Head To Head Fernando Alonso vs Kimi Räikkönen

[Boisko2]

Kimi fans today are moaning: Why he pitted first, why he was on a better strategy?

 

[Bushi]

Kimi was the better of the two this weekend imo, strategy changed that.

 

[Slyboogy]

Alonso got the undercut both times, and then the better strategy, despite their being a stable gap.

Ferrari didn't do this for Raikkonen in Bahrain when he was right behind Alonso and having a lesser gap.

Raikkonen himself is not happy:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113909

His radio messages after the race says it all.

PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk
Update on Raikkonen: still hasn't left the track. Intense talks happening in the motorhome, he looks clearly unhappy. #F1 #Formula1.

I have to say, quite rightly so. This has quietly gone under the radar, hope it gets sorted.

 

[RasputinLives]

Ferrari giving Alonso priority is hardly a shock though is it?

I think we all knew it would go this way eventually.

It was suggested on Sky that Alonso has it in his contract that he gets first pit priority.

 

[sobriety]

Which is an excellent way of guarenteeing that Kimi will be even less bothered about racing. Nice work Ferrari.

 

[Bushi]

Why are they even doing it when there isn't a championship to fight for?

Best driver in the world my ass, he needs a contract to let his teammates not to get to close.

 

[RasputinLives]

I didn't say it was fact by the way just that it was suggested it was a possible reason by Crofty and Brundle on the Sky commentary.

 

[Il_leone]

Alonso was faster and held up on a track that passing is impossible and it was obvious he would not settle for getting beat by Kimi at home and outsmarted him

Kimi could have followed and copied the strategy - it is not like Kimi was not expecting it when he walked back into Ferrari

 

[Slyboogy]

Kimi could have followed and copied the strategy - it is not like Kimi was not expecting it when he walked back into Ferrari

His comments contradict that.

Also, Alonso didn't seem quicker, the gap was always stable, and near the second stop Raikkonen increased it a little more.

They were both at worst were evenly matched, lot of pundits and experts are actually quite puzzled by this, and have questioned it.

 

[Quintessentially]

Kimi could have followed and copied the strategy - it is not like Kimi was not expecting it when he walked back into Ferrari

I don't think he was ever given that option.

 

[Brogan]

 

[no-FIAt-please]

I couldn't quite make it all out, I think he asks who is making all the calls and then stating they're (Raikkonen's side of the garage) not getting the same opportunities?

 

[Mephistopheles]

It all sounds a bit blah, blah, blah circa 2009 to me...

 

[no-FIAt-please]

 

[Il_leone]

you know Kimi could have said my tyre's are worn or this car is undriveable I need to pit and see what the Ferrari team would have done

 

[Bushi]

Or they could have said: "Kimster, Nando is going for a 3 stopper, what do you wanna do m8?"
Thing is, he didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have said what he said. And I do think teammates know from each other how many stops they are gonna do.

 

[Incubus]

I think a lot of people had misjudged track conditions on that day because if emory serves me right we were led to believe that a two-stopper was the quicker tactic over a race distance.
The surprise during the race was there seemed to be very little difference between the two compounds. Drivers were routinely posting fastest laps on the hards, which didn't look to be any more durable than the mediums. The The BBC pit-lane bloke reported that Alonso's tyres after his second stop had big chunks of rubber missing from their sides.
So I think the original plan for both drivers was for a wo-stopper.

 

[pob]

Two stopper would have been faster if it wasn't for the rain on Saturday night which increased tyre deg.

The little difference between primes and option was because they were a ridiculously conservative choice by Pirelli and so neither tyre was able to get consistently up to their proper running temperature.

 

[Il_leone]

Or they could have said: "Kimster, Nando is going for a 3 stopper, what do you wanna do m8?"
Thing is, he didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have said what he said. And I do think teammates know from each other how many stops they are gonna do.

allowing Alonso beat on his turf is not good for Nando .. but Kimi could have thought about it and followed suit... althought they might have said Alonso's tyres were absolutely shot and he had to pit.

Be interesting to see when the Iceman really loses his cool and starts returning the favour to Alonso

neither look like they can win the drivers title with that car so bragging rights for who comes out on top is more important then

 

[Wombcat]

Edit: never mind, my bad