Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz
Alonso penalized for blocking teammate
Current F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso has been stripped of his pole position at today's Hungarian Grand Prix after blatently holding up the FIA's favorite rookie, and reported second coming of Christ, Lewis Hamilton in the pits during qualifying yesterday, in a move reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's "on-street parking" at Monaco in 2005.
The tactic visibly incensed team boss Ron Dennis, who is clean to polish McLaren's tarnished image following Ferrari's allegations of cheating, but could be good news for engine supplier and sponsor Mercedes who has been making the most of Hamilton and Alonsos' intense rivalry.
[Source: Autosport]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mal Fuller 1:20PM (8/05/2007)
I thought teammate was one word, not two. (See this blog's headline [head line?].) Maybe the headline is intended for Autoblog's Australian readers. Hey, mate?
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Greg A. 2:47PM (8/05/2007)
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/05/09/literecy-cat/
David 2:04PM (8/05/2007)
This seems a bit late as the race is already over. Hamilton won of course, with Alonso coming in fourth.
McLaren also had their team (not driver) points stripped for this race. Alonso seems to not be getting along with Hamilton or Dennis at all and I suspect he will want to leave the team at the end of the season.
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Pouya 5:33PM (8/05/2007)
Thanks for the spoiler . . .
Brad 2:14PM (8/05/2007)
Alonso must feel that he is two time defending world champion and should be the clear number one driver on the team. He is probably also a little paranoid that the British team is helping the British driver more.
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Mal Fuller 2:33PM (8/05/2007)
My team mate vs. teammate comment made sense until Mr. Gardiner corrected the mistake he made in his headline. Glad I could help, Mr. Gardiner.
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Mike 2:36PM (8/05/2007)
Anyone else find F1 to be the most boring racing going on? I can't believe this is the pinnacle of racing when whoever gets the pole almost always wins. Passing is almost non-existent, the cars seem more important than the drivers.
7 out of 11 races were won by the guy who took the pole, most races the p1-p5 finished in the top 5, many times if that wasn't true, it was because of mechanical breakdown.
To me, why even watch the race? Just watch qualifying and you'll know who's going to win unless they break something and while I'm ranting, the qualifying is a confusing mess as well. In most other bodies, you get a certain number of laps to set your qualifying time, there's no games and no BS.
This series sucks, and I really tried to like it this year but I'm taking it off of my TIVO, if I need to sleep, I'll just leave the TV off now instead of watching F1.
Before any of you start up on the redneck NASCAR thing, I don't like NASCAR either. Give me a production based car road series and I'm happy.
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yago bal 3:49PM (8/05/2007)
In fact, not always the pole sitter wins, you know? :)
But you must remember F1 is a sport, not a show: the fastest qualify better, and win races.
If you prefer Nascar or one of those similar oval car-shows, filled with meaningless passings and races decided by luck and yellow flags and applauding at crashes, or with inverted starting orders, double races, ballasts and whatever, it's fine... but that's not sport.
F1 is a strategy sport, not a show: it requires some brain to understand a race.
Mike 4:24PM (8/05/2007)
Well, I already stated I don't like NASCAR. I agree that throwing full course yellow flags for imaginary debris is a ridiculous way to keep competition close.
I also understand that F1 is about the teams, technology, and strategy but still hold that the races are boring, these guys don't need to run into eachother for it to be interesting but to watch these guys out there just running laps is not worth my time.
At least in other forms of road racing, the competitors are pushing eachother- and yes, sometimes to the point of contact but that isn't what I find appealing.
What further takes from the "sport" is all the drama behind the scenes, teammates not liking eachother and holding the other up, team owners physically assaulting (even if that word is a little harsh) the drivers. If you want to watch the little soap opera where the on track portion is just masterbation- your welcome to it. I just don't get how this is supposed to be interesting.
tbyron 4:25PM (8/05/2007)
Just because some F1 fans prefer tighter racing and visceral excitement, as may or may not be remembered from the past, does not mean we therefore also prefer the oval racing of precisely templated machines. Attempting to frame an argument as such is either lazy or dishonest.
F1 is a great series in need of some serious changes. From some of the changes out this year and then next, it is clear that some this need. But, as Bernie doesn't have the control of the France family, the conflicting and competing interests of those with the money mean that the most radical of changes will never be considered.
But, back to this weekend. I am a huge F1 fan and find myself fast fwding through half of the races. As I do that, I find that the thing I am paranoid of missing most is the excellent and entertaining commentary from the Speed team.
Max Fun 9:50PM (8/05/2007)
I tried watching NASCAR on TV the last summer when I was in the US, and I do feel that it is a legitimate sport, maybe even more so than the other motorsports. If you think about it, what sport actually emphasizes on the technology rather than the sportsmen? It might help to push the athlete that tiny bit more to break the work record by a fraction of the second, but it's always the athlete's main effort that pays off.
There is a lot of strategy involved in racing in NASCAR, from learning how to pass the leader to the best way to utilize your fuel to when to pit.
I can understand if people prefer F1 for the turns and cornerings, but I suspect that many people thumb their noses at NASCAR just because it's considered a 'redneck' sport.
Frank 3:25PM (8/05/2007)
Mike I agree. F-1 has virtually no passing, so the winner always comes from the front row. How can it be racing when there is no passing? I really miss the WRC. If I have to watch a one car parade, at least let it be on dirt, gravel etc were anything can happen. This year has also had some great rallys, unfortunately I have not seen one!
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Cameron 3:41PM (8/05/2007)
All it takes is one good camera angle of these cars slamming through a chicane at neck-snapping G's and I forgive the lack of passing..
For physics nerds it's a single file fashion show.
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Brad 6:02PM (8/05/2007)
I've always loved F1 even if there is not 10 passes for the lead in every race. There are always plenty of good battles spread out through the field.
To me it's just a thrill to see these cars go thought these turns at such high speeds.
I do like all other forms of road type racing but by far F1 is my favorite.
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Snix 9:19PM (8/05/2007)
If you don't like F1, then watch something else. It's a free country.
As Cameron said, if you're a physics nerd......I'll add to that list materials engineering and aerodynamics fan....
I wish I had the money that one team spends on tires in one season.
You can't compare F1 to ANY other series. It stands alone in technology and physical fitness requirements of the driver. You don't see any potbellied drivers in F1.
Anyway, back on topic, no one is talking about the F-you radio conversation between Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis. This happened before the Alonso incident. Shocking indeed! But good drama!
Hopefully, all will be well and the team will pull back together. Mr. Dennis needs to get his drivers in a private meeting and put his foot in both their happy arses, and make them apologize to each other and to the team, provided that this is warranted. If Alonso's trainer has anything to do with his pit delay, then his butt should be banned from the track on race weekend.
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Vinny 11:15AM (8/06/2007)
Didn't Michael "park his car in Monaco" in 2006?
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