but I'm sure you also know how much aerodynamics play a role in F1 these days, and how F1 cars set-up for qualifying are negatively impacted by dirty air. Alonso knew the rule, he knew where Masa was, and on a out lap he had to let Masa pass.
The stewards penalized him for blocking. On that particular lap, Alonso's
only, ONLY goal was to beat the clock; he was trying to get one more flying lap. "Blocking" is an intentional impediment to an opponent's progress. Nobody would argue that Alonso was trying to hold Massa up, nor was he close enough to warrant a blue flag. This "dirty air" nonsense was arglebargle. In a shared qualifying session, nobody gets clean air. Also, anyone who feels entitled to clean air in a shared qualifying session is deluding themselves. At Monza, 10 cars can be separated by no more that 1900 feet. That's enough to see the car in front of you, which could be argued as being a distraction and an impediment. Aerodynamicists would also argue that any car on the same track disturbs the air. A car in Parabolica could cause another car at Lesmos to fly off the track (and a typhoon to hit Madagascar)...a valid argument in engineering terms, but a stupid one in racing terms.
Digital Nitrate
He had a lot of personal issues last year, with F1, Ferrari, even his own team. He even went so far as to publicly insult Schumacher on more than one occasions, and made other public statements saying there was no sport left in F1 and that F1 was doing all they could to give Schummy another championship.
Given the FIA's history with decisions that benefited M.Schumacher and Ferrari from 2000-2004, it wasn't that far of a reach to assume that Michael would get the benefit of the doubt in what was widely regarded to be his last season (even before he officially announced his departure).
Alonso publicly berated Renault last year on more than one occasion. While he shouldn't have said these things to the press, nothing he said was without merit. First, he accused the team of not being behind him. In 1995, Michael was on his way to Ferrari, and Flavio Briatore made it clear that he did not want to see the #1 decal on another team's car. I doubt that Flav has mellowed in the last 10 years and felt very differently, knowing that Alonso was gone at the end of the season one way or the other. Secondly, Fernando accused the team of not giving it their all. This is something that
no driver should EVER say to the press, but again, basic observation validated his point whether he should have said it or not. After the mass-damper ban, Renault never seemed to regain that pace. A world-champion team surely would be able to recover the 0.3s they lost with the reneging of this part. Renault never seemed to recover from that. They weren't the highest-funded team on the grid, but they certainly had the people and the resources to work around it in the final 8 weeks of the season. Also, nary a race went by when you didn't see the Renault mechanics horsing around in the garage. A fun bunch for sure, but maybe the professionalism could have been knocked up a notch. I thought that Alonso and McLaren would be a perfect match, as both are undeniably dedicated to winning.
Digital Nitrate
You know, the more you defend him, the more I realize how incredibly disappointed, as a fan of F1, I am with Alonso. While I would miss the fierce competitiveness and pure talent he often displays on the track, considering how bad things have gotten, I know find myself wishing he had followed through with his threat last year of quitting F1.
Alonso is 26 years old. He's young. All young people are fiercely competitive, passionate, and somewhat immature. Let's not forget that a 28 year-old Michael Schumacher tried to win the championship by ramming Jacques Villeneuve off the road at Jerez.
Digital Nitrate
Oh how quickly they forget.
F1 drivers are notorious for being outspoken. If Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fischella had anything bad to say about Fernando, they'd have done it already. Flavio Briatore is anything but quiet, and he hasn't said much, either.
I have made it no secret that I am a huge Fernando Alonso fan (his maiden-victory R23 sits underneath a spotlight on this very desk), but I will
not blindly defend everything that he does and says. A fair amount of what he says should be kept to himself, even if there is truth to it. He shouldn't have made a public spectacle with Massa at the Nurburgring. He should not have accused Renault of sabotaging his championship run last year. His "I only have three people to thank" speech after his championship-clinching race in Brazil 2005 was perplexing. Nevertheless, Fernando is one of the most successful and purely-talented drivers in the world. His championships and race victories speak for themselves. He is being paid ~$30 million to win the championship for McLaren, and for this amount, it is not unfair to assume that the team would be more supportive than they have been.
In 2001, Renault was mid-pack on the best of days. In 2002, they hired Fernando to be their primary test driver. In 2003, they won two pole positions and a race. In 2005, they won both championships. Dislike the man if you want, but there is no denying the value he can bring to a team. With the insanity surrounding Lewis Hamilton, McLaren is not gaining the full benefit of having Alonso on the team. That should bother them, but it clearly doesn't.
