iSport-ing brothers Kunal and Gunjan are back and are sane this time. Seems that the feeling of Fernando Alonso driving for Ferrari is probably sinking in – is it the same for you?
While Kunal bows down to Fernando Alonso…
Formula1 fans are still rejoicing Michael Schumacher's return. That it’s in a Mercedes Benz is heartbreak for all the Ferrari fans, but the good news is that he's back! However, the news also means that Ferrari are the biggest losers! Not only losing their ace driver and ambassador of 15 years who also happens to be the most successful F1 driver in history, but also loosing him to their arch road-car rival manufacturer Mercedes Grand Prix.
His move to Mercedes GP was out of our control, and Ferrari and Schumacher fans will be truly torn apart. However, for the Ferrari fans, is signing Fernando Alonso really the best move?
I think it probably is!
Michael Schumacher joined the Italian team in 1996 after 2 World Championship wins with Benetton. Schumacher’s arrival strengthened all the departments of the then-struggling team. Their revival was almost immediate, though it took them 5 years till they tasted their first title victory in 2000. While the first win was much heralded and celebrated, it also brought about a change in Formula1. The early 2000s are pretty much known as the Ferrari and Schumacher era, where they were not only unbeatable, but also invincible. Ferrari produced one of the best racing cars ever and Schumi brutishly powered his way to 5 back-to-back titles!
Those were the days! Post-Schumacher’s retirement, Ferrari hasn’t been the strongest team on the grid. While they did clinch a world title with Kimi and almost won the other with Felipe, they didn’t do so in true Ferrari panache. Their wins were clinched [or almost] at the last race of the season. While it did produce some nail biting finishes for us fans, for Luca it surely isn’t the most comfortable position!
Felipe and Kimi are world-class drivers and there’s no denying that. Kimi we do know isn’t the most talkative and social drivers on the grid and maybe that did work against him. Felipe, while has upped his pace since Schumi’s departure, still has to showcase talent capable of winning a world championship! He ‘almost’ lost in ’08, but he LOST!
Come Alonso, a twin-world champion in his own right. He beat the Ferrari’s when their own Schumacher was leading them forward. Whether there were chinks in the Ferrari armour or not, their battles were fairly fought on track and some defeats did humble the Schumacher.
What better than having a Schumacher-beater in your own team? What better than the driver who is regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid – come wind or rain! And what better than the only driver who fought consistently for wins with 3 different teams in the last 3 years! True talent I will agree! Welcome Fernando Alonso!
Gunjan pays his due respect to the Scuderia!
After losing out on what could have been his third successive Driver’s Title in 2007 by a single point, Fernando Alonso left McLaren Mercedes to return to former employees ING Renault F1.
Though Alonso immediately felt at home in his old team, he soon realised that it would take more than just that to be able to win races. It was a known fact that the R28 was nowhere close to a championship winner; but if the R28 was slow and sluggish, the R29 was even more so. Infact, Alonso struggled to make the car through to Q3 on most occasions in what was his first season since 2003 where he failed to win a single race all season.
What next then? While Renault struggled with their on track performances, their off track performance was even worse. Their involvement in the Singapore race-fixing scandal meant that Briatore and Pat Symonds, the pillars of the Renault F1 team, were banned from F1 for life. The Renault Board themselves were not sure whether they would be staying put in the top flight. A little over a month after the end of the 2009 season, the Renault Board announced that they had sold a major share of the Renault F1 team. No wonder that a stability seeking Alonso chose to look elsewhere for 2010.
While not confirmed, there were rumours that Alonso did have a drive with Ferrari in 2011. One of the strongest reasons that the Spaniard chose the Ferrari was because the Italian team decided to offer him a race seat a full year earlier! He did not want to waste another season staying put at Renault and Ferrari too realised that. This move will, I think, mark a new era for the Oviedo native.
A race drive with Ferrari would not only offer the twin World Champ a stable environment, but also constant funds, a healthy budget, some of the best technical talent and a of course a rich heritage! I think Fernando and Ferrari have a lot to benefit from each other and they will revel in this exciting team-up. Alonso is a driver who likes to have a team built around him and that is exactly what Ferrari has to offer. Ferrari also has the capability of quickly developing and evolving as the season progresses; and make no mistake, that is exactly what they will have to do if they want to take the title next year.
With the combined talents of Alonso and Massa, the Scuderia has something to prove; not only to themselves but also to M/S Schumacher and Mercedes GP. And who better to have by your side than a two time World Champion who has defeated Schumacher and Ferrari at the height of his prowess? Game on, then! I think we are all about to witness two of the best drivers in modern F1 go head to head once again. Let's just hope that chinks or disparities in their machinery do not rob us fans of what is sure to be an absolute delight.
The brothers are at it again...
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