2014 / 2015 Silly Season. Drivers Market.

[Kewee]

As for his role in Spygate at Mclaren - he was granted immunity for whistle blowing was not he?

No he wasn't actually. The FIA threatened to withdraw his super license so he effectively had no choice but to cooperate and appear at their hearing in Paris.
The rest of your posting is like a fairy tale. Flavio receiving a 25% commission. Give me a break.

 

[cider_and_toast]

As for his role in Spygate at Mclaren - he was granted immunity for whistle blowing was not he? to say he is totally innocent is ridiculous

Ah, Il_leone you cheeky scamp. Can you tell me where it says in Kewee's original post that he claimed Alonso was totally innocent? If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to wind him up.

As for Alonso's return to Renault, could you imagine, if he had survived, if Senna had got to the end of the 94 season and had a falling out with Sir Frank over the state of the car. Do you think Ron would have turned down the opportunity to re-hire Senna in the wake of their very poor 94 season?

After the man who'd lead the team to two world championships had left for McLaren, Renaults fortunes started to slide. Of course they'd want Alonso back and if they'd managed to perform to their previous level they would have hoped he would have stayed as well. Unfortunately any hope for Renault that Alonso would stay went out of the door thanks to "crashgate", the withdraw of the title sponsor and the fact that the team was going backwards in the points.

In the wake of all of that, and with your reputation in bits, the legendary name of Ferrari still wanted to sign him. It wouldn't exactly take a genius to work out what he would do. Let's also be honest, if you knew you were leaving a job to move to another, would you still put the same effort in? I don't think so.

Keep smiling, and relax.

 

[Mephistopheles]

re-hire Senna in the wake of their very poor 94 season?

I'm not sure you can call Williams 1994 season poor after all Damon damn near won the championship and Williams won the the WCC, so excuse me for asking but how is that poor.

Or have I completely misread your post which is probably the case...

 

[cider_and_toast]

Sorry Meph, it was hypothetical. It was a what if 94 had turned out differently.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Oh right...

You confused the shit out of me...

 

[cider_and_toast]

Bugger, I was trying to come up with a good analogy but couldn't think of one so I posed a hypothetical one. If it's confusing then it detracts from my point, Ah well never mind.

The fact remains, there is a two time world champion who has burnt his bridges, and is carrying around a sign that says ex-world champion for hire. With Vettel having taken 40 kilo's of TNT to his Red Bull bridge and blown it to bits, he has to move to Ferrari or he's knackered. Merc will keep the drivers they have because they may not fully get on as much now but at least the team know what they are dealing with. McLaren have no idea what they want and are waiting to find out what's going on and poor old Fernando has left himself twisting in the breeze.

With the end of season test just a few weeks away, surely someone is going to have to blink soon.

 

[siffert_fan]

This Alonso rubbish has been dragging on so long, I am starting to hope that he winds up driving Autopias for Team Disney

 

[Mephistopheles]

Not to worry cider_and_toast as I have had five pints of Merrydown which is crammed full of appley wonderfulness..

 

[cider_and_toast]

Lost count, Kingstone Press, £1 a bottle, Tesco, also crammed full of appley wonderfulness.

Button to get one more year at McLaren, you heard it here first

 

[siffert_fan]

I thought that alcoholey wonderfulness was what mattered

 

[cider_and_toast]

That's a given

How can it be that there are three world champions who can't say for sure where they are racing next year. That must be a first surely ??

 

[Mephistopheles]

It's fucked up isn't it? And with Vettel and Lewis not being confirmed yet I make the four world champions..

 

[Il_leone]

cider_and_toast - he was not going back to Renault long term - he was already planning / wanting the Ferrari drive in his mind

Something he is trying to do now with Mclaren in hoping to land a Mercedes drive down the road so why would you seriously want to pay megabucks for him

 

[cider_and_toast]

Yeah, I agree, he wasn't planning on staying at Renault for the long hall but would you, as team manger turn down the opportunity to sign the guy who brought you two championships or would you sign him again, hope that he can turn things around and look at how you can talk him in to sticking around? When all is said and done, two years is a long time in F1.

If McLaren think they can benefit from a 1 year deal with Alonso they'll sign him. These guys aren't silly. They have to try and work out what's best for the team. A world champion signing to team for just one year is almost unheard of.

 

[Il_leone]

Kewee

If Alonso was leading the championship comfortably he would not have even blackmailed Ron .

Just check Flavio Briatore's history with Bennetton and Renault drivers in the past - ie Button and Trulli - both did well so would expect a raise and then suddenly their contract talks have broken down

Button would have got a raise for his efforts in 2002 but part of his new deal was he had to sign up to Flavio's driver stable - so should Button sign when he is driving for Renault not Flavio

Trulli - he had a good 2004 season and then he suddenly falls out an leaves the team at the time better than ALonso

I guess you haven't read Giorgio Pantano's career where if Flavio was to help him move up in F1 he had to take a 25% cut of his earnings which Pantano and his family could not afford

http://willthef1journo.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/giorgio-pantano-and-why-he-deserves-his-shot/

and clearly Pantano is not the only driver who has had issues with Flav's favour in return to secure a drive for Benetton/ Renault

 

[Il_leone]

cider_and_toast Mclaren have already expressed they need to have drivers long term so going for Alonso is like a hall or nothing approach and last time they did that with Mansell was disastrous because they were trying to keep sponsors happy but the driver and Ron never previously saw eye to eye

and what if KMag starts thrashing Alonso - all the accusations would be he is not trying because he is already thinking about moving to another team in 2016 and has just swindled a lot of money from Mclaren and Honda

 

[Mephistopheles]

It's ****ed up isn't it? And with Vettel and Lewis not being confirmed yet I make the four world champions..

No I don't I make it three.. Apple juice init.

Edit

'ang on it is four with Alonso and Button.

Boing time for bed said Zeberdee....

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Actually, isn't it only two?

Vettel knows where he's going (he's just not saying) and Hamilton will be driving a Mercedes (his current contract expires at the end of next season).
It's only Alonso and Button who can't say where they'll be in 2015 because it's out of their hands.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Well as of today, as far as I can make out, Alonso is either:

1. Driving for Mclaren
2. Taking a sabbatical
3. Replacing Hamilton at Mercedes
4. Buying Marussia
5. Buying Caterham
6. Driving for Audi
7. Driving for Porsche
8. Driving for Haas (who will have Ferari engines)

 

[Greenlantern101]

9. Running a cycling team
10. Taking Bernies Job