More team orders questions for Alonso

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Fernando Alonso was put on the spot over Ferrari’s team orders in the FIA press conference today. Here’s what was said:

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Fernando, how do you feel that the incident in Germany has helped play a significant part in the FIA going forward now and probably changing the rule and maybe even abolishing the team orders regulation?
FA: I think, as I said, that it’s something that is in the past for us and we need to concentrate on this race in Monza, so I think we’ve already talked too much. All the August break we talked about the Germany incident. As my colleagues said now, I’m happy to see that the FIA will try to go deep in the rules and try to clarify if there is anything that is sort of not completely clear what is said in the rules and like this we will all be clearer about everything. No special feeling, nothing to say.

Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Radio Five Live) Fernando, I just wanted to ask you about the decision yesterday. Was there any sense of relief from you at all that Ferrari had escaped further punishment because in a way it’s helped keep your title challenge alive, you’re still in it now?
FA: As I said, now I think we’ve talked too much but you keep asking the same questions but the answers will not change. We were concentrating on Monza or in Spa two weeks ago, completely focused on the performance of the car and tried to be on the podium, trying to win races etc. The decision was something that we were waiting for and we were ready to respect whatever it was. Yesterday was the hearing and we were not playing a big part or a big role in it, the drivers etc, so we were just concentrated on the performance in the car. We respected the decision, we keep everything as it was, points etc, so nothing changed for us.

Q: (Ian Gordon – News of the World) Fernando, you said here, a few years ago, F1 is not a sport and your then team boss said the championship had been fixed around a table when it appeared Ferrari had been a beneficiary. Many people in the sport think you had been a beneficiary yesterday. If you win the title by less than seven points this year, do you think that the title will be as good as 2005/2006 when you were maybe fighting against the odds?
FA: Yes.

Q: (Ian Gordon) Why?
FA: Because when you win the title, you win the title.

Q: (Ian Gordon) Do you think if you win the title this year you will have won it fairly, on the track, not in the Paris courtroom?
FA: Yes.

Q: (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) Fernando, could you give me your description please of a worthy Formula One World Champion: the ingredients that make up a worthy champion?
FA: I think that whoever is first at the end is because they have more points than the others and one’s a champion and this is the way it was throughout the history of Formula One and other sports as well: in football, in the Premier League, in tennis etc. This is not too difficult.

Q: (Byron Young) Is points the only ingredient?
FA: Yeah, I think if you are talking?óÔé¼?ª because I’m sure you are talking about the decision of yesterday, you have to respect it and be calm. Respect everything as we do and don’t worry.

Q: (Byron Young) Isn’t talent an ingredient of being a great champion?
FA: Of course.

You can read the press conference in full here.

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    50 comments on “More team orders questions for Alonso”

    1. The decision was something that we were waiting for and we were ready to respect whatever it was.

      Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t Ferrari lined up to take the matter to the civil courts if things went against them?

      I’m not even angered by the arrogance of the rest of his rhetoric. ‘Respect everything like we do’ but you didn’t respect the rule when you broke it, did you? At this point, all you can do is laugh. I’m glad Fernando will value the title if he wins it, I’m not sure the majority will, it would be a shame if he didn’t either after having to drag his reputation through the mud to do it :)

      1. I suppose that was only to impress the guys sitting in on the WMSC.

        Probably agreed beforehand with Todt about the outcome.

    2. What a coincidende, all british “journos” xDDDD
      I wonder why they never are so harsh with their wonder boy.

      1. If you’re talking about Hamilton, you forgot the grilling he got over Melbourne ’09 quickly.

        1. Yeah, and they all seem to have forgotten all. Instead Alonso is still reminded of Singapure at every GP by these “journos”.
          Don´t think they will remind him overtaking the safety car if he wins the WDC by less than 18 points, will they??

          1. Well Hamilton did get a penalty for that. Besides which making the kind of mistake Hamilton did is hardly the same thing as having your team mate pull over to let you win a race.

            Anyway we covered all that at the time here: https://www.racefans.net/2010/06/29/fia-must-learn-from-valencia-shambles/

            1. Keith, topic of a different nature. Can you please explain to me why are all my posts awaiting moderation?

              Thank you.

            2. Got a glitch in the comments system which is affecting a minority of users – mentioned in the round-up this morning:

              https://www.racefans.net/2010/09/10/f1-fanatic-round-up-1092010/

      2. Karun Chandhok? Because he’s lovely, that’s why.

        1. best response ever

      3. Don’t forget that “Journos” of any nationality are out to sell papers. Of course they’re going to ask these sorts of questions because that’s what makes for a contentious story.

        As for all the comments above being British journos…well Keith’s hardly going to publish questions and answers in Italian or Spanish on his English website is he!!

        (Also, I doubt the Italian or Spanish press will care now that their team and their driver have won).

        1. The press conference was conducted in English. I only included the questions relating to the team orders hearing in this article.

    3. The thing i find most depressing is he still counts Singapore as a win and he’ll clain Germany as a win too. At least Shumacher KNEW he’d benefited from team orders.

    4. Q: (Byron Young) Isn’t talent an ingredient of being a great champion?
      FA: Of course

      haha, that was funny! Like Fernando Alonso needs talent… what was Byron suggesting there?

      1. Well, Byron questions were great and clearly brought out the worst in Alonso.

        On a question previous to the one you pointed out, Fernando was clearly suggesting that points is the only and true method that determines if the driver is worthy to be a champion. While mathematically that is works, he didn’t say anything about talent, being quick, consistent, reliable .. etc etc.

        If that is the case, then Alonso “only” cares about points, and he doest care how he receives them. So its only logical to ask the the question that follows.

        1. Maybe that’s because he knows it’s only a business, not a sport :-( So it’s easier to just count the points gathered with whatever means possible and decide on a winner.

      2. It takes talent to overtake your teammate fairly.

        It doesnt take talent to be told by your team to turn the engine up to give you a power advantage over your teammate and still not be able to overtake your teammate until you whinge to your team to get him to move out of the way.

        1. so Schumacher is not talented?

          1. I don’t believe he’s as talented behind the wheel as the records books make him look.

            He is extremely talented at pushing his own agenda on a team.

            He is also extremely talented at bending rules and generally behaving in a very unsportmanslike way (I’m phrasing it nicely to say the least).

            One talent I do think he has more than most is his ability to help the engineers develop the car.

            1. But i think he is really talented behind the wheel as well. Just he less needed it when he was able to forge the team around him to make his job easier (and boring to a lot of fans, like me).

              I enjoyed seeing him drive to amazing fictories in the dry, from the back, in the wet etc. Not the Ferrari 2001-2004 show.

            2. Oh I’m not saying that he’s not a talented driver, he clearly is. One of the better in the field no doubt. Just that the 7 championships make it look like he was in a league of his own, which on driving talent alone I don’t believe is the case.

              On a level playing field with equal cars and equal oppurtunities (i.e. no team order/favouritism/tactics or whatever you want to call it) then I the records books would probably look quite different.

      3. Needs talent? Or just his engine turned up higher?
        Quoting FIA:

        “Mr. Alonso increased his engine speed without Mr Felipe Massa’s being informed. Mr Fernando Alonso was therefore benefiting from a definite performance advantage over Mr Felipe Massa in the moments preceding the contentious overtaking.”

        Seems like the great Alonso catch up that ‘proved’ he was faster than Massa was actually all part of the Ferrari pantomime too…

    5. Is Button pulling over for Lewis, no. Is Webber pulling over for Vettel, no, they are racing. Dont try and make out that Mclaren fuel saving is team orders, they are simply holding station not actually swapping places to help the other driver. The facts are simple, Alonso has all the help he wants from his team mate where as the other title contenders do not. Button and rubens also raced hard all season last year. If Massa has anything about him he will leave Ferrari and go to a team where he can race.For me any driver who plays number two has lost it. Massa was fighting for a title a few years ago and now look at him. F1 has a nack of constantly p_s_ing the fans off. Im a Lewis fan simply because I think he is the best driver but i would not be happy if Button was moving over for him, it would down grade the title im my eyes and i would guess in Lewis’s eyes to. Just because it used to happen in th early years means nohing, we are in a different era and expect better. If they lift the ban and next year we have drivers switching places then ill be switching off. Who really wants to see that?

    6. Respect everything as we do and don’t worry.Fernando Alonso

      Ahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

      Respect. Right. Kind of like how you respect yourself above all others? We should just do that then should we?

    7. How can anyone seriously be a fan of a man with morals and character of Fernando Alonso?

      1. Many of his current fans will have hated him 3 and 4 years ago and now love him, so I’m guessing his lack of integrity doesn’t come into it.

        1. Magnificent Geoffrey
          10th September 2010, 2:45

          I wouldn’t exactly say that I was a fan, but I had a ton of respect for Fernando after what he did in 2005/06, but ever since the ’07 season the respect that I had for him has evaporated.

        2. @Glenn. The same way people can look up to drivers like Schumacher and Senna.

          What driver with a solid conscience do you support? Rubens?

      2. Do you personally know him? Or do you get that from the “neutral” british press. They have been harassing him since his year in McLaren,and make him look like the “bad one” in every situation they can. If you ask me, I think Fernando is a shy guy, too passionate sometimes, but definetely a good guy. But hey,I don’t know him personally either. Oh, and just to remind you, the only driver sanctioned by the FIA for lying is Lewis Hamilton, and that doesn’t say much about his moral either.

        1. Can I say, as a British person who writes a website about F1, I don’t believe I treat Alonso differently to any other driver.

          And if you think the kind of questioning he got from some reporters yesterday was any different to that Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and others have received over the years, that’s just plain wrong.

          1. Keith you’re articles are usually as impartial as they come.

            But the mainstream media can be an absolute discrace when covering F1. Often they only try to pander to its readers predjudices about the sport and its participants. And thats not just the ‘whinging Spaniard’ or ‘cheating Ferrari’ articles. Last year when Button was off the pace they were quick to bring out the uninformed ‘F1 is only about the car’ articles.

            Never do they try to educate their readers that it’s a deeply complex team sport in which every team on the grid pushes the boundaries of the rules.

          2. Keith, your articles are great and mostly neutral. But thats what makes your site stand out.

            The British media declared war on Alonso the second he fought Lewis at Macca. Since then they have made him into the evil super villain in order to make their articles and stories more interesting.

            Even the BBC commentators and presenters have branded Alonso at times. Every time they mention Alonso during a race, they have something negative to say about him. “hot headed Spaniard fuming inside his cockpit”.

            Every sport needs a good guy and a bad guy. Alonso was the perfect bad guy as he was fighting against Lewis, who was the home boy goody two shoes.

            Every time an article about Alonso is put up, there are people like me who point out that the media has targeted him and all this “evil” and negative hype about him is artificialy created by the media. Do you honestly think that each and every time some one comments to complain about it, its just a coincidence? Truth is that a very large number of people have noticed the bias media machine.

            Yes we get it. Button and Lewis are the A-team super heroes. Alonso is the super villain and the other drivers are just fillers.

            Did anyone ever think that maybe Alonso answers questions and says things the way he says things because he struggles to speak english? Journalists take complete advantage of him by asking him questions he cannot express the answers to in the same “kind and honest” way that Lewis or Button might be able to do. Some times its easier for a non-english speaking person to just say “yes” and “no”.

            GAH! It just really annoys me.

            1. Just a quick question:

              Is Alonso Spanish? Is he hot headed? Has he been angry this year?

              What part of the BBCs description of Alonso is wrong?

              Sometimes the facts are the facts. He IS a hot headed Spaniard.

              True he does cop a beating from the press, and I think he pays a tremendous straight bat to some very antagonistic questions, but everyone has a job to do.

              Journalists need a story. Teams need publicity. Drivers have PR line to spin. Don’t make it personal. Its just business.

            2. You know, i just hate it when politicians talk about “the media” attacking them. And i think the same goes for sporters (and the ones supporting those claims).

              I expect those media to ask questions, especially the ones these guys and girls would rather not answer and inform us about what is really going on. That’s their job in our world.

              Alonso’s English is as good as anyones, as he has lived in England from his teenage years onwards at least for 8 years before moving out after his second WDC.

              Sure, Alonso probably makes quite a lot of journalists dig a lot, but that’s at leas partly because he is so good at avoiding answering!
              Not saying brits (or Hamilton fans) have a bit of a bad feeling about him after 2007, but i am not sure about the Brazillians as well because of Singapore 2008 and now Hockenheim. The spanish press on the other hand are often too much of blind support for Alonso, so it evens out on a bigger scale.

    8. maestrointhesky
      10th September 2010, 0:47

      If the single most important thing under consideration is the promotion of more overtaking, then team orders is one way of doing it.

      I recorded the German GP because I couldn’t watch it live. Before I could watch it, I found out what happened during the race. The first thing I did when I got home was delete it without watching. I’m not going to waste my time watching contrived manoeuvres that ultimately don’t mean anything! I hope the Macca’s and the Red Bulls spank Ferrari into third place in both championships. At least we will see good clean (if somewhat clumsy at times) racing till the end!

      Every time I hear Fernando Al ‘also’ speak it astounds me I can muster up even more disdain! I had so much respect for him when he first went to McLaren!

    9. Ron in Michigan
      10th September 2010, 2:09

      The devolution of a great racer, right before our very eyes.

    10. Alonso in my opinion pretty much hit the self destruct button when stuff started to go wrong at McLaren. I had so much respect for the guy especially when he moved to McLaren as they are my favorite team. He’s no role model. He’s a loser. Sorry for the harsh remarks everyone.

      1. I agree that 2007 onwards, his career took a turn for the worse. And mentally, he will never be as strong as he was in 05 and 06. I also agree that he is not a role model, but that is exactly what I like about him. He is not a role model, media friendly, and sponsor bred F1 driver like Lewis. He just says what he feels, and does whatever he likes. I find him a much more interesting personality as compared to Lewis and Jenson. Additionally, I feel F1 is nothing without a character like him, just as every story is nothing without an antagonist.

      2. I’ve always been a fan of Alonso too. Already when h was driving for Minardi. I remember him fighting with Verstappen in Germany. Indeed, I also expected great things when he moved to McLaren.

        It all went wrong though. He seems broken now. Maybe the beating he got from Hamilton broke his confidence?

        Suddenly he makes tons of mistakes and he doesn’t show any real motivation anymore.

        It’s like he simply feels that he deserves the WDC and it should just be handed to him.

    11. No matter whatever he says he won’t be a worthy champion in my book.

      1. Schumacher is not a worthy champ in my book..
        but then again.. what difference do our books make?

        1. I think both are worthy champions. Just a bit off in the last years after that.

    12. “…this is the way it was throughout the history of Formula One and other sports as well: in football, in the Premier League, in tennis etc.”

      Can anyone think of an instance in the Premier League or tennis where a team has been found guilty of match fixing, but hasn’t been punished? In other sports, it is not acceptable to rig the outcome of a sporting competition.

      In cricket, the Pakistanis are facing criminal charges for match fixing.

      In snooker, John Higgins was found not guilty of match fixing, but still got a six month ban because he didn’t inform the relavant authorities.

      In athletics, drug taking cheats get banned for LIFE.

      So, Fernando, in what way is that just the way it is?

      1. Well when Hekki let Lewis past, they weren’t punished.

      2. Several tennis players have admitted to tanking.

        Plus people often pull out of doubles matches in order to concentrate on a singles tournament.

        I’m no fan of team orders, but tennis is the wrong sport to use as an example.

    13. alonso when mclaren do like what ferrari do in germany, i think that will be punish for 4 years in f1 ferrari can do anything, maybe they have own man in office … yes they have jean todt

    14. ferrari always hate mclaren i dont now why austria 2002 ferrai nothing mclaren 2008 hamilton ron dennis baf punish 1 mistake and mclaren go ferrari 100 mistakes nothing

    15. Just read a comment by Massa, talking about his ‘little’ run off the road in second practice. “I was trying to copy Kimi” he says. Made me laugh, got to be F1 driver comment of the day!.

    16. alonso’s becoming the HHH of f1

    17. If anyone wants to see a favorable comments on Alonso, better switch to a spanish website now.

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