Current Fernando Alonso

Suprised there's no thread (although I had one for his blogs), so i'll start off:

A double world championship vs Raikkonen and then Schumacher in 2005 and 2006 respectively elevated Alonso's status but, apparently, no one told his rookie teammate at his brand new team of a theoretical 'pecking order' the following season ... and the Spaniard was 'seen off' by the young Englishman, Hamilton, into two years of Wilderness while both Hamilton and an even younger Vettel began to make their mark through '08 and '09.

Arguably, Alonso was in the Top 3 of all the Formula One 'Aces' in the 2000s following Hakkinen's retirement - up there with either Schumacher/Raikkonen and, then, Raikkonen/Hamilton - and remains so in the early 2010s along with Hamilton/Vettel...with only Kubica knocking on the door until the Pole's horrible Rallying accident.

A question mark initially over 2004 during which Trulli lead him in the standing until the Italian fell out with ex-manager and team boss Flavio Briatore (Alonso's then business manager) under dubious circumstances after the French Grand Prix.

Another question mark is...Who has progressed more since the end of 2007: Hamilton or Alonso?

A fan. Then came the unfortunate blackmail allegations against McLaren boss Ron Dennis on the morning of the 2007 Hungarian GP which came to light at the highly costly FIA 'Spy-Gate' hearings before Spa...followed by the odour of the deliberate crashing of the Number 2 Renault car at Singapore in 2008 which lead to Alonso finishing 1st in the event and ended in the banning of Briatore and Pat Symmonds a year later.

2009 was a poor year with 'Nando's' mind likely on the prospect of Santander paving the way to better prospects at Maranello one year earlier.

2010 was a fresh start at Ferrari (who no longer had Schumacher walking through the premises regularly) but first half season mistakes ultimately cost him a title inspite of being infamously aided by a Team Orders switch w Massa at Hockenheim (which lead to more world-wide criticism).

Relatively fast, relatively consistent but prone to mistakes and a possible insecurity complex (*) based on wanting sole focus from a team and being only happy with a Number 2 in the other car running behind him. Anything else and it seemingly rattles him.

(*) This is my own personal opinion.

..and so to 2011...

He's underperformed only at Malaysia (hit Hamilton) and China (invisible while Massa challenged McLarens and Red Bulls) and, arguably, Canada...but has maximized his chances in the other 6 races culminating in the British GP win.

He said in his post-Monaco blog that 'Silverstone would be the WDC cut-off'...and so, after some major upgrades, the Ferrari looks a winner again. It might be too late for 2011 given Vettel's finishing rate...but the 2012 regs means they should keep the hammer down at Maranello.

He's signed on through to 2016...So hopes are high of a WDC at some juncture...but not yet.
 
What I am most worried with for Alonso is the chance that he ends up in the wall at Indy, and ends up with serious injuries! I still remember Nelson Piquet's first attempt at Indy- with an accident that broke both his legs. Mansell's first race on an oval led to concussion and a slipped disc. Indy is just so dangerous that I can't understand any team manager allowing their driver to race! Surely Le Mans would have been more sensible?
 
Statistically I believe Le Mans is actually more dangerous than the Indy 500... Difficult to comparw due to the difference in race distance and the number of drivers competing at each event but historically Le Mans was always seen as one of the most dangerous tracks on the calendar.
 
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Statistically I believe Le Mans is actually more dangerous than the Indy 500... Difficult to comparw due to the difference in race distance and the number of drivers competing at each event but historically Le Mans was always seen as one of the most dangerous tracks on the calendar.

Indy has had 42 driver fatalities, Le Mans 22. That being said, it is easier for Indy to have safety changes, due to the length of the Le Mans circuit, and the fact that it runs through woods!
 
I suspect McLaren might well have lost him anyway had they not acquiesced. I doubt they think having a lovely boy in the car for a few weeks is a major disadvantage anyway.
 
Graham Hill did in 1966 the year he won Indianapolis. He also finished third at the Monaco GP and drove a Ford at Le Mans.

Iwouldn't think there can be too many others?...

EDIT Actually Dan Gurney also competed at the Indy 500 in 1967 (as he did most years) and at the Monaco GP along with his win at Le Mans that year.
 
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I read somewhere that Fernando is making overtures to Renault for 2018. Could be a problem as he doesn't have a large Italian gentleman to fight his corner any more.
 
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