Fernando Alonso Indifferent?

Read an article published in www.crash.net, in which Fernando stated - "Don't Call Me Indifferent".

He said:

“At points in the past, when I said I was going to win, people said I was arrogant,” the 26-year-old reasoned, “and now it is said that I am indifferent if I am in the opposite position.

“If this is the case it is because I try to be as honest as possible with the public.”

The full article is available in the following link:

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/162716-0/alonso_dont_call_me_indifferent.html

I can only imagine how frustrating it is to have your every eyebrow twitch, every sneeze, every word uttered analysed and have conclusions (particularly the wrong ones,) drawn publicly.

However, in the case of Fernando, it is almost a blessing and a curse to have such constant strong interest in him. Compare him to Fisico, for example. Who has the time to write about Fernando's ex-team mate?

The blessing is that, it keeps Fernando in the limelight. As a public personality, it just shows how strong his personal brand is. It shows what an asset he will be to any potential sponsor, because if he decides to become an Ambassador for any cause (i.e. Renault,) it ensures that the name Renault will get the most optimum exposure to the public each time he gets mentioned anywhere.

This enigmatic quality, the "IT" factor, has to be carefully managed and controlled, if it were to be utilised in a way that ensures a win-win situation, both for the Brand Ambassador and the Brand he represents. Not everyone captures THIS much media attention, and Fernando is indeed special in this respect.

However, the personal cost can be significant. It can lead to this no-win scenarios, which leads to a lot of frustration. In Fernando's case, it is even more stressful as there does not seem to be room for grey areas. There is no ambivalence in the court of public opinion for him. The fans that love him can see him do no wrong. But for every fan, there is also a detractor, convinced that he can do no right.

I empathise with Fernando. He must be thinking - "all I want to do is race to the best of my ability, can people just PLEASE give me some room to be human?"

My hope is that Fernando knows that he can only be true to himself. If he allows himself to be judged in the court of public opinion, he can never do anything right.

Having said that, control and restraint is very much the order of the day. Do not play into the hands of the media. Do not give them more ammunition than necessary.

Ross Brawn's Vote of Confidence...

I have always loved Ross Brawn and the day he left Ferrari was a sad day for me indeed.

Now I have another reason why I love the guy. In an article published in http://www.f1sa.com/, he stated that Montezemolo's comments earlier regarding Fernando and Kimi is in no way a signal saying that Ferrari would never hire Fernando. It just means that having 2 lead drivers is never a good way of running an F1 team (quoting Prost-Senna, as well as Fernando-Lewis as examples.)

He went on to say that when Honda produces a WCC car:

"We will have to have one of the best drivers."

"I am not saying we want Alonso, I am just saying that, currently, there are two or three drivers that are above the level of the rest, and Alonso is one of them."

The article can be read at the following link:

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1522&Itemid=156

Again, I think the reporters wouldn't be doing their job if they do not ask Fernando what he thinks of Ross Brawn's statement. They would probably then ask, if Fernando sees himself at Honda in 2009. Or, is Honda one of his preferred teams after Renault? What are the chances that he will join Honda with Ross Brawn there?

I think this is a MINEFIELD! It's potentially dangerous to answer any of the questions above or add fire to the speculations.

Fernando did very well this past weekend. The headlines that say "Alonso Keeps His Own Counsel" and "Alonso Positive Despite Early Finish" are so much better than "Improve or I am Gone.." and "Fernando Alonso Frustrated by Lack of Options," for example.

Let's go with "Alonso Keeps His Own Counsel" for now. I would advise addressing those questions along the following lines:

- Thank Brawn for what he said and perhaps add that Ross Brawn is held in very high esteem and his kind words are appreciated.

- However, for now, it's time to continue to dive in and work with Renault to ensure that improvements to R-28 continue to happen. For this to happen, the drivers and the engineering team need to work closely together if we are to be in the position to challenge BMW or the leaders of the pack.

- To add to team morale, add "I am proud to be a part of the Renault team that has worked so hard to provide us with a competitive car and I am proud of what we have accomplished here for now."

I think this should be the line to be adopted in facing such questions from any press, English or Spanish. Do not open any room for "mis"interpretation. Fernando has done so well this past week, let's open more doors towards selling Brand "Fernando Alonso".

Err.. I got Distracted... What was I Saying???

The epitome of yummyness? Great shot!

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.

Counting Down to Catalunya

It has been a whirlwind week - major decisions made have to be revisited. I wonder if we ever know if we make the "right" decisions? It is something that I am grappling with and it will continue to bother me as we go into May, 2008.

I am counting down to the Spanish GP, which will be held this weekend in Catalunya Circuit.

Testing had gone well with Renault last week, and we all heard what Fernando and Pat Symonds had had to say about the upgrades. I hope the Spanish GP will go well for the team and that they will get more points for 2008.

Last week, I finally joined the ING-Renault F1 Team Fan site. It is great to be among those who also believe in Fernando and his abilities. Sometimes, I get really frustrated posting in some forums because there are fanatic fans who are intent on bashing drivers. IMHO, if not for drivers and their quirks and characteristics, F1 would be a dead sport. An example is Kimi Raikkonen. It has been pointed by some forumers that Kimi lacks personality - isn't it obvious that it is precisely the fact that Kimi is so different - quiet, understated, almost a "flat" character in any Dickensian novel, that makes his position as reigning WDC unique? We don't expect flat characters in novels to become heroes. But, Kimi proves that, in his case, life does not imitate literature.

F1 is a beautiful sport. We can enjoy watching it without having any feeling of hatred towards any driver. I am biased towards Fernando, but that is my preference. After what happened last year, yes, there is a little bias against Hamilton in my heart. But, I am not saying that he could never be a WDC in the future. He IS talented. If not, he wouldn't be there in McLaren. However, in my mind, Alonso is one of the best that I have seen - after Senna - ok if you count those missing years when I stopped watching F1 after Senna's death. because I missed seeing some drivers rise to the top then.

However, we all need some grip of reality and perspective of the whole situation. It's the new year, new season, a new ball game. Let's just enjoy F1 at its finest.

More Fernando Ferrari Rumour

Just read this article today:

http://www.f1way.com/news/2008/april/16/ferrari-renault-to-battle-for-alonso

The interesting statement was from Luca Colajanni, the excerpt is as follows:

Diario AS reports that Ferrari's high profile press officer Luca Colajanni met for a media lunch with Italian journalists this week.

Asked about Alonso's famous personality, he is quoted as saying: "Fernando is an intelligent and professional driver who always knows what he wants to say."

As much as the thought of Fernando going to Ferrari puts my heart into my mouth (my favourite F1 driver driving for my favourite team,) I know that I should not put my hopes up too much - what with Massa being signed till 2010 and Kimi being the top driver there.

My opinion, for all that it's worth is that Fernando should let other people talk about the Ferrari rumour and not comment on it anymore. The backlash from the media each time he says something about Ferrari is just not worth it. Further comments in the positive of this rumour will also have an adverse impact on the morale of the current team.

Let others do the PR work for you, like in the case above!

Ted Kravitz Apologises

It must have been while I was on my no-internet, no techie gadget break that the apology from Ted Kravitz of ITV came through. I didn't see it until it was pointed out by someone else on another forum. This was on his allegation of Fernando "brake testing" Hamilton during the Bahrain GP.

The link to the said article is posted below:

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Ted_Kravitz&id=42286

He stated that:

So while noting that it’s not such a daft suggestion, I have to apologise to Alonso for implying that he might have done something like that on this occasion. Come on, Fernando, you know we like you really.

He also stated that brake-testing, lifting are all part of "a driver's armoury...in front of someone trying to overtake them." He then went on to quote a few examples - Fernando vs Robert Doornbos in Hungary 2 years ago, and Kimi vs Hamilton in Interlagos. This, he adjudicates, makes it right for him to assume that Fernando did the same in Bahrain.

OK, Ted - yes, yes, you can make all the excuses in the world to justify why you said what you said during a "live" coverage. The point is, you accused someone of guilt with no proof - it's a case of giving a dog a bad name and hanging him, and really - as a professional, you should know better!

Anyway - as it turns out, you actually did Fernando and his fans a favour. The bias that was there but never acknowledged was brought out in the open. Maybe in future, Fernando will get the fair coverage in English speaking media that he deserves. Also, kudos to you for having the integrity to actually apologise publicly... which is more than can be said of other biased F1 commentators.