Brand "Fernando Alonso": Part 1

I am worried. Seriously worried. I think the time has come for Fernando to take a long, hard, look at the management of the "Alonso" brand.

He has fans. A LOT of fans. Trust me, I have been hanging around A LOOOOT of forums to gauge sentiments and how they feel about him. A LOT of fans and not just those based in Spain. However, he also has a lot of people who has a lot of things to say against him, which is not so nice. OK that is normal for anyone, but Fernando has some quarters of the Anglo-speaking media who is not looking to show him in the best light, and those who are hell-bent on Alonso-bashing, they are only too happy to join the bandwagon.

Why should Fernando care? I agree. As an F1 driver, his job is to drive hard, drive well and score points for himself and the team. At this moment in time, he is with a team that he gets along well with, but they are just not delivering the car that he needs to excel. This is the crunch and I think we all know that he has the following options:

Option 1:

stay with Renault, grit his teeth through this difficult year, and work with the team on developing a championship winning car for next year; then work with them to deliver the goods in 2009.

Option 2:

Leave Renault for a team that can promise him a winning car next year.

The options are known by all - so I don't think it needs to be said anymore. Why? The more said about this, the backlash will be more and more significant.

Example: Media Backlash 1

While Fernando has been really good about saying how he enjoys being with the team, the media has smelt blood when he kept talking about how bad the performance of R-28 is. That is ALL that is making the headlines - Alonso says that the Renault car is bad (with various interpretations and repetitions, all over.)

Example: Media Backlash 2

The coverage in the past few days has been stepped up a bit, "Alonso is threatening to walk out of Renault for another team, unless he gets a better car."

Example: Media Backlash 3

Then Luca di Montezemolo said Ferrari doesn't see Kimi/Alonso pairing as the option, not unless he wants to jeopardize the team. He said a LOT of other things, but this captured the headlines everywhere.

The Impact:

1. The team will be under SIGNIFICANT pressure to perform and produce the best car that they can for Fernando, (which is good, pressure can be good.) However, what if the car continues to lag behind other mid-fielders? What then?
2. My worry is that, by continuing to criticize the performance of the car, Fernando is also playing into the hands of the media, which could go a long way towards jeopardizing the good relationship that he has with Renault and the sponsors. No employer likes employees who continuously criticize their product, (and threatening to walk out.)
3. With Luca saying what he said, the media will obviously be quoting only the part about Alonso/Kimi pairing will jeopardise the team. The whole article was written alluding to McLaren-Fernando debacle last year.

The potential fall out:

1. Demotivation among Renault team members who work so hard, and yet not produce the kind of car that is competitive enough for Fernando to win and score points;
2. Due to the bad publicity played out in the media - Fernando's image will be seen as a driver who complains a lot, and threatens to walk out when things don't suit him, altogether immature and disruptive to the team environment.
3. This will place Fernando in a Catch-22 situation - Renault team demotivated and is deemed as not superior enough for a driver of his calibre; yet
4. Other more competitive teams don't see him as a good team player to take him on.
5. Fernando could be in a worse position compared to when he left McLaren last year.

As an avid fan, I am seriously concerned and feel that Fernando needs to really take a long hard look at how to handle the rather sensitive situation that he is in for now. I have a few thoughts, but need to go for a meeting soon. Will continue with part 2 soon.