3 in a row for Alonso

[Steeljack]

Fernando Alonso is making his Formula One world title defence look easy.

he's driving on a higher plane

more..

looks like Schumacher will retire without regaining his title..

[niky]

Schumi is still in the hunt... but it looks doubtful, as Renault is having a very solid season.

[BoyFerrari]

Anyone notice Alonso's now-becoming-trademark "quacking duck" victory wave?

[wrcastro_ph]

He has a very good package this season. I dont think Schumi can challenge Alonso by this time.

[mazdamazda]

he's driving on a higher plane

I'd disagree with that.

Alonso, Kimi & Schumi's driving skills are almost at par... I don't see any of those drivers being on a "higher plane" than the others. What sets Alonso apart is the fact that Renault has a more competent vehicle package at least for now.

looks like Schumacher will retire without regaining his title..

I'll disagree with that also.

Take note that two key factors will play NEXT YEAR...

1. Alonso's move to McLaren. McLaren might be one of the top teams but their car's pace and reliability has yet to match Renault and Ferrari. Look at how Kimi is faring... great driver but is held back by this car.

2. Michelin's pullout from Formula1. Ferrari might have an edge due to experience (by having tons of race & testing data over the years) should all teams be forced to run on Bridgestones next year.

And who said Schumi will retire after this year?

Maybe his shot at the championship this year is by a long shot... but who knows for 2007 and beyond?

[niky]

I don't think he will retire. He's in his thirties and still at or near the front of the grid every race. How many "old" drivers can say that? David? Monte Carlo was a fluke, mostly won by consistency rather than speed. He's solid, but he's not in the top half of the field anymore. Jacques? Even with a halfway decent car under him, you'd still expect better... but I love the guy.

Schumacher will probably stay on for another year or two, as the "bad old man" on the grid. Like Carlos Sainz, he could probably still take names well into his forties.

While I agree that Alonso's dominance is partly due to Renault, let's not discount his skill. Note that the finishing order was Alonso-Schumi-Raikkonen-Fisi-Massa-Montoya. Understandable, if you take it as given that Renault>Ferrari>McLaren, but note that Schumi and Raikkonen were still both faster than Fisichella.

Just a little less skill on the part of any of the top three drivers would make it a completely different order, so give Alonso credit for his driving.

[nicolodeon]

Schumi won't retire - his still in his thirties and he's not too old to be that competitive. Juan Miguel Fangio was still in competitive car racing when he was already in his early-to-mid 40's.

I agree with the analyisis of M2: Alonzo is in a three-year winning groove because Renault has a more competent vehicle package for three years in a row. It would be interesting to see Schumi, Alonso and Kimi duke it out on one single type of F1 vehicle - say a Jordan.

[mazdamazda]

Just a little less skill on the part of any of the top three drivers would make it a completely different order, so give Alonso credit for his driving.

Well... ranking Alonso alongside Schumi (ehem... 7 time world champion... ehem) is a good enough credit for him IMO.

What I am driving at is to give Renault a big credit for their more competent package. Some people fail to recognize the crew behind Alonso... crediting solely the victory to the driver.

[aceshark]

ALFONSO! ALFONSO! ALFONSO! wahoo! back-to-back world champ na yan!!!!

















NOT! schumacher pa rin. wala sa age yan. nasa talent for me.... so kahit matanda si schumi, andun pa rin talent! long live the 7-time weltmeister!

[Monseratto]

ALFONSO! ALFONSO! ALFONSO! wahoo! back-to-back world champ na yan!!!!


NOT! schumacher pa rin. wala sa age yan. nasa talent for me.... so kahit matanda si schumi, andun pa rin talent! long live the 7-time weltmeister!

Sino si Alfonso?

Even if Schumi wins the last remaining races this season, Alonso just have to take second places to win the Championship.

[aceshark]

Sino si Alfonso?

tawag namin ke alonso bro.

[niky]

Well... ranking Alonso alongside Schumi (ehem... 7 time world champion... ehem) is a good enough credit for him IMO.

What I am driving at is to give Renault a big credit for their more competent package. Some people fail to recognize the crew behind Alonso... crediting solely the victory to the driver.

Hehe... sorry, it's just irritating how other people put him down for precisely the same reason... saying that Renault is to be given the credit for his winning last season. At least he's proving now that he can still race against a competent Ferrari car, although McLaren's failings this year are ruining what could be a wonderful three-horse showdown...

That's actually the reason why Alonso feels the need to switch teams. To show people he can win without Renault.

It would be a shame to lose him... Flavio's Renault team over these past two or three years has become one of the best (if not the best) organizations in the business. They spend less money than any of the other front-runners, they run a tight ship, and they get results.

Their pit stops are probably only second to Ferrari's, and their reliability is second to none. If they can win without Alonso, then they would have proven something, also.

My favorite racing organization was once Chip Ganassi - Target in Champ Cars (they're still around). They won championships with Eddie Irvine, Alessandro Zanardi (the ultimate Italian a$$hole... my idol ) and Juan Pablo Montoya. They had the tightest pitstops and fuel strategies outside F1.

[BoyFerrari]

I agree that the car contributes a lot of factor whether a driver becomes a world champion or not.

Right now, does anyone honestly believe that Alonso is a much better driver than either Schumacher or Raikkonen simply because he wins races and always sits on pole position ?????

It's also a given fact that Schumacher lost his world title last year because his "supposed to be" upgraded Ferrari turned out to be a sucker and Bridgestone was horrible at that time.

There's just too many factors contributing to why a driver wins races or earn points. Doesn't necessarily mean Schumacher is a by-gone already.

If you will focus on just the last Monaco race alone, can anyone readily say that David Coulthard was a great driver because he won 3rd place on his Red Bull?

For me, what makes a great driver is his driving maneuvers. His daredevil acts. His ability to protect his position. Any driving moves that gives you the "ooohhhs" and the "aaahhhss". But if a driver wins the race simply because he was on Pole Position and cruising all the way to the finish line, not quite as exciting to me.