Face Off! Kunal & Gunjan are at it...again!

iSport.in exclusive: The two iSport-ing brothers Kunal & Gunjan are at it again. They are arguing on who was thrown a lifeline for 2010 - was it Ferrari or Fernando? Read their banter on www.isport.in.

Kunal KERS for Ferrari...

So Fernando has made his debut at Maranello – visiting the famous Ferrari factory and visiting the various technicians and mechanics that maketh the machine. Not to mention driving one of the Ferrari classics on the Maranello track; a track that has housed all the cars that have been produced till date in the Scuderia stables.

PR and publicity aside – Ferrari threw Fernando a line and how! Almost saving his F1 career in the bargain. Fernando’s 2007 move to Mclaren only lasted a year – excuses aside, he couldn’t adjust to a very disciplined team and of course a spectacularly quick rookie team – mate. He moved to Mclaren after winning two consecutive titles with Renault only to make a comeback with the French team for the 08 & 09 seasons.

So Fernando really needed the Ferrari drive! After driving for two manufacturer teams [Renault & Mclaren] the only other possible manufacturers that Alonso could’ve driven for were Honda [and we know what happened to them!], or Toyota or BMW and of course for Ferrari. We all know the fate of the other manufacturers – who decided to throw in their towel, pre-maturely ending their F1 joy-ride.

While, Red Bull / Brawn could’ve also been a bet for Fernando, most F1 pundits would agree that come next year and the Silver Arrows and Scarlet Ferraris will be back at the front. Whether their `08 title fight compromised their `09 season can be much debated, but one does agree that the manufacturer teams will dig deep into their resources and experience to bounce back to the top next season. And in the current scenario, a manufacturer team was necessary not only for performance, but also for long term stability.

Yes, teams are joining and dropping off the grid at a scary rate, which is exactly again why Fernando has been thrown a life line. While the others fight over their balance sheets as much as they fight on track, Fernando is guaranteed a stable team in Ferrari – who have participated in every F1 GP that has been conducted since inception.

The fixing saga of last year punished Fernando’s trusted lieutenants and Renault bosses Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds to a life ban! Without doubting Bob Bell’s capabilities as a team boss, one does agree that Renault would lack the arsenal to win another World Championship in the near future – but of course that is if they decide to continue with their love-hate affair with Formula1. So yes, one helluva lifeline indeed!

Gunjan's traction favours Fernando...

And so last week Fernando made his first visit to the Scuderia Headquarters to shake hands with the powers that are at Ferrari and to get himself fitted for the new car; and that with the blessings of Renault F1, to whom he remains contracted till the end of 2009.

While some would say that the deal couldn’t have come at a better time for Fernando, I would say that Ferrari are the one’s who would have been more desperate to have him on-board for this season. Why? Well, it’s simple actually. There was no way Fernando was going to stick at Renault next season; because well, simply, there’s really no way they are going to be able to give him a championship winning car. But, but, there were other options in the line for him. I am sure any team, with the exceptions of McLaren and maybe Red Bull would have welcomed him with open arms.

In fact, we saw the Driver market go into frenzy exactly after Ferrari announced the Fernando deal, with teams waiting with abated breath to see where the Spaniard pledges his alliance. I think Brawn GP could have been a possible option. Also, I think the alleged contract signed between Fernando and Ferrari before the announcement might have had a clause by which Fernando could have exited the contract if he fancied his 2010 ride over the 2011 Ferrari. So they had to get him this season to be sure of securing his services.

I say so because I find it rather surprising that Ferrari would choose to terminate the contract of a driver as gifted as Kimi before time; which makes me believe Fernando had other options which Ferrari was aware of.

And as to why Ferrari needs Fernando so badly, it is because they know that after winning back to back titles in 05-06 and missing out on the title by a hair’s breadth in his maiden outing with McLaren in ’07, Fernando is hungry to win. They also know that the next year’s car is not going to be the best out there and that they are going to face severe competition from Mclaren, Red Bull and Brawn GP. And it’s common knowledge in the paddock that if you need someone to derive the maximum potential and beyond from your car; then the man you need is a certain Mr. Alonso. He’s done it all his years at Renault! Kimi is no doubt a really good driver, but he needs the car to be inherently fast to achieve best results; which might not be the case with next year’s Ferrari.

Plus, with Massa returning to the cockpit at the back of a horrific crash, he will arguably take a few races into the ’10 season to get back into the groove. You see after a life threatening accident such as his, I think there will always be a gnawing doubt on the mind of Massa when he is on the limit, and beyond it. It has nothing to do with him; it would happen to the best of us. Ferrari knows this, and they are hungry to secure a Drivers championship, and who better to look upto than the man who beat the Scuderia’s own Superman in back to back titles in ’05-’06?