Rudimentary Ramblings

A lot of people may not realise this but it has been 6 years since that Spanish speed demon, Alonso that is, planted his rear end into the seat of an F1 car for the first time. Like a lot of racers he started at the bottom, racing for the forever-minnows, Minardi. Then in 2002 he got a seat test-driving for Renault. In 2003 he was bumped up to racing driver and the rest as they say is history. However, for the Tifosi in me, he shall always be the man who ruined Michael Schumacher's retirement. He will always be the man whose picture I throw darts at. The man whose defeat in 2007 I celebrated more than I did Raikkonen's victory.

The bickering and squabbling over at the McLaren camp has again highlighted the biggest problem with McLaren. An F1 paddock may be big enough to fit two world class drivers and their cars but it will never accommodate their egos. A fact proven by McLaren when they hired Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in 1988 and again when they got Raikkonen and Montoya together in 2005. As Michael Schumacher very correctly stated, there is only one number one driver. With this power struggle there is always one clear loser. Montoya left F1 to join NASCAR (I guess he didn't like taking corners too much). And now Alonso has left McLaren for an uncertain future.

2007 also exposed an ugly side of the Spaniard. The world saw him for the prick who he really is. A grown man who cried like a baby because he couldn't bear to have the spotlight taken away from him and put onto a mere rookie who was in his first year as a F1 racer. How dare you Lewis??? And give Fernando his candy back too!! And now it seems no one wants this spoilt child. After all would you? No one will except perhaps a Mr. Flavio Briatore. The man who made Schumacher. The person who gave Alonso his first break. The one running things over at Renault. So may be the sun hasn't quite set on old Alonso. Muy buena!!

However its been more than a year since Renault showed some spunk. They spent 2007 sputtering. Fighting it out more often with the Torro Rossos than the rosso red Ferraris. However, a year is millenium in F1. There is nothing to stop Renault from making a car as superior as the one they had last year. But somehow I feel they wouldn't be able to pull it off. My gut still tells me that Renault will be battling it out in the middle of the pack rather than waging a war at the front with the Ferraris and McLarens.

Of course it is definitely plausible that he may join some team other than Renault but which? Ferrari? Of course not.. they have a good thing going on. He may do better by joining the likes of Williams or BMW but are they good enough to get him the third championship he so badly desires. I doubt it. From where Alonso is he has only one way to go... down. Once you are down that road in F1 its hard finding a way back up.