Who will beat whom - Cars 7 & 8

[FB]

I get the feeling this one might split opinion.
Felipe "Kimi who?" Massa vs Fernando "the most complete driver on the grid" Alonso.

So, who will finish higher in the WDC or will you take the margherita pizza option?


Me, as much as Felipa has impressed over the last 2 or 3 seasons I think he will find Alonso a very different beast to deal with than Raikkonen so I'm going with Fernando.

 

[cider_and_toast]

On paper this should be Alonso all the way but I just keep having this nagging feeling that it won't be as clear cut as that.

Despite all common sense I'm going to have to go for a fence sitting "too close to call" on this one.

 

[Muddytalker]

Fernando here. Whilst I appreciate how much Massa raised his game in 2008, I wonder how much of that picture was coloured in by Kimi's impression of a sloth?

Massa will be quick, and win races, but not as much as FA. FA will outqualify Felipe by around 12-7, and outscore 90-60, 55-35 or 1165-950 depending on what scoring system they use, with FA ahead 4-2 in wins.

 

[Brogan]

For some reason I just don't rate Massa.

Yes I know he came close to winning the WDC in 2008 but I think that was more down to luck than judgement.

Having said that, the Ferrari by all accounts isn't easy to drive so he may get the jump on Alonso at the start of the season?
Or Maybe Badoer and Fisichella are just really, really bad?

There's also his accident to consider.
Will he be the same as he was prior to it or will there be some nervousness or hesitation?

On balance I'm going for Alonso as I feel he will be able to get to the grips with the car quite quickly.

 

[Enja]

Alonso, I think he'll be able to get a handle on the car quicker.

I like Massa and I hope he puts up a good fight, but if I were a Ferrari man and had to pick one driver to battle it out with Schumacher and Hamilton, it would be Alonso every time. Has the experience, has the ability, the desire and the consistency to do it.

Frankly, I'm just hopeful that Alonso is given a competitive car so we can see the rivalry between him and Hamilton back on the grid.

 

[McZiderRed]

I'm going for Alonso.

Massa may be the incumbent driver, but will he be the same after his encounter with a nut last year? Alonso should be able to get to grips with the "difficult" Ferrari, so I vote for Alonso to shade it.

 

[siffert_fan]

This one is the most difficult for me, because it remains to be seen if there are any lingering problems from Massa's accident. If he is COMPLETELY recovered (not just physically, but mentally as well), I look for it to be close.

I think I will go against conventional wisdom here and pick Massa. He is familiar with and well-liked by the team. He will have extra motivation, coming back from injury and having a teammate that is "supposed" to beat him. I also have a feeling that, if Massa gets in a couple of higher finishes than FA early on, Alonso will revert to form and start throwing tantrums , thereby ruining his concentration and his chemistry with the team.

 

[snowy]

The Ferrari was a pup last year, however it had some real moments and Kimi made it look like a million dollars, Fisichella and Badoer made it look like a penny farthing. What this leads me to suspect is that the Ferrari is a very particular car with some strange and otherworldly attributes. I don't believe Kimi kept falling asleep at the wheel the past two years, I favour the view that Felipe is as cunning as a fox.

If as I suspect the fox is still in possession of his faculties, he will subject Fernando to a drubbing at the start of the season. Fernando will be aware of his failings in dealing with Lewis but will be unable to tackle the suspicion that Felipe is being favoured by the team. The car will be so particular and the edge of it will not be in Fernando's favoured place.

Felipe will shade Fernando over the season though I fully expect Fernando to have made some sort of breakthrough by the end of the season. He will not want a repeat of the McLaren fiasco.

For Felipe to put Kimi in the shade for so long and so completely he has got to have far more complex and depth of skillsets than people give him credit for. Plus he has already shown a significant supply of metal to bounce back from his accident. There was never any question where he wanted to be and that was in the cockpit of the Ferrari.

 

[Brogan]

The Teammate Prediction game thread has been updated with all choices so far.
It's going to be interesting to see how right or wrong we were come the end of the season.

F1 Teammate Prediction 2010

 

[teabagyokel]

The most difficult so far and so tempting to go for the margherita. Massa has been excellent for the last couple of years, looked brilliant in 2008 and in the first half of 2009 and never failed to put Kimi under some pressure in 2007!

If Massa gets an early lead, I reckon Alonso will yet again see "equality" and think "favouring the other guy" (as his idea of equality includes Flavio bloody Briatore!)

If Alonso gets an early lead, he ain't going to be caught.

How ever much I'd love it to be Massa, and however likely the toy throwing from the Spanish corner will be, Massa is not in the same league as Hamilton, and is hence less likely to trouble Alonso. With a heavy heart and a hope that I'm wrong, I go for Alonso!

 

[Boyle]

This is the one I'm finding hard to judge. Massa was trouncing Kimi before his accident and showed that in a crap car he can do the damage. Alonso was also picking up points in a poor car but faded after halfway (even Grosjean seemed to be getting closer to him!) This makes me question his commitment and If Felipe can get the upper hand early on I can see Mr Tantrum imploding again.

But we never know what to expect from Fernando. The best driver on the grid? Perhaps. Perhaps not. And what condition will Felipe's vision and confidence be in? We won't know that until March.

However tempting the margarita option is, I think I'm going to plump for Felipe on this one. Just

 

[GeoffP]

Tough cookie, it does rather pin itself around how well Massa will come back from injury and how well Alonso fits in with the car and team.

I can see reasons for going for each of the answers, I would love to say that Massa would win, it would be great to see him receiving offers from other teams to be their no.1 driver.

Problem is that Alonso is equally likely to stumble out of the blocks as his is to come screaming out, Massa would be unusual to hit the ground running... I think I have to go for Alonso winning it, although I think that unless something is up with Massa he will only edge it.

 

[Brogan]

Are you copying me Geoff?
All of our predictions are the same so far

 

[GeoffP]

Damn, you spotted -

 

[GeoffP]

Hmm, just checked the table. Right that's it, for 9/10 I guess I had better go for Mario Andretti

 

[LifeW12]

Massa won't be the same as he was before the accident so Alonso should beat him easily

 

[slickskid]

Everything suggests it should be straight up Alonso but i went Massa anyway, hoping he can do just enough to get the teddies out of the pram again!