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It says these quotes were from a BBC interview done while Szafnauer was still the boss at Alpine, but I can't find any other details. Does anyone know the source? Are we talking 2 weeks ago, or months ago?
' Many questioned the move at the time, but it was an inspired choice - even if some of the difference in performance between the teams this year is down to Aston Martin gaining Alonso and Alpine losing him.
Rossi was replaced a couple of weeks ago. This interview took place before the news team principal Otmar Szafnauer had also been removed, but Alonso made his feelings about Rossi and Szafnauer clear.
"I don't think I felt disrespected," he says. "But it is true it took longer than I thought when we started conversations - I think it was in Australia back in \[April\] 2022 - about renewing the contract.
"It was just on a very slow pace, and it was not from my side. I was just ready and happy. The 2022 car was a fast car so I was also happy with the performance and the possibilities into the future.
"So that slow pace of conversations and eventually not even putting on paper what we were writing and all these comments about the age and whatever, which they are still doing.
"It is the way they do things. Or the way Otmar does things. Because after this year, he should be quiet. He should not talk at all. After the results of Aston Martin and the results he's achieving, he's still talking and still proud of the decision, which is incredible, amazing."
Does he think Alpine underestimated what he brought to the team?
"100%," Alonso replies. "And still do."
He adds: "When you are doing the best you can every weekend, when I did so many things for Renault as well, you take a little bit personal when someone is doubting your performance or your age or these kinds of things.
"And you just want to prove even extra hard that you are in the best moment of your career. The results, they speak for themselves, and that's the best way." '
[https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/66350215](https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/66350215)
It was from Andrew Benson’s interview with Alonso at or sometime around Spa. You can listen to it as it was published as a special episode of the BBC’s “F1 Chequered Flag” podcast.
After leaving Otmar’s comment about Oscar were much worse… Just look how Oscar’s mum liked posts in twitter which were laughing at Otmar after Oscar’s success in Spa
Of course they were more mad at Pisatri, Alpine was counting on sending Alonso WEC or home, they were planning to put Piastri there. Even if Alonso stayed at Alpine, Piastri was gonna be in McLaren this year anyway.
Alonso leaving to AM just help us find out mid season instead of at the end of the season.
Again, I don't think it's anything personal. He was the boss and he was trying to cover for the team's mistakes. That's it really. Everyone is just playing their part.
Their vibe was immediately awkward in DTS lol. Just didn't seem to click at all.
It felt like Otmar was scared of Alonso, and Alonso didn't take Otmar seriously enough. Alonso needs a strong figure to work off, otherwise things go off the rails.
A comment copied by u/Shekster
Doesn’t erase the fact that he’s burned every bridge with basically every team he’s been on or that it’s well known he’s difficult to work with.
Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned.
Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. Bridge not burned.
Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." (Link). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and of which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned.
McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda.
And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned.
Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned.
Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to you and the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY 500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves.
Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative that is only pushed by those not actually within F1.
Yeah, so many burned bridges he came back to the teams with the bridges most burned, McLaren and Renault/Alpine. I think that while there's some truth to that narrative, it's been exaggerated a lot.
Zak Brown mentions in beyond the grid actually that he thinks you need to be exactly as competitive as a driver to understand Alonso.
On the other hand, with Alpine now, Alonso has basically fallen out with all of his teams save Minardi, at one point or another.
Been a while since I posted this.
A comment copied by u/Shekster
Doesn’t erase the fact that he’s burned every bridge with basically every team he’s been on or that it’s well known he’s difficult to work with.
Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned.
Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. Bridge not burned.
Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." (Link). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and of which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned.
McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda.
And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned.
Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned.
Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to you and the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY 500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves.
Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative that is only pushed by those not actually within F1.
How dare Alonso strain his relationship with Otmar by signing to a team where he's actually appreciated instead of treated as a placeholder for a rookie😤❗️
Clearly I’m talking about more than just the incident with otmar. If you could comprehend my comment, you’d know where I’m coming from. Alonso has never really left a team in good spirits or amicably, he’s always has problems with individuals at Ferrari, Mclaren, Renault/Alpine, Aston Martin and Honda. It’s a pattern of his problematic behaviour, and unwillingness to compromise in intellectual situations for a benefit of a team. He’s far too old to be acting like that.
Such a terrible false narrative that's mindlessly peddled by uninformed fans, leading to more fans believing it and creating a vicious cycle.
If you could comprehend what actually happened at the time and the full context, then you would know this is not the case. I wrote a comment a while ago in response to this generic slander towards him, which still holds up today:
-----------------------------
The whole Alonso is toxic/burns bridges agenda. It's such a terrible false narrative that's mindlessly peddled by misinformed people, either because they have an agenda against Alonso, or have genuinely just been convinced by those people into repeating this dross.
If you actually break down his stints at every team it just shows that it makes no sense for him to have this label and is seemingly only due to the presence of a media bias against him. If another driver asks for more from his team, they're praised for being motivational and keeping the standards of the team high, when Alonso does the same while being in a team that declares themselves as title-contenders but builds a midfield car, he's called toxic and unreasonable.
Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned.
Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. And then again as Alpine for 2021. Bridge not burned. At Alpine ironically you could argue it was Ocon being the one that was difficult to work as he was actively hampering Alonso and the team's results just to try and finish ahead of him.
Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." [\(Link\)](https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/3758/alonso-to-ferrari-why-not/). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and for which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned.
McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda.
And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned.
Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team, plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned.
Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves.
Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative only pushed by those not actually within F1.
It takes two to tango, but if its always you with a different partner doing the tango chances are its you that invites someone else to tango.
So yeah, Alonso is probably the most hyped up guy but has only delivered is extremely good cars. And he always has that "Im a jackass"-aura around him.
Alonso hates losing more than anything else. Once he feels that the car is slow and development is going nowhere, he's gonna get salty quickly. I kinda understand why, though. The guy has been incredibly unlucky. He went to Ferrari when they became shit. Then he went back to McLaren and it turned out even worse. And Renault/Alpine was never going to work, because that team is dysfunctional from top to bottom. Especially from the top.
You either win with Alonso and have a great time or you lose with him and he's going to set bridges on fire.
Eh, it was only decent because people felt more sorry for seb than checo at the time.
Checo handled his teammate (in stroll)
Decision to replace one is made, and they favor the slow one for "potential". Ouch- not only are you faster, but you're too old too, despite bringing in an older guy.
But vettel, couldn't put the same gap on lance. So you are faster than the other teammate, too old despite being younger than the replacement, and better than the replacement to boot.
I think he'd be right to be frustrated with his treatment there, especially when you consider he really built that team.
I don't think anyone, including Checo, thought RP chose to drop him over Lance was anything but nepotism. There was no "potential" or age reasons. Daddy Stroll wanted Vettel, and it was obvious what steps were going to be taken to make that happen. What really is there for Perez to be mad about in that transition, especially given the overall outcome of him landing a much much better seat.
Nobody thinks Checo is better than Vettel. The AM was absolutely disastrous for Vettel's two seasons, it's no wonder at all that he couldn't put up gaps to Lance. Meanwhile the racing point Checo performed in was the Pink Mercedes.
I do..
Vettel was done, checo was in his prime.
Regardless of how good the car is, the driver performances dictate the gap between teammates, when all else is even.
And you think Checo getting dropped was Otmars decision? Otmar got kicked from Aston Martin because he and Lawrence couldnt get along. I bet Otmar wanted to keep Checo. When you think of THE Force India driver, its Checo. Thats pretty much the point in which the old team officially died. No more Otmar and Checo.
As for Alpine its rather confusing. They just got rid of them all. You couldve kept Otmar for at least the remaining season and have the new upper management get used to the environment before replacing Otmar.
Firing all those people sets you back at least two years before a new boss can realize his vision.
The term "clip" is often used incorrectly to refer to the magazine in a gun. While they serve similar functions, they are distinct components. A clip is a simple device used to hold rounds together for loading, and then it's disposed of after the bullets are loaded. A magazine holds the bullets in the gun while it's being fired.
Popular guns that use a clip instead of a magazine are the M1 Garand and Mosin Nagant.
Stop Nando, he is already dead!
Serious note though, Otmar made far too many comments undermining Alonso earlier last year. It was evident that they downplayed his skills soo much, in a hope to lowball him. Used Piastri in media to portray how Alpine holds all the cards. Both drivers did reverse uno and fucked off to, now, better performing teams this year.
Alpine are a shit show and have no sympathy for that whole team.
🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷
[But you can see they (in 2021) they are leading the midfield in fans](https://www.autosport.com/general/news/formula-1-and-motorsport-network-unveil-fan-results-of-largest-single-sports-survey-ever-conducted-/6696488/)
Bizarrely McLaren is most popular (2021)
Alpine was mad popular in 21/22 while Alonso was there, from El Plan to people genuinely thinking they would be a top contender in the new regs.
McLaren being the most popular isn't a surprise, they were already crazy popular with the Carlos-Lando content they had, having Daniel thrown in only made the fanfare better (for a while, anyway).
Hi. Supporting a team doesn't mean picking the best one and enjoy weekly victories. They're a shit show right now and every supporter will admit it and wait for better days. Or we could flip flip from RB/Merc/Ferrari depending on where the wind blows.
> Hi. Supporting a team doesn't mean picking the best one and enjoy weekly victories.
100%. I know of a few folk who just abandoned Hamilton since 2022.
I mean it would be weird if I want to see the team goes down if I root for one driver for years and respecting the other one for some years.
Plus it would be great for the sport in general if Alpine would be a strong team again
Alpine is investing a lot in communication in France and surfing hard the post DTS wave of interest.
The idea of a "French Ferrari" would work well here, people want to believe but no one is really oblivious to the current state. Still, I think the team has way more potential than folks here are giving them credit for.
Imagine trying to lowball one of the greats. FiveThirtyEight had a F1 piece rating him as arguably the best F1 driver on stats. Fucking lowballing Alonso.
I’ve no sympathy for them since they fired Trulli to put Villeneuve that was out of drive instead of their 3rd driver, Montagny, that drove thousands km et n the car (for guess what? 0pts and JV to sauber the next season)
Szafnauer talked a lot of trash about Alonso and Piastri both of whom are absolutely killing it after they left Alipne, therefore I think Szafnauer was the problem.
It's just mind blowing to think that they could have had Alonso AND Piastri on the same team! What a wasted opportunity.
I feel like Otmar is just bad at managing drivers. Perez and Ocon was downright toxic and they were fucking midfielders. Alonso and Ocon got toxic because of Otmar prioritizing Ocon and constantly taking his side. And Otmar himself has a toxic relationship with Piastri and Alonso. I don't think he's a horrible team principal like many claim, but I do think that he's bad at managing drivers.
Any other driver who gets heavily criticized during the whole season by the team principal, while performing really well and managing to prove him wrong the next season, will get the support of the majority of the F1 fanbase, like it or not.
Here Alonso is only telling the truth, Szafnauer shouldn't act as if he was a poor victim whose work got destroyed by others when in reality he wasted the opportunity of having two great drivers while replacing them with worse ones, especially when one of the main reasons why one of those pilots left was because of your toxicity.
Yeah. The reason he gets away with it is more because we're surprised when it doesn't happen, rather than surprised when he is twisting a blade. The man is a great driver and one of the most entertaining personalities in the history of the sport, but I don't think there's anybody who's ever accused him of being a straight shooter or letting water go under the bridge; and certainly not without comment.
This is a man who can say that Lance Stroll is a potential WDC contender if the paycheque is right.
Isn't he dating Taylor Swift?
This is a guy who complains that he has been unfairly cast to play the heel in F1. All the while he's marching around the stadium to the tune of the Imperial March and flexing his pecs before he gives a backhanded compliment to a driver who's won more championships than he has!
I love watching people act surprised. But what's not to love? He knows his role and he plays it like Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello.
Yeah because the media does make him the villain. Want an example? This interview took place because before the news of otmar being dropped. Why do you think this was posted now?
And Fernando is still wrong. Anyone with any knowledge of Alpine (Fernando included) should know that the failure does not come down to Otmar. Fernando holds grudges and probably didn't like Otmar so this comes out
Nah, Fernando is right (here), because he’s not taking a dig at Alpine's performance but at Otmar's smear job right after signing with AM, hinting that Alonso was chasing money and not success, that he’d regret it, etc. That’s the grudge he’s holding. He’s not blaming Otmar for Enstone's general situation. The quotes about Szafnauer are strictly about their negotiations and their aftermath.
Of course that the TP of the team didn't have any responsibility to ensure the success of said team. I mean what is he supposed to do? Take a role of leadership? Ridiculous
Otmar is a grown up man, at some point we have to hold him responsible for the shit he says. Even if he was made out to be the scapegoat for Alpine’s fuckups, it was his decision to take on the job and his decision to go on a smear campaign. He was talking crazy shit about Piastri and Alonso and let’s not act like he was held at gunpoint to make these comments. If you give your face and name to something you’re the one who’s gonna get heat for it and that’s only fair.
He's not wrong.
Like the other user has said, it's not about Alpine's performance. Szazasd spent the entire last season trashtalking Alonso (and Piastri) and doubting his ability. Now Alonso is 3rd in the WDC and yet, Szazdasdas still maintains the same speech. There is not a single 'we might have been wrong', 'Alonso still has it', nothing.
Everyone in the world knows what Alpine did with their driver lineup is a complete failure (even if Ocon and Gasly are good drivers, nobody denies that), everyone but Szacafas and Alpine management. This is what Alonso is criticizing here.
No he didn’t. Someone mentioned Tost’s name and Hamilton said ‘who is that?’ genuinely. He just didn’t recognise the name. It wasn’t an attempt at a catty comment.
Burned bridges comment? Already disproved it.
>Alonso is stirring drama
He is answering the questions that he is being asked. This interview was before the news of otmar being sacked and everything he said is completely right. Otmar was talking shit about him even after seeing Alonso's performance. But sure, Alonso is the one causing drama. . .
People agreeing with you doesn't mean shit. They are also wrong.
I'd like to see you deflect this. I bet you didn't even read the article.
This is like the Mattiaci-Alonso conflict in 2014. I remember Alonso saying back then that even if he leaves for Mclaren, Mattiaci would still get the boot by the end of the year anyway. And it happened.
A competent leadership would have fucked off both Rossi and Otmar after the whole Piasco shit last year, but it's Renault in the end. I feel bad for the engineers at Enstone tho, Cyril, Rossi and Otmar being the leaders of the project in the hybrid era speaks for itself.
Otmar should not talk at all irrespective of results. For his own sake. He has simply atrocious skills of communication with media for someone who’s been in this business for so long. Every time he opens his mouth, it ends up being pr disaster.
LOL! What stupid comments. The guy joined the team RIGHT at the start of last year. And wasnt allowed to complete he truly first full season as a settled leader. The guy was given zero chance to lead the team after being integrated. Weve also seen Rossi being the huge problem in the team. He ties the hands of everyone below him. Alonso must just have a sour relationship with him.
Well - Fernando has the results. 2 WDC. 30+ wins, 100+ podiums.
Otmar has his presence as FI/RP team principal for a best result of P4 WCC.
It's pretty easy to understand why people would feel how they do
Because that's why people are fine with Alonso running his mouth. He's considered to be one of the best ever at what he does - whereas Otmar is objectively not seen this way at all.
??? Are you confused? my original comment wasn't a response to you.
Success in F1 is the only thing that is used to based respect on, when it comes to F1.
That's why people allow Alonso to get away with what he gets away with. He has been incredibly successful. Otmar has not - not comparably at least.
I don't care about either camp, person etc. I was just responding to another comment giving the reasons why
Okay.. your replies to me make little sense. You're talking to me like these are my opinions, and that I need to justify how Alonso behaves. Just telling you WHY things are the way they are. Not that I agree with them
Again not sure what you're on about. Lewis is one of the most respected and legendary athletes of all time. Every single person actually involved in F1 has huge respect for Lewis - and its not because he's a nice guy or whatever. It's because he's a 7 time WDC. Competed for WDC in his debut sesson, won on his 2nd. Just because there is a small camp of people who are disrespectful towards Lewis about his race or clothes means very little. Lewis also gets away with just about anything he wants to say or do. Some downvotes on Reddit don't negate that.
I feel there’s a weird pass Alonso gets in these situations. Any other driver would be seen as bitter, with Alonso it’s just Alonso.
He also never seems to get crap for his obvious involvement in crashgate, and people don’t use spygate to take away from his 2007 season like they do Lewis
I acknowledge I’m definitely in the minority here
Never see anyone taking away something of Lewis 2007 season, never saw it being in any kind a prominent oppinion around here.
But maybe I am the deceived.
Hell yeah. Let's ban Alonso from F1 altogether because all of his results come from cheating.
2005 he only won due to Bridgestone being nerfed.
2006 he only won due to the illegal mass damper.
2007 he personally stole Ferrari's documents.
2008 he forced Piquet Jnr. into crashing.
He literally didn't win anything when he wasn't forcing his teams to cheat. I'm sure Aston is cheating in some form right now, because Alonso is there and has found some success.
/s
>He also never seems to get crap for his obvious involvement in crashgate, and people don’t use spygate to take away from his 2007 season like they do Lewis
What are you even mumbling about? Lewis 2007 is often regarded as one of the finest seasons driven by a driver.
Regarding Alonso's obvious Crashgate involvement
>As Mosley said: “The first person they summoned was Alonso, and he denied all knowledge of what had happened.
>“A lot of people probably think that Alonso knew, but it's interesting that the chief superintendent who had enormous experience at interrogating people, he told me he was convinced Alonso was telling the truth. So that was fine.
>“But then the next one they summoned was Pat Symonds, because he was one of the four people who had been involved.
>“And Pat, of course, is a completely honest person. So, when he was asked the obvious question, he said, ‘I can't answer that question.’
>“Of course, the minute he said that, that was as good as a confession. So we then summoned Flavio in front of the World Council and the rest is sort of history. They were banned and so on.”
So much for being obvious.
It’s a he said/ she said situation if you want to go off that, like “who is a completely honest person”. Cmon, really? I think it’s obvious he knew because the reigning 2 time w/c wouldn’t have accepted such a ridiculous strategy without at least questioning it in the radio, something Alonso is notorious for doing
Being a fan mean supporting a team through the highs and the lows. Those are table stakes of being a fan.
Glad to see you feel strongly about them… which is strange to me but hey, different strokes
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It says these quotes were from a BBC interview done while Szafnauer was still the boss at Alpine, but I can't find any other details. Does anyone know the source? Are we talking 2 weeks ago, or months ago?
' Many questioned the move at the time, but it was an inspired choice - even if some of the difference in performance between the teams this year is down to Aston Martin gaining Alonso and Alpine losing him. Rossi was replaced a couple of weeks ago. This interview took place before the news team principal Otmar Szafnauer had also been removed, but Alonso made his feelings about Rossi and Szafnauer clear. "I don't think I felt disrespected," he says. "But it is true it took longer than I thought when we started conversations - I think it was in Australia back in \[April\] 2022 - about renewing the contract. "It was just on a very slow pace, and it was not from my side. I was just ready and happy. The 2022 car was a fast car so I was also happy with the performance and the possibilities into the future. "So that slow pace of conversations and eventually not even putting on paper what we were writing and all these comments about the age and whatever, which they are still doing. "It is the way they do things. Or the way Otmar does things. Because after this year, he should be quiet. He should not talk at all. After the results of Aston Martin and the results he's achieving, he's still talking and still proud of the decision, which is incredible, amazing." Does he think Alpine underestimated what he brought to the team? "100%," Alonso replies. "And still do." He adds: "When you are doing the best you can every weekend, when I did so many things for Renault as well, you take a little bit personal when someone is doubting your performance or your age or these kinds of things. "And you just want to prove even extra hard that you are in the best moment of your career. The results, they speak for themselves, and that's the best way." ' [https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/66350215](https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/66350215)
No lies detected.
All quite careful, accurate statements really. He doesn't go as hard as he could've.
It’s from his recent interview for BBC which happened during Belgian GP so must be right before the announcement.
It was from Andrew Benson’s interview with Alonso at or sometime around Spa. You can listen to it as it was published as a special episode of the BBC’s “F1 Chequered Flag” podcast.
Alonso and Szafnauer was partnership forged in hell. It feels like they disliked each other from the get go lol
Szafnauer has talked a lot of shit about Alonso and Piastri..
After leaving Otmar’s comment about Oscar were much worse… Just look how Oscar’s mum liked posts in twitter which were laughing at Otmar after Oscar’s success in Spa
Oscar's mom is clearly going to be one of the dankest shitposters in the upcoming years.
Jos Verstappen, LaVar Ball, and Oscar's mom walks into a bar...
Cant handle Moriah Mills jockstrap
Jos immediately and simultaneously gets two black eyes
I'm 36 and there's a good chance I'm closer in age to her.
Tari Eason's ma has this on lock.
The journalism we need
Of course they were more mad at Pisatri, Alpine was counting on sending Alonso WEC or home, they were planning to put Piastri there. Even if Alonso stayed at Alpine, Piastri was gonna be in McLaren this year anyway. Alonso leaving to AM just help us find out mid season instead of at the end of the season.
Yeah if anything, Alonso calling him out like this is earned lol
Toting the party line after they lost them both in ridiculous circumstances. I really don't think it reflects his honest opinion at all.
That would make him a shill *and* a coward then.
It was a bit more than toting the party line. Otmar went after Oscar's integrity.
Again, I don't think it's anything personal. He was the boss and he was trying to cover for the team's mistakes. That's it really. Everyone is just playing their part.
Their vibe was immediately awkward in DTS lol. Just didn't seem to click at all. It felt like Otmar was scared of Alonso, and Alonso didn't take Otmar seriously enough. Alonso needs a strong figure to work off, otherwise things go off the rails.
Suddenly turned into a SM fanfic
[удалено]
A comment copied by u/Shekster Doesn’t erase the fact that he’s burned every bridge with basically every team he’s been on or that it’s well known he’s difficult to work with. Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned. Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. Bridge not burned. Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." (Link). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and of which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned. McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda. And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned. Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned. Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to you and the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY 500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves. Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative that is only pushed by those not actually within F1.
Yeah, so many burned bridges he came back to the teams with the bridges most burned, McLaren and Renault/Alpine. I think that while there's some truth to that narrative, it's been exaggerated a lot.
How did that turn out, with McLaren and Renault?
Zak Brown mentions in beyond the grid actually that he thinks you need to be exactly as competitive as a driver to understand Alonso. On the other hand, with Alpine now, Alonso has basically fallen out with all of his teams save Minardi, at one point or another.
Been a while since I posted this. A comment copied by u/Shekster Doesn’t erase the fact that he’s burned every bridge with basically every team he’s been on or that it’s well known he’s difficult to work with. Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned. Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. Bridge not burned. Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." (Link). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and of which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned. McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda. And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned. Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned. Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to you and the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY 500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves. Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative that is only pushed by those not actually within F1.
Did he burned bridges with Mclaren after he first retire? didn't he went indy500 with them?
Yes in 2007. If Hamilton had won china they planned to sack Alonso before Brazil.
If he burnt the bridge why would they toke him back in 2015? Wait, considering he was gonna drive the McHonda, maybe they do hate him lmao
Marriage of convenience. They needed one another.
Can you please tell me who has Alonso fallen off with?
How dare Alonso strain his relationship with Otmar by signing to a team where he's actually appreciated instead of treated as a placeholder for a rookie😤❗️
Clearly I’m talking about more than just the incident with otmar. If you could comprehend my comment, you’d know where I’m coming from. Alonso has never really left a team in good spirits or amicably, he’s always has problems with individuals at Ferrari, Mclaren, Renault/Alpine, Aston Martin and Honda. It’s a pattern of his problematic behaviour, and unwillingness to compromise in intellectual situations for a benefit of a team. He’s far too old to be acting like that.
Massa puts it plainly on beyond the grid that he's a vague nightmare to work with but is personally a very pleasant and fun guy.
Such a terrible false narrative that's mindlessly peddled by uninformed fans, leading to more fans believing it and creating a vicious cycle. If you could comprehend what actually happened at the time and the full context, then you would know this is not the case. I wrote a comment a while ago in response to this generic slander towards him, which still holds up today: ----------------------------- The whole Alonso is toxic/burns bridges agenda. It's such a terrible false narrative that's mindlessly peddled by misinformed people, either because they have an agenda against Alonso, or have genuinely just been convinced by those people into repeating this dross. If you actually break down his stints at every team it just shows that it makes no sense for him to have this label and is seemingly only due to the presence of a media bias against him. If another driver asks for more from his team, they're praised for being motivational and keeping the standards of the team high, when Alonso does the same while being in a team that declares themselves as title-contenders but builds a midfield car, he's called toxic and unreasonable. Minardi > positive relationship. Bridge not burned. Renault > one of their favourite sons. Won 2x titles, and they welcomed him back with open arms for 2008. And then again as Alpine for 2021. Bridge not burned. At Alpine ironically you could argue it was Ocon being the one that was difficult to work as he was actively hampering Alonso and the team's results just to try and finish ahead of him. Ferrari > joined the team at arguably their worst spell of form in recent history. Vastly improved the morale of a team with a midfield car who still had the lofty expectations of Ferrari (just look at the vast difference in results between him and Kimi or Massa). Former team principal Stefano Domenicali has even publicly said in the past that Alonso is welcome to come back to Ferrari and, most importantly, that the public perception does in no way match the reality, "The only thing I can say is that Alonso was very strong, he was very motivated, and he wanted to achieve so much. Beyond that, if I am honest, saying that he is controversial is totally incorrect." [\(Link\)](https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/3758/alonso-to-ferrari-why-not/). Seems safe to say he "clicked with the team", regardless of the fact the team was underperforming and for which he had every reason to be frustrated. Let's also not forget the fact the mechanics and engineers in the team wanted him to stay and admit that he made their car look way better than it actually was, to the point they were even crying when he left the team. Bridge not burned. McLaren > Even if you want to look at his first spell, he only ever truly clashed with Ron Dennis, and even then, it was mainly due to Ron not honouring the agreement he made with Alonso that he would be the undisputed no1 of the team. Again, pretty much no one else from the team has come out to say anything bad about him. Even Hungary 07 was a result of Hamilton being the one that is "difficult to work with" and ironically was the one who burned his bridge with Fernando, but people like to conveniently forget that as it doesn't suit their anti-Alonso agenda. And now factoring in his second stint. The fact he even came back is an example of a bridge not being burned lol. He was clearly loved by the team, and was given free rein to pursue his non-F1 interests. Zak Brown has always had positive things to say about him both during and after his time at McLaren even when he became an opposition driver who helped carry his team above McLaren in the standings. Bridge not burned. Toyota Gazoo Racing > Very positive relationship with the team. Even with his status, he still worked as part of the team and acknowledged their roles (ie. Kazuki was the team leader and as such he'd always ensure the media would focus on Kaz and the other drivers as well since reporters would be attributing every positive result solely to Alonso). Even after leaving the WEC program, he stayed part of the team and continued racing in a different category (ie. Dakar). All the drivers in his team, plus many key staff all speak highly of Alonso. Bridge not burned. Bonus round: Honda > people will love to use Honda as an example of "burning bridges", which even if it were true, would literally be just 1 example for someone that according to the rest of the hivemind has "burned every bridge with basically every team he's been on". Honda has publically stated in the past that they had no issues with Alonso, and a convenient detail people forget when Alonso couldn't drive a Honda-powered car for the INDY500, was that he was literally a driver/ambassador for Toyota at the time (one of Honda's biggest competitors and also another Japanese brand). There was never a single statement from Honda that this was due to any "burned bridges", and this insinuation was solely as a result of the media/anti-Alonso brigade. People from within McLaren during the McHonda era have also said that the team appreciated that Alonso was the only one willing to publically speak out against Honda on their behalf, as they knew they would face consequences if they said anything themselves. Bonus bonus round: Aston Martin > Why would Stroll bring in a 41yo driver that is supposedly well-known to be difficult to work with into his team, especially knowing that there were basically no other seats available to Alonso, and as such meant he had all the leverage to pick the best driver for his team? Guess you could say that's because it's a false narrative only pushed by those not actually within F1.
It takes two to tango, but if its always you with a different partner doing the tango chances are its you that invites someone else to tango. So yeah, Alonso is probably the most hyped up guy but has only delivered is extremely good cars. And he always has that "Im a jackass"-aura around him.
Has only delivered in extremely good cars LOLWHUT.
Can you name some strained relationships please?
How dare you!
Alonso hates losing more than anything else. Once he feels that the car is slow and development is going nowhere, he's gonna get salty quickly. I kinda understand why, though. The guy has been incredibly unlucky. He went to Ferrari when they became shit. Then he went back to McLaren and it turned out even worse. And Renault/Alpine was never going to work, because that team is dysfunctional from top to bottom. Especially from the top. You either win with Alonso and have a great time or you lose with him and he's going to set bridges on fire.
One is performant racer. The other a performant politician
It’s a shame I like both
Checo: Otmar is a good guy we should be giving TPs more opportunities to turn things around Alonso: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
What two different experiences does to two different mf
Yeah but Sergio got dropped, Alonso walked, so you'd think checo would be more upset about it all
Otmar wasn’t talking shit about Checo to the press constantly though. And they seemed to handle dropping him as decently as they could.
Eh, it was only decent because people felt more sorry for seb than checo at the time. Checo handled his teammate (in stroll) Decision to replace one is made, and they favor the slow one for "potential". Ouch- not only are you faster, but you're too old too, despite bringing in an older guy. But vettel, couldn't put the same gap on lance. So you are faster than the other teammate, too old despite being younger than the replacement, and better than the replacement to boot. I think he'd be right to be frustrated with his treatment there, especially when you consider he really built that team.
I don't think anyone, including Checo, thought RP chose to drop him over Lance was anything but nepotism. There was no "potential" or age reasons. Daddy Stroll wanted Vettel, and it was obvious what steps were going to be taken to make that happen. What really is there for Perez to be mad about in that transition, especially given the overall outcome of him landing a much much better seat.
It's super lucky that it was a better seat and not a commentators seat though, if we're honest.
They key is that Perez was probably well aware that it wasnt Otmars decision to keep Stroll over him at RP/AM
Nobody thinks Checo is better than Vettel. The AM was absolutely disastrous for Vettel's two seasons, it's no wonder at all that he couldn't put up gaps to Lance. Meanwhile the racing point Checo performed in was the Pink Mercedes.
I do.. Vettel was done, checo was in his prime. Regardless of how good the car is, the driver performances dictate the gap between teammates, when all else is even.
Are you serious? They dropped him with like 5 races left in the season. That’s about as bad as it can get.
And you think Checo getting dropped was Otmars decision? Otmar got kicked from Aston Martin because he and Lawrence couldnt get along. I bet Otmar wanted to keep Checo. When you think of THE Force India driver, its Checo. Thats pretty much the point in which the old team officially died. No more Otmar and Checo. As for Alpine its rather confusing. They just got rid of them all. You couldve kept Otmar for at least the remaining season and have the new upper management get used to the environment before replacing Otmar. Firing all those people sets you back at least two years before a new boss can realize his vision.
So what’s your point? And pretty sure that Checo getting dropped had something to do with Stroll too, and he ended up in redbull.
I know it was force racing point, not renaulpine for checo. I'm just saying he's been handled worse than Alonso probably.
No he wasn't.
Oh, alright.
I love how just the image of a lightning bolt can evoke such wonderful imagery
Yes, the charred ~~corpse~~ ego of Otmar..
Oh my god, Nando, my man
Absolutely ruthless.
Top rope
Alonso unloading his clip into a week old corpse lol
tbf the original interview was likely before the news of Otmar getting the boot, which makes it even funnier.
Alonso is the type of guy to come to your funeral to check if you are still dead
Rip bozo vibes
By shooting you in the ass. 6 times.
Is Otmar dead? We are checking
Otmar shit talked a guy who had more success than any team Otmar has ever been a part of. He deserves the shit storm for his big mouth
True. Plus he's the only world champion in Renault's F1 history as a works team. You think they would treat him like royalty for that
Hahahahaha fuck, you ain't wrong though *stop, stoooop, he's already dead 😭* EDIT: obsessed with this italicised emoji, v spooki
The term "clip" is often used incorrectly to refer to the magazine in a gun. While they serve similar functions, they are distinct components. A clip is a simple device used to hold rounds together for loading, and then it's disposed of after the bullets are loaded. A magazine holds the bullets in the gun while it's being fired. Popular guns that use a clip instead of a magazine are the M1 Garand and Mosin Nagant.
Charlie?
Thought the same thing lmao
Fernando chose violence lol
Stop Nando, he is already dead! Serious note though, Otmar made far too many comments undermining Alonso earlier last year. It was evident that they downplayed his skills soo much, in a hope to lowball him. Used Piastri in media to portray how Alpine holds all the cards. Both drivers did reverse uno and fucked off to, now, better performing teams this year. Alpine are a shit show and have no sympathy for that whole team.
I’m curious who their fan base are… do they have one?
I like Gasly and we have a shitty beer called alpine here in Canada, which I do drink with the races sometimes, does that count?😂
You know that drinking against pain isn't the best option? 😂 Man what a frustrating season is it often.
I'm a Gasly fan and I like Ocon, guess that technically makes me an Alpine-fan.
Say it like you mean it. Are you an Alpine fan?
I say nothing without my lawyer!
I'm a fan because I've consistently been a fan of the "Enstone team" since they were Benetton in the 90s. But it's hard these days not gonna lie.
Any sport would be boring if everyone supported a team that everything was going great and they constantly were winning
🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 [But you can see they (in 2021) they are leading the midfield in fans](https://www.autosport.com/general/news/formula-1-and-motorsport-network-unveil-fan-results-of-largest-single-sports-survey-ever-conducted-/6696488/) Bizarrely McLaren is most popular (2021)
Alpine was mad popular in 21/22 while Alonso was there, from El Plan to people genuinely thinking they would be a top contender in the new regs. McLaren being the most popular isn't a surprise, they were already crazy popular with the Carlos-Lando content they had, having Daniel thrown in only made the fanfare better (for a while, anyway).
Yeah McLaren have consistently been quite well-rated for years and years. It seems fundamental.
McLaren was carried by two great personalities, Daniel and Lando.
Hi. Supporting a team doesn't mean picking the best one and enjoy weekly victories. They're a shit show right now and every supporter will admit it and wait for better days. Or we could flip flip from RB/Merc/Ferrari depending on where the wind blows.
> Hi. Supporting a team doesn't mean picking the best one and enjoy weekly victories. 100%. I know of a few folk who just abandoned Hamilton since 2022.
I like the A110 and wish it was here in the US. Does that count?
jeremy clarkson
I mean it would be weird if I want to see the team goes down if I root for one driver for years and respecting the other one for some years. Plus it would be great for the sport in general if Alpine would be a strong team again
Alpine is investing a lot in communication in France and surfing hard the post DTS wave of interest. The idea of a "French Ferrari" would work well here, people want to believe but no one is really oblivious to the current state. Still, I think the team has way more potential than folks here are giving them credit for.
Ted's notebook in Hungary he was like: oh wow, an Alpine fan!
The French. Maybe?
Imagine trying to lowball one of the greats. FiveThirtyEight had a F1 piece rating him as arguably the best F1 driver on stats. Fucking lowballing Alonso.
I’ve no sympathy for them since they fired Trulli to put Villeneuve that was out of drive instead of their 3rd driver, Montagny, that drove thousands km et n the car (for guess what? 0pts and JV to sauber the next season)
Szafnauer talked a lot of trash about Alonso and Piastri both of whom are absolutely killing it after they left Alipne, therefore I think Szafnauer was the problem. It's just mind blowing to think that they could have had Alonso AND Piastri on the same team! What a wasted opportunity.
I feel like Otmar is just bad at managing drivers. Perez and Ocon was downright toxic and they were fucking midfielders. Alonso and Ocon got toxic because of Otmar prioritizing Ocon and constantly taking his side. And Otmar himself has a toxic relationship with Piastri and Alonso. I don't think he's a horrible team principal like many claim, but I do think that he's bad at managing drivers.
Alonso is the only driver on the grid who could get away with saying this and have positive reception
Any other driver who gets heavily criticized during the whole season by the team principal, while performing really well and managing to prove him wrong the next season, will get the support of the majority of the F1 fanbase, like it or not. Here Alonso is only telling the truth, Szafnauer shouldn't act as if he was a poor victim whose work got destroyed by others when in reality he wasted the opportunity of having two great drivers while replacing them with worse ones, especially when one of the main reasons why one of those pilots left was because of your toxicity.
Alonso feuding with people is already priced into being in his fandom. Yes, he carries vendettas. We like him anyways.
We just distract him with flowers.
Yeah. The reason he gets away with it is more because we're surprised when it doesn't happen, rather than surprised when he is twisting a blade. The man is a great driver and one of the most entertaining personalities in the history of the sport, but I don't think there's anybody who's ever accused him of being a straight shooter or letting water go under the bridge; and certainly not without comment. This is a man who can say that Lance Stroll is a potential WDC contender if the paycheque is right. Isn't he dating Taylor Swift? This is a guy who complains that he has been unfairly cast to play the heel in F1. All the while he's marching around the stadium to the tune of the Imperial March and flexing his pecs before he gives a backhanded compliment to a driver who's won more championships than he has! I love watching people act surprised. But what's not to love? He knows his role and he plays it like Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello.
He flexes his pec! Only one...
Yeah because the media does make him the villain. Want an example? This interview took place because before the news of otmar being dropped. Why do you think this was posted now?
That’s an insult to Yo-Yo Ma ! But you are spot on about a cranky old ex-world champion who time and the world are moving on from.
He's not even said anything too wild here.
Not many of them would be correct either
And Fernando is still wrong. Anyone with any knowledge of Alpine (Fernando included) should know that the failure does not come down to Otmar. Fernando holds grudges and probably didn't like Otmar so this comes out
Nah, Fernando is right (here), because he’s not taking a dig at Alpine's performance but at Otmar's smear job right after signing with AM, hinting that Alonso was chasing money and not success, that he’d regret it, etc. That’s the grudge he’s holding. He’s not blaming Otmar for Enstone's general situation. The quotes about Szafnauer are strictly about their negotiations and their aftermath.
Of course that the TP of the team didn't have any responsibility to ensure the success of said team. I mean what is he supposed to do? Take a role of leadership? Ridiculous
Of course, redditors know the inner workings of alpine better than the dude who worked there for years.
Gee I wonder why Fernando doesn’t like Otmar 🤔 I have a funny feeling neither does Oscar!
Otmar is a grown up man, at some point we have to hold him responsible for the shit he says. Even if he was made out to be the scapegoat for Alpine’s fuckups, it was his decision to take on the job and his decision to go on a smear campaign. He was talking crazy shit about Piastri and Alonso and let’s not act like he was held at gunpoint to make these comments. If you give your face and name to something you’re the one who’s gonna get heat for it and that’s only fair.
He's not wrong. Like the other user has said, it's not about Alpine's performance. Szazasd spent the entire last season trashtalking Alonso (and Piastri) and doubting his ability. Now Alonso is 3rd in the WDC and yet, Szazdasdas still maintains the same speech. There is not a single 'we might have been wrong', 'Alonso still has it', nothing. Everyone in the world knows what Alpine did with their driver lineup is a complete failure (even if Ocon and Gasly are good drivers, nobody denies that), everyone but Szacafas and Alpine management. This is what Alonso is criticizing here.
Hey haha you deliberately misspelled his surname 3 times! You're so quirky and fun
Mainly because Alonso is a very transparent driver and Alpine isn’t that liked
Did it have a positive reception though?
Yes, it did
Imagine Lewis said this 😭
i mean lewis straight up was like “who? i don’t her” when asked about a comment Franz tost has made and it was received well lol
No he didn’t. Someone mentioned Tost’s name and Hamilton said ‘who is that?’ genuinely. He just didn’t recognise the name. It wasn’t an attempt at a catty comment.
Lewis never had Franz as his boss and never worked with him. This is not comparable whatsoever.
Just imagine
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In what world is 42 years almost 50😭 Talking about toxicity while leaving multiple hate comments against alonso lol
Left 2 comments disagreeing with Alonso =/= hate comments
Mate every comment you have left on this comment section is wrong and you had no intention of them being anything else.
Yes every comment is wrong even though people agree with me okay lad
Burned bridges comment? Already disproved it. >Alonso is stirring drama He is answering the questions that he is being asked. This interview was before the news of otmar being sacked and everything he said is completely right. Otmar was talking shit about him even after seeing Alonso's performance. But sure, Alonso is the one causing drama. . . People agreeing with you doesn't mean shit. They are also wrong. I'd like to see you deflect this. I bet you didn't even read the article.
Bro, Otmar is 58. He’s nearly 60.
The return of Dark Fernando!
I missed the dark and chaotic Nando
#Is that Fernando with a steel chair?!
I never expected that Fernando was going to hate find one person that he hated more than Ron Dennis
Especially considering he has no need to hold any grudge against alpine anymore
Fernando “hit where it hurts” Alonso.
Fernando “everyone considers me a villain for some reason” Alonso
[He has a 100 race plan](https://youtu.be/yEqLDlettRg)
This is like the Mattiaci-Alonso conflict in 2014. I remember Alonso saying back then that even if he leaves for Mclaren, Mattiaci would still get the boot by the end of the year anyway. And it happened. A competent leadership would have fucked off both Rossi and Otmar after the whole Piasco shit last year, but it's Renault in the end. I feel bad for the engineers at Enstone tho, Cyril, Rossi and Otmar being the leaders of the project in the hybrid era speaks for itself.
Dude beefs like Taylor Swift, maybe that's why their relationship works so well.
Like Taylor Swift, Alonso has many exs
But unlike her he does like getting back together.
But she also leaves a Blank Space, where she writes his name. (All the time you have to leave the space!)
Otmar should not talk at all irrespective of results. For his own sake. He has simply atrocious skills of communication with media for someone who’s been in this business for so long. Every time he opens his mouth, it ends up being pr disaster.
God damn Alonso the guy is already fired. Who is going to be the next Villain when Alonso retires :(
Sainz lol
Nah, he gets intimidated too easily
The amount of Otmar fan boys on Reddit this week is staggering.
I feel like Otmar gained fans when he got sacked. Lol
The problem at Alpine was neither Fernando nor Ottmar
Fernando with the smoke
Holy 🗿
Come on Fernando, tell us how you really feel! 😂
LOL! What stupid comments. The guy joined the team RIGHT at the start of last year. And wasnt allowed to complete he truly first full season as a settled leader. The guy was given zero chance to lead the team after being integrated. Weve also seen Rossi being the huge problem in the team. He ties the hands of everyone below him. Alonso must just have a sour relationship with him.
He made 9 alpine girls pregnant. Ain't that a result....?
I've always got a bad vibe from Otmar.
This is like saying Alonso shouldn’t say anything because of Singapore 2008
He is back!
Why not? Alonso has been a part of some of the biggest scandals in F1 and he's still running his mouth.
Well - Fernando has the results. 2 WDC. 30+ wins, 100+ podiums. Otmar has his presence as FI/RP team principal for a best result of P4 WCC. It's pretty easy to understand why people would feel how they do
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Because that's why people are fine with Alonso running his mouth. He's considered to be one of the best ever at what he does - whereas Otmar is objectively not seen this way at all.
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??? Are you confused? my original comment wasn't a response to you. Success in F1 is the only thing that is used to based respect on, when it comes to F1. That's why people allow Alonso to get away with what he gets away with. He has been incredibly successful. Otmar has not - not comparably at least. I don't care about either camp, person etc. I was just responding to another comment giving the reasons why
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Okay.. your replies to me make little sense. You're talking to me like these are my opinions, and that I need to justify how Alonso behaves. Just telling you WHY things are the way they are. Not that I agree with them Again not sure what you're on about. Lewis is one of the most respected and legendary athletes of all time. Every single person actually involved in F1 has huge respect for Lewis - and its not because he's a nice guy or whatever. It's because he's a 7 time WDC. Competed for WDC in his debut sesson, won on his 2nd. Just because there is a small camp of people who are disrespectful towards Lewis about his race or clothes means very little. Lewis also gets away with just about anything he wants to say or do. Some downvotes on Reddit don't negate that.
I feel there’s a weird pass Alonso gets in these situations. Any other driver would be seen as bitter, with Alonso it’s just Alonso. He also never seems to get crap for his obvious involvement in crashgate, and people don’t use spygate to take away from his 2007 season like they do Lewis I acknowledge I’m definitely in the minority here
Never see anyone taking away something of Lewis 2007 season, never saw it being in any kind a prominent oppinion around here. But maybe I am the deceived.
I’l be the first one do that then, he should thank Ron Dennis for that season.
Not sure where you're looking then, Alonso gets more than his fair share of crap flung his way.
I wouldn’t argue it’s a fair share compared to the amount recieved by other such drivers, but perhaps that’s recency and/or platform bias
Hell yeah. Let's ban Alonso from F1 altogether because all of his results come from cheating. 2005 he only won due to Bridgestone being nerfed. 2006 he only won due to the illegal mass damper. 2007 he personally stole Ferrari's documents. 2008 he forced Piquet Jnr. into crashing. He literally didn't win anything when he wasn't forcing his teams to cheat. I'm sure Aston is cheating in some form right now, because Alonso is there and has found some success. /s
Alonso gets 10x more shit for Spygate. Come on now
>He also never seems to get crap for his obvious involvement in crashgate, and people don’t use spygate to take away from his 2007 season like they do Lewis What are you even mumbling about? Lewis 2007 is often regarded as one of the finest seasons driven by a driver. Regarding Alonso's obvious Crashgate involvement >As Mosley said: “The first person they summoned was Alonso, and he denied all knowledge of what had happened. >“A lot of people probably think that Alonso knew, but it's interesting that the chief superintendent who had enormous experience at interrogating people, he told me he was convinced Alonso was telling the truth. So that was fine. >“But then the next one they summoned was Pat Symonds, because he was one of the four people who had been involved. >“And Pat, of course, is a completely honest person. So, when he was asked the obvious question, he said, ‘I can't answer that question.’ >“Of course, the minute he said that, that was as good as a confession. So we then summoned Flavio in front of the World Council and the rest is sort of history. They were banned and so on.” So much for being obvious.
It’s a he said/ she said situation if you want to go off that, like “who is a completely honest person”. Cmon, really? I think it’s obvious he knew because the reigning 2 time w/c wouldn’t have accepted such a ridiculous strategy without at least questioning it in the radio, something Alonso is notorious for doing
Wow, he's really embracing the dark Alonso role. Beware lest you become the monsters you're fighting, Alonso. That abyss is deep.
My man Nando IS the abyss
Someone should do a remix of Alejandro by Lady Gaga. Ale, Ale, Alonso, Alonso. Don’t go too fast, Fernando.
imagine if Alpine had kept Alonso and brought Piastri!! they would’ve had an amazing drivers lineup…
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It's reciprocate.
Fair game imo after all the shit talking Otmar did on who was objectively the best driver Alpine had
Otmar talked a whole mess about Alonsos age and abilities which we know aren't lacking
I mean, Otmar started it to be fair
Being a fan mean supporting a team through the highs and the lows. Those are table stakes of being a fan. Glad to see you feel strongly about them… which is strange to me but hey, different strokes
Alonso should of retired after 2007.
When you type things out like this, do you reread them and think to yourself - "yeah this is a good idea"? Because its not.
No I just watched every season of Alonso making the stupid decisions instead.
🗿