Doing my usual rounds today to check out the latest news on Fernando, I came across the article titled "Can Alonso Rise Again?" in ITV Talkback section.
To read this article please click on the link below:
What interested me were the responses from most of the readers, most of whom are based in the UK. Out of 15 responses, 13 were positive. The readers acknowledge his skills and talent, and his strength of character. These people are sure that he will rise again. (Though, not many are confident that he would stay with Renault post 2008 season.) From reading various F1 forums, I always had this nagging feeling that Fernando is not getting the respect that he deserves from the Anglo-world. From reading the responses here, I stand corrected.
There are die-hard fans of teams, such as Ferrari or McLaren who support the teams, and whoever happens to drive for the team. In my case, I have always been a Ferrari supporter. It's hard not to support Ferrari, they are consistent and the display of team-spirit there is great. Just seeing the red cars make me smile internally. However, I don't really like Felipe Massa - don't know why... I never did resonate with the guy. He is an ok driver, but I believe that if not for the might of the Ferrari engine, Massa would be a misnomer at the back of the field.
Alonso on the other hand - it doesn't matter to me which team he is with. If he stays with Renault this year, and ends not in the top 10 of the table - it is fine. It will be disappointing of course, but all the great drivers have had bad seasons. At least he had a year of introspection, and racing without pressure. It's racing for the heck of it - and that is, I think the best kind of racing.
Of course, in an ideal world, he would also stay at Renault for 2009, hopefully his input would result in a better, more competitive car and he will be up there, challenging Kimi and Kubica for the WDC. However, if the pace of development and budget allocation make rapid progress unlikely, I don't think anyone would blame him if he goes to another team.
F1 drivers do not become F1 drivers just to make up the numbers. The challenge is to be the fastest and the best. If the development process in Renault is too slow, if Renault is not capable of showing their commitment towards staying in F1 for the long term with a justified amount of money spent for research and development, at the end of the day, Fernando needs to go to greener pastures. He is much too talented to be wasting away in the midfield. We all understand that!
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