Alonso has Honda seat fitting (Rumour!)

[three-m]

Fernando Alonso spent an entire day at Honda's Brackley factory this week and even had a seat fitting, reports from Germany on Thursday said.

The publication said Alonso would take the place of Rubens Barrichello; the Brazilian veteran who would move to Honda's satellite team Super Aguri in 2008 as Takuma Sato's new team-mate.

interesting.....i guess flavio couldn't get his sh*t straight

3m

[Ed]

While this rumour has been denied by Honda, from the moment Ross Brawn signed with the team it became a logical place for Alonso to go to. It gives him a new challenge.

And I don't think Barrichello's performance last year was convincing enough to retain him.

[mlittle]

Maybe its' just me.......but I still don't see Alonso going to Honda for 2008, even with Brawn's addition to the team; I still think, barring a deal at Red Bull, that when the green waves in Melbourne in 2008, Alonso will be back at Renault(why he left for McLaren is still a mystery to me.............. )

[Ed]

Alonso signed for McLaren in 2005 just after winning his first championship with Renault. At the time there were some serious concerns about Renault wanting to continue in Formula 1.
If one looks at how Renault performed in 2007 and compare that to McLaren then one has to say that it was the right decision!

Also at the time, McLaren was very unreliable. They rarely built a slow car but for years they have been building unreliable cars yet in 2007 it was nearly bullet proof!!

This year it was McLaren who lost the title due to their internal problems, had it been Ferrari, Williams or even a team that never won a championship before they would have won the title.

I don't want to give Alonso more credit than he deserves but he seems the type that knows what he wants and has some ability to read into the furture. (Perhaps it is luck!!)

[three-m]

i guess the bigger question is why is he so hell bent on only a 1 year deal?? based on what might happen in '09???

Mclaren we know he's not going back there ever unless Ron sells out
Ferrari kimi and masa are locked up through 2009
BMW possibility..definite stability and no B.S. there
do the rest of the constructor's really stand a fighting chance to bridge thier performance gap in the next 2 season's


unless he humble's himself and grab's a ride w/ a lesser team

3m

[Julian Mayo]

Alonso will be wearing red in '09

[Ed]

Alonso will be wearing red in '09

What is this based on Julian ? I know many sites are reporting this but none explain why ?
Ferrari renewed Massa until end of 2010. Raikkonen is on contract until end of 2009. So in 2009 for Alonso to drive for Ferrari they will have to break a contract and if that is the case then why not break it for 2008.

I think the media have come up with this theory just to try and explain why Alonso wants a 1 year. Well perhaps he wants a 1 year to get a better feel of the team he drives for and then sign a longer term agreement.

Perhaps Julian meant Toyota

[Julian Mayo]

Alonso will be wearing red in '09

What is this based on Julian ? I know many sites are reporting this but none explain why ?
Ferrari renewed Massa until end of 2010. Raikkonen is on contract until end of 2009. So in 2009 for Alonso to drive for Ferrari they will have to break a contract and if that is the case then why not break it for 2008.

I think the media have come up with this theory just to try and explain why Alonso wants a 1 year. Well perhaps he wants a 1 year to get a better feel of the team he drives for and then sign a longer term agreement.

Perhaps Julian meant Toyota

Cousin Bernice says Ferrari. I, for one , am not silly enough to argue.
IMHO Ferrari have begun to prepare the ground for breaking Massa's contract at the end of next year, by leaking little tidbits.........eg"Massa not happy at losing driver aids".
If Alonso does replace Barrichello for 08, Massa will be given the opportunity for a straight swap in '09, if he wishes to continue.

[Ed]

So you think Alonso & Raikkonen can be teammates ?

Remember that Raikkonen insisted Michael leave if he were to drive for Ferrari. But even if Raikkonen accepts, by Alonso's behaviour at McLaren, I doubt it it would happen.

Isn't it also too odd for Ferrari to sign Massa for 3 years knowing they will be breaking the contract in a year ?

[Lloyd]

I know this will sound a little bit like "the world is really flat" to people who are from outer space. But what ever happened to the idea that was tossed around a while back about teams running" 3 " cars. Could you imagine Kimi , Masso & Fandango screaming around on the same track in Red cars. Hmmmmm..
But yeah where does this 1 year contract talk come from also?

[Julian Mayo]

So you think Alonso & Raikkonen can be teammates ?

Remember that Raikkonen insisted Michael leave if he were to drive for Ferrari. But even if Raikkonen accepts, by Alonso's behaviour at McLaren, I doubt it it would happen.

Isn't it also too odd for Ferrari to sign Massa for 3 years knowing they will be breaking the contract in a year ?

JB set the trend in making contracts worthless, nothing has changed since.
IMHO Kimi would relish the chance to take on Alonso in equal cars. I think the best of Kimi will now emerge, with his title win behind him.
The Scuderia would not tolerate McLarenesque behaviour from Alonso, and I think Alonso is too smart to try that again

[Ed]

So you think Alonso & Raikkonen can be teammates ?

Remember that Raikkonen insisted Michael leave if he were to drive for Ferrari. But even if Raikkonen accepts, by Alonso's behaviour at McLaren, I doubt it it would happen.

Isn't it also too odd for Ferrari to sign Massa for 3 years knowing they will be breaking the contract in a year ?

JB set the trend in making contracts worthless, nothing has changed since.
IMHO Kimi would relish the chance to take on Alonso in equal cars. I think the best of Kimi will now emerge, with his title win behind him.
The Scuderia would not tolerate McLarenesque behaviour from Alonso, and I think Alonso is too smart to try that again

If that is the case though, Alonso would sign a 3 year deal with anyone only to break it in a year! But Alonso would be too smart for that

I don't want to take anything away from Kimi but it was a completely unexpected win and I do beleive that it is McLaren who lost it.
I think it was about time luck turned his way though!

[Julian Mayo]

So you think Alonso & Raikkonen can be teammates ?

Remember that Raikkonen insisted Michael leave if he were to drive for Ferrari. But even if Raikkonen accepts, by Alonso's behaviour at McLaren, I doubt it it would happen.

Isn't it also too odd for Ferrari to sign Massa for 3 years knowing they will be breaking the contract in a year ?

JB set the trend in making contracts worthless, nothing has changed since.
IMHO Kimi would relish the chance to take on Alonso in equal cars. I think the best of Kimi will now emerge, with his title win behind him.
The Scuderia would not tolerate McLarenesque behaviour from Alonso, and I think Alonso is too smart to try that again

If that is the case though, Alonso would sign a 3 year deal with anyone only to break it in a year! But Alonso would be too smart for that

I don't want to take anything away from Kimi but it was a completely unexpected win and I do beleive that it is McLaren who lost it.
I think it was about time luck turned his way though!

I don't think Alonso can afford to tread on too many more toes......hence no 3 yr contracts.
I agree that McLaren lost it, and Kimi made the most of it. But, now that he has secured his first crown, methinks a quicker Kimi might be seen

[Jim Watt]

So good to hear the rumors flying around. I keep looking (in F1 magazine and in Autosport) for some kind of 'guidance' from the F1 wizards as to what the hell is happening with 2-Time-WDC Fernando Alonso? And all I get is assurances that next year some chap named Hamilton will be making everyone in F1 eat his dust. It's so bad that Bishop, who had been the editor of F1, is now going to WORK FOR McLaren! So it's hard to believe the chaps at his old workplace are going to have much to say about red cars.

Nobody I have talked to here in Indy has a clue what Alonso either will do or even is LIKELY to do!!

Lacking a cousin who lives in Maranello (as Julian, apparently has), I have no source to call on but this forum.

Now, as many have pointed out, Fernando has had problems in the past with team-mates out qualifying him. And granted he was hardly 'exemplary' with regard to public relations in '07. But he still is OBVIOUSLY the only driver on the grid who beat Michael Schumacher (for two years running!!) while driving a car built in FRANCE. And he was still in contention for the WDC at the last race in Brazil this year, this time driving a car built in England. WDC's NOT driving red cars tend to relish beating them, but they always know that when they're beaten it was the car that beat them, not the driver. So.

It is hard to believe that he doesn't want to drive a red car. And it is hard to believe that, given the chance, he would say no to Ferrari.

From which, I conclude, Ferrari have not given him the opportunity.

So it makes a certain amount of sense for him to take Honda up on their offer. And to keep it confidential as long as possible.

Why? you say?

Marketing my dear chaps (and ladies). Here's an elementary marketing concept: never let the competition know what you're planning. It keeps your name in the buyer's minds even as they drop the cash for a competitor's product. And as long as your name is high on everyone's list, your price can stay UP!

And second. When you DO go on the market, always have a 'fall back' excuse, should the numbers not reinforce your value. Thus, if Fernando wins as many as four races in '08 while driving for Honda, that, along with a few other podium finishes, would make him easily the most market-able chap in F1. His reputation would be, if anything, even HIGHER than it was while he was beating Michael, no matter who ends up WDC in '08.

And if he DOESN'T get any podiums, no one will blame him; they'll blame the car!!

AND he'll put a lot of money away for his retirement fund AND still be a VERY attractive driver to just about the entire grid. Here's my list of teams that would LOVE to have Fernando Alonso on just about any terms he chose: Renault, Ferrari, Williams, BMW Sauber, Red Bull, Toyota and Honda.

On the other hand. Should he sit out the '08 season, he'll be no more attractive than any other 'proven winner' (and there are ALWAYS 'proven winners' in F1!!) and the people who invest in F1 drivers will be, in '09 'looking to the future' chasing folks like Kubica, Heikki K., and Nico (Lewis H. being 'locked in' and McLaren until Ron D. retires).

And what about Sebastian V.? and Bourdais? Should either of them have a win in '08 their stock will also rise enormously.

F1 drivers always have to keep an eye on the rear view mirror because there is always somebody there, gaining on you. And Alonso is no longer the young gun; he's the driver wearing the bull's eye.

Cheers and a Merry Christmas to you all!

Jim Watt

[three-m]

well it appear's as though this thread can be closed now hehe
blue and yellow for the spaniard for the next 2 years
3m