducts and the fires. And yes, that didn't fundamentally ruin their season. They were in that good contest without being for fourth, but it put them on the back foot and the McLaren insiders are saying the chatter amongst the mechanics and the engineers is sort of here we go again and what we saw on track and arguably what the driver is saying just underline that. So yeah, McLaren fans, I think, will be disappointed with the first few races. Yeah, and what struck me is when you and I did a show over the weekend and you mentioned that even Zach brown's body language, you try to sense something from that now. I've met him a few times. And like many people in Formula One, he is charismatic force of nature, like many team bosses as well. You have to be. When he walks in the room, he kind of you notice he's there. So for him to not be bounding around, even if you're not showing all your cards at testing, that little red flags I just want McLaren to do well this year to see what they can do. But let's talk about a team who did have a good test. Maybe a dark horse with some people. Alex Aston Martin, they got themselves a new technical director, former head of aero from Red Bull. His feet are well under the table. Now, certainly this car will have been his design. We didn't see any stroll because of a mountain bike injury, which they were being very cagey about naturally, but we saw drugovich in the car. Alonso in the car. He looked like 20 years junior to him. He was bouncing around and trying to he's a good poker player, but I'm not sure he was disguising how happy he was. But are we overblowing it? Are we overblowing Alex? How good Aston Martin's test was? Oh, that's an excellent question. Are we overblowing it? Well, fine. Not from the test. The test was excellent. Absolutely excellent. Whether that translates into them being able to take on Mercedes, come the race weekend as some people are suggesting that they are actually better than Mercedes. I personally think that's a bit of a stretch and what my mind goes back to when I say that is that Matt talks about when the two of us went tracks are. We went trackside on. I think it was the second morning. We're down at the double apex left. It turns 9 and ten where Sergio Pérez is coming through every single time failing to hit an apex locking up most of the time as well. But Fernando Alonso was the complete opposite. It was perfect every single time. He was so early on the throttle and talking to insiders at Aston Martin. They're saying, actually, in a weird way, this car is actually quite easy to drive. And obviously it's all relative to the Formula One car. So very difficult to drive. But there's a little bit of the drivers are really keen to have the Aston has it. What I would say is based on that track side observation is based on how early Alonso was getting on the power. And it was way earlier than everybody else, so good stable package, but perhaps essentially, maybe not as much fuel in it. I don't know, of course, you know, never going to know the exact numbers. But yeah, in terms of the test, not overblowing. It Aston Martin Luke brilliant. You talk about Dan fellows, the team asked in there. It is still very, very like the Red Bull, but it's got some other different ideas on it as well. You know, they've gone the sort of Alpine route of channeling the air down the inside of the side plots. And it looks like a glorious package. The key thing, though, the reason why people are getting excited about Aston's potential come race day and the rest of the season is Alonso produced an extremely competitive long run at the very end of the final day. In fact, astin totally sort of didn't engage in that. It wasn't quite like a Q three shootout, but that under the lights and the cooler, best conditions, several teams going for finally doing a bit of performance running. Aston didn't do that. So what does that tell me? To be there very, very confident about the package. They've got one is to do their own thing. And as you say, Fernando Alonso, very happy, enjoying what I'm told is a sort of a honeymoon period with
Strong Opinion Sports
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Strong Opinion Sports
"Now how about Alpine? Alpine is tied with McLaren 31 points and if they can finish fourth ahead of McLaren, that would be a huge victory for them. Also, they're pairing of Fernando Alonso and Esteban ocon. It's going really well. They're both competitive. They're both scoring points. I'm enjoying it. Fernando Alonso is going to be 41 at the end of July. I don't know how much longer he plans to keep racing, but he's not really slowing down. And he is still competitive. And I'm here for it, man. I love love, love watching Fernando Alonso race. And he's a tough old school guy that's hard to pass. He'll yell at you. But again, I think it's fun to watch. And Fernando Alonso asked him about them. They're a great pairing right now. Our French driver driving for a French team with arkon. Fernando Alonso seems to be the driving force. They're kind of like Tom Cruise was with Top Gun: Maverick, like nothing goes on under that his approval. And I love it. Okay, Alfa Romeo, there are 6 right now in Formula One with 51 points. I find out for a male just kind of boring. They're in the middle, they got a rookie Joe grand you who is finding his way in Formula One foundry botos was actually impressed me. He took a big step down going from a Mercedes car to an Alfa Romeo car. And yet he still competitive. He actually had a couple of good finishes, 5th in Italy. 7th in Miami 6th in Spain, Alfa Romeo, they're a bit boring, but they are a decent team. Now Hass is 7th right now in Formula One with 34 points and man Haas has been entertaining to watch. They've been bad for so long and to see them get points and do well is pretty cool. And you know, Kevin Magnussen has been competitive, makes Schumacher. By the way, Kevin Magnussen wasn't even supposed to drive this year, then Russia invades Ukraine and mesa spin to keep a maze that's been mazepin really loses his spot and they bring in at the last minute Kevin Magnussen and he's done way better than mazepin could have done and very surprising.
Strong Opinion Sports
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Strong Opinion Sports
"Then what's going to happen is that max will win because he has more race wins, even though they're tied with points. And imagine if someone at the back of the pack, let's say, Antonio giovanna is like, I'm so sick and tired of loose dominating Formula One he just goes on a as soon as I had mission to cause a crash for Lewis Hamilton. Something like that, that would be really interesting and I don't know funny's right word, but it's definitely interesting. I don't know if that'll happen, but Bottas is third right now in Formula One with 218 points. He is actually, I think secured third because in fourth place he got Sergio Pérez with a 190 points, that's 28 points behind. You can't score 28 points in a single race, even if I think it must mean that Sergio Pérez is secured for a race Valtteri Botox is secured in third in Formula One. In the constructor standings you have Mercedes with 587.5 points Red Bull has 559.5 points. The DNF for Sergio Pérez in Saudi Arabia basically handed Mercedes first place, it would take a miracle now for Red Bull to catch up and beat Mercedes. And third place, a similar situation you have Ferrari with 307 points. McLaren, who is battled with them all year is so far behind now they have 269 points. It would be a miracle. It would be like, hey, both McLaren drivers get first and second Ferrari doesn't finish for McLaren to somehow pass Ferrari. And even then, I don't even know, is that mathematically possible? Probably. Yeah, because you have 25 plus. I still don't think I could even happen. So I think Ferrari has secured third Alpine has a 149 points in fourth and 5th place excuse me. Dave pulled away from alpha tower. Remember a couple races ago, alpha tower and Alpine were tied. And with estrogen outcome doing so well recently and Fernando Alonso getting a podium estimate, icon got fourth in Saudi Arabia, and alpha is now 29 points behind Alpine. So good for Alpine. They have secured 5th place in Formula One. I'm really pumped for Abu Dhabi..
Strong Opinion Sports
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Strong Opinion Sports
"And Lewis just took as long as he could possibly want to meandering slowly waiting till he pulled up and forcing max sit there on the starting grid and max has done a legal stuff like the way he passed through his Hamilton a couple of times. He even throughout the year, he's just cutting Lewis off completely on turns. The reality is that both Macs and Lewis are completely miserable to compete against. They will go to the stewards, they will make contact with each other and they're actually very, very similar, which is why I think this is so intense. If they were racing other people who maybe weren't as bull headed, but I think some of the most intense and competitive and bull headed drivers were they will do anything to win. They don't care. You got Lewis Hamilton. I think Fernando Alonso is that kind of guy and Max Verstappen. And now we got two of those guys against each other. It's gonna be the way this ends this year, it's going to be really intense and it's because they're very similar. No one's talking about that. They do. If you're a Lewis fan or a max fan, you go, all the other one is terrible and wrong and complains or does this or just add it? No, the reality is they all do whatever it takes. And they're similar, which is why it's been so intense as a year has gone on. Now, the margins are razor thin. It's been nail biting to watch because neither driver can afford a mistake or afford of anything go wrong a gearbox issue here or maybe a puncture there or you run widen to the wall. I mean, it's crazy how razor then the margins are at the end of this year. And there is a moment where max passed Lewis and it was illegal, so he had to actually give the place back to Lewis. And then max slows down to let him pass and Lewis rear ends him. And you're like, oh, no. And there are two sides. All right, Louis will tell you that max is being dirty and it's bad racing. Max will tell you so Lewis will say it's dirty driving max will say, I was just slowing down to let him have the position. Of course, you'll say it is innocent as humanly possible to get anybody on his side. Now, max actually got blamed for the collision, the FIA gave him a ten second time penalty after Saudi Arabia now. It didn't actually impact any of the race. It's a trivial move. So Lewis still won max still got second. But I thought that what really was happening there was they were trying to appease Mercedes and shut Lewis Hamilton up who was complaining a lot, talking about dirty driving consistent set. And I thought really what happened to us and it's kind of comical to blame max, although again it didn't matter, so it impacted anything, so who cares? But I thought it would happen from watching was that the FIA had poor communication between Michael Massey the race director and the two teams, they told max to slow down and give the place back and he did. They just hadn't yet told Louis what max was going to do..
Strong Opinion Sports
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Strong Opinion Sports
"He went from 20th last to 5th, and then after that, he still got another penalty. He got 5 more. I got a 5 more place grid penalty. So during the race, Louis started intent and still won. It was incredible driving. Yes, he has an amazing car. Everyone's gonna say, well, it's the car not Lewis and I don't know. I don't like I get it a little bit like I feel bad Fernando Alonso is talking about how it's hard to compete against a guy because his car is so much better than me. And I get that. I feel bad for Fernando Alonso's driving and Alpine. I would love to see what Fernando Alonso could do. And in Mercedes. But what happened last weekend for Lewis Hamilton in Brazil required even more than a great car. It was incredible driving. I mean, Louis was like a shark, just hunting down over take after overtaken it. We need like a mash up of the jaws music in the Formula One theme like done it. Done it, done it, done it. Take it out. I really want that somehow because I just every time I see Louis hunting down, he's just on the prowl man. It's so cool to watch him do stuff like this where he has overtake after overtake after overtake. And one thing that really did help Lewis Hamilton early on was a safety car that brought the pack together. He got a good start, got up up in the field a little bit. And then Yuki sonoda crashed into land stroll. Yuki cenote was way too aggressive, taking the inside on a turn that really wasn't his. By the way, there were two DNFs in this race land stroll did not finish neither did Daniel Ricciardo. But when the safety car happened because of Yuki sonoda, max was way out in front, had a big gap and was way in the lead. And the safety car slowed him down and now would Lewis have still passed max mini.
Formula 1 Grid Talk Podcast
"fernando alonso" Discussed on Formula 1 Grid Talk Podcast
"In FP three. I remember seeing them on them. No, so they're going to want to fresh set for tomorrow. They might go medium medium hard. Well, as it turns out, you have absolutely nothing to worry about, because such a press goes. Sorry. For all the accurate branding that they've put on that Red Bull it also still says Honda on the back of it. Yeah, there's probably like some contractual. Yeah, the power unit deal. Yeah. But Honda and Acura are basically the same company as far as possible. Yeah, yeah, it's just home accuracy, American armor, effectively, I believe. Yeah, that's why accurate or the car this weekend. Yeah. It's like opal and Vauxhall. And then Holden in Australia. You've got GM and Ford as well. Yeah. So we haven't seen for stop and return to the track as our mentioned, neither Mercedes have come out onto the track Charlotte Clare, also in fourth, has also decided to remain in the pit lane. We're currently seeing Daniel Ricciardo in his lap. Not put one on the board. He's on the medium. He's got a minute left. Lando Norris who is not a small margin, either. That's .3 of a second. That's pretty much. I'd say Ricardo because you'll need to do a cooldown lap. This is the for me. I don't think he's going to make it through. Unless maybe he was just you know, it could be to be honest that watching it through the first sector, because the final sector is where you need to start faster than sonoda, who is sat in tenth in the middle sector. And they can only put his card 9th he saw them in Q one. That is that's a shock. Over Nazi who was in the danger zone, he can't go faster, Fernando Alonso here, what is he going to put his? I've just seen him put his green second executive, but it's 8 seconds off. Yeah, because he was 30 and a half seconds off. So he's he's not pushing. I think he's just gone up for a bit of a stroll here. Ofcom managed to push himself into the top ten, but Yuki sonoda has taken that place back, but we still got to see Vettel and Russell, who both have penalties on be surprised if they even they'll just be trying to get ahead of Fernando Alonso here. Which won't be difficult oxygen, his time was basically a cruise lap. Squeaky bum time for Danny Rick. And Louis, whoever's ahead of me, please don't spoil that. I'm not spoiling it. I'm still worried about that. So. Russell's probably not going to time is.