F1 Alonso not 100% comfortable at McLaren

[wltsm]

Fernando Alonso has revealed that he has not felt truly comfortable at McLaren since joining the Woking squad last winter.
Although he has won two races this season, the double world champion unexpectedly trails his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the points standings and has made an uncharacteristic number of driving errors.

In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, Alonso admitted that he is finding it hard having a British team-mate in a British team – but said he had never expected it to be an easy situation.
“From the first moment, I wasn’t comfortable with everything,” he said.
“I'm in an English team, with an English team-mate who is doing a brilliant job.

"We knew that all the support and help would be going to him.
“I understood that from the start and I’m not complaining about it.”

The British media has hailed Hamilton as F1's new superstar and tended to overlook Alonso, but the Spaniard is philosophical about the hype.

"I am indifferent to it," he said.

"We know how they are and luckily the Spanish press have a little more respect than the English do."

Despite his misgivings, Alonso remains confident that his title chances are still good.
“I’m relaxed,” he said.
“I’m fine, though I know there is some impatience [due to] the way I arrived and how I am expected to dominate.
“I’m where I want to be and I have a clear chance of winning the title, which is what we want.”

Source = ITV F1

 

[Monster]

dam you beat me to it, another article from Alonso feels 'uncomfortable' at McLaren - Planet-F1 News - from planet-f1.com

Alonso feels `uncomfortable` at McLaren
Tuesday 12th June 2007

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World champion Fernando Alonso has "never felt totally comfortable" at McLaren since Lewis Hamilton was confirmed as his team-mate for the 2007 season.

Spanish racer Alonso joined McLaren from Renault after back-to-back drivers' championships but hinted he feels slightly sidelined by the arrival of a British driver at a British team.

Hamilton has so far outshone his team-mate, securing his first Formula One victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Sunday and leading the drivers' championship by eight points in a sensational rookie season.

Alonso told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser: "Well, right from the start I've never felt totally comfortable.

"I have a British team-mate in a British team, and he's doing a great job and we know that all the support and help is going to him and I understood that from the beginning.

"But I'm not complaining. I've won two races out of six and I've finished on the podium four times and I have those 40 points that will allow me to fight for the title in the end."

Alonso is still convinced he can overhaul Hamilton and win a third straight drivers' crown.

"I'm calm, I'm fine, but I know there's a certain impatience to return to the top and dominate.

"But I'm second in the championship, I'm eight points behind. I would be worse if I were at Renault, or Honda or any other team.

"At the moment I am where I expected to be and with a clear chance of winning the title in Brazil, and not now, in the sixth race."

He also seemed to suggest that the British media were fickle and had over-reacted to Hamilton's success.

"I'm totally indifferent to that. Those are the same journalists and newspapers that, if the safety car had come out on lap 23 instead of lap 24 when Hamilton didn't have enough fuel for another lap, would not have been able to say anything.

"The Spanish press has more respect than the British press."

I never had much respect for Alonso, he always manages to find ways to complain about things which didn't go his way.
The pressure is on and Alonso is starting to bitch again, not surprised.

 

[Deleted member 25]

That's why i can't support him.

 

[PanterroR]

"I have a British team-mate in a British team, and he's doing a great job and we know that all the support and help is going to him and I understood that from the beginning.

: : : :

I can't believe...

 

[chonkoa]

Nothing new.
Alonso kvetching as usual.

 

[Centurion]

Wow what a surprise. I never expected something like this to come out of his mouth.

 

[Monster]

Ron probably won't believe it as well

 

[RikfromBelgium]

mwahahaha, the arrogant POS. yeah that's why you're second mate, because he's brittish. Completely ignoring the fact MB invested millions with him in their advertising, that it's hamilton's first year, that he was hailed as the new nr1 World Champion driver for Mclaren ...

Seriously, I hope you crash.

 

[Deleted member 25]

Wow what a surprise. I never expected something like this to come out of his mouth.

It's something usual with him, he said much more BS last year.

 

[Centurion]

Hamilton is the one who should be whinnings. His salary is only a tiny fraction of Alonso's.

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Alonso should stop talking, stop with the kamikaze start maneuvres and start winning more races and/or points for the WDC.

Really disgracefull.

He should have either veto Hamilton out like Senna, or demand second rates team mates who now their place like Schumacher.
If he didn't, it's his fault, no need blab about it.

How 'bout if he terminates his McLaren contract go back Renault ?!

 

[450SEL6.9]

His first lap maneuvers are really Montoya-esque. However, his kamikaze dives may tell more about his own confidence level at the moment. Maybe he knows that he does not have Hamilton's race pace and will be thoroughly embarrassed. Alonso would look far worse if he stayed in 2nd on the first lap and Hamilton opened up a 20-sec. to him. Now, Alonso only looks like a kamikaze. If he was demolished, he would just look embarrassingly slow.

There is no question in my mind that Mclaren favours Hamilton. He has been in the Mclaren family. He is British, as is Mclaren, many employees (presumably) and Vodafone. There are probably many other latent internal reasons we don't hear. Before some flamer accuses me of being pro-Alonso, most of you who post in the F1 section already know I dislike Alonso deeply. But Alonso does have a point. I think his idiocy is his driving and not necessarily what he said today.

Take a look at it without a racing/sporting/F1 perspective. Favoritism, bias or whatever you want to call it is a natural human emotion. Parents and grandparents, despite their insistence that they love their children equally, favor one over the other. Always! Within companies, school classrooms, political parties, there are always favorites and perennial doghouse prisoners! If someone tells you that he has no favoritism, he's a liar who is trying to be diplomatic.

Everyone plays favorites! Do your parents love you and your sibling equally? If you have two pets, are they both truly equal to you? Does your boss treat you and a colleague doing the same job equally and without favoritism? What is so surprising about alleged favoritism within an operation the size of a F1 team? Sure, Alonso is seen as a whiner, but is his point that outrageous? I don't think so. It's certainly no more outrageous than what he said last year about Renault not wanting him to take the title and the No. 1 to Mclaren. At first glance, I thought Alonso was stupid to talk about the alleged favoritism, but the more I look at it, the less unreasonable it becomes.

 

[Centurion]

Yupp favoratism occurs everywhere around the globe and it's not unreasonable of Alonso to point it out, but my main problem is his timing. I find it really lame of him to bring it up two days after Hamilton wins his first GP. It is almost as if Alonso it using it as a excuse for not winning the race. I find it really wrong of him to do that especially since I respect him as a good driver.

Sure Hamilton is a son of Mclaren and Britain, meaning that is pretty natural that Mclaren cheers more when Hamilton stands on the podium. But I would find it absurd if Alonso doesn't get a much attention and care in the team. Mclaren signed him off Renault and are paying him an astronomical salary for crying out loud. I find it absurd that he would be mistreated or very noticabably receiving more attention than Hamilton.

 

[Zonda]

I really didn't expect this, not from Alonso

 

[Imhotep Evil]

His first lap maneuvers are really Montoya-esque. However, his kamikaze dives may tell more about his own confidence level at the moment. Maybe he knows that he does not have Hamilton's race pace and will be thoroughly embarrassed. Alonso would look far worse if he stayed in 2nd on the first lap and Hamilton opened up a 20-sec. to him. Now, Alonso only looks like a kamikaze. If he was demolished, he would just look embarrassingly slow.

There is no question in my mind that Mclaren favours Hamilton. He has been in the Mclaren family. He is British, as is Mclaren, many employees (presumably) and Vodafone. There are probably many other latent internal reasons we don't hear. Before some flamer accuses me of being pro-Alonso, most of you who post in the F1 section already know I dislike Alonso deeply. But Alonso does have a point. I think his idiocy is his driving and not necessarily what he said today.

Take a look at it without a racing/sporting/F1 perspective. Favoritism, bias or whatever you want to call it is a natural human emotion. Parents and grandparents, despite their insistence that they love their children equally, favor one over the other. Always! Within companies, school classrooms, political parties, there are always favorites and perennial doghouse prisoners! If someone tells you that he has no favoritism, he's a liar who is trying to be diplomatic.

Everyone plays favorites! Do your parents love you and your sibling equally? If you have two pets, are they both truly equal to you? Does your boss treat you and a colleague doing the same job equally and without favoritism? What is so surprising about alleged favoritism within an operation the size of a F1 team? Sure, Alonso is seen as a whiner, but is his point that outrageous? I don't think so. It's certainly no more outrageous than what he said last year about Renault not wanting him to take the title and the No. 1 to Mclaren. At first glance, I thought Alonso was stupid to talk about the alleged favoritism, but the more I look at it, the less unreasonable it becomes.

I sincerely doubt there would have been a 30 seconds gap. Alonso is still faster overall. He would have gotten pole had it not been for the "marble" problem in sector 3. But that's it, sh** happens.

After the first race, Alonso's family and friends decided to not watch F1 races at McLaren's motorhome because most of the team executives were looking forward for Alonso to make a mistake. Then I heard McLaren opened two TV rooms, one for Alonso and one for Hamilton.

But here's the catch, some actually like or need Alonso. Without him McLaren would go back to 2006. A car with potential, but no one to test and develope it.
The rookies Paffett and Hamilton don't have the knowledge and de la Rosa would be overburdened, like last year, and don't even mention Raikkonen or Montoya.

 

[LaArtist]

wow..he need to stop bitcin before we start hatin on his ass

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Damn artist, you must not know the McLaren way if you think you coulld get anywhere near him.

 

[LaArtist]

^lol..we can hate from home..no probs

 

[MoSs]

coulthard was british too but they didnt support him as much as they supported Hakkinen. now thats crazy thinking.

 

[PanterroR]

What is so surprising about alleged favoritism within an operation the size of a F1 team?

Being fair and treat them both equally! That's how it should be! And here, it is like that, IMHO...

The only difference between Alonso and Hamilton is their salary, but in this case Alonso is getting a pretty bigger one, while Hamilton is getting nothing compared to Alonso. McLaren is investing the same amount in both of them, same number of engineers available, same equipment, improvements, testing costs, etc... So, their job is (and that goes mainly for Alonso) to:

- get your act together and stop whining!
- work hard, learn, know your best set-up!
- go to the track, concentrate and drive that ** car!

Regardless of being British in a British team, i don't think Hamilton's only one win could make Alonso say he's favorized by McLaren. And especially since he (Alonso) said that he understood it from the beginning! Lame, you moron, lame!

Could any of you guys agree with that statement? Was that so from the beginning?

He had beaten Alonso with his, consistency, concentration, focus and unquestionable talent, so everything what Alonso said in that interview is so pathetic and makes no sense that i'd like to b-slap him... Several times!