Alonso to Indy!

[billt460]

Let's face it, Alonso is coming into the twilight of his career. And he is looking for a series win wherever he can find it. You can't blame him. It's doubtful that will happen anytime soon at McLaren F1. Just how long can the guy keep wasting his talent year after year, driving that dog with fleas? If he were to go into Indy Car Racing, he could very well be back into the winner circle again with a good team. If he stays full time in McLaren F1, he'll just be doing laps for a paycheck. You can tell most every time that he's interviewed, the poor guy's patience has just about run out where he's at.

It's the same with Button. I'm willing to bet he would still be driving if McLaren had a halfway decent car, instead of that unreliable pig.

 

[Indydriver]

Well, if you can take his comments at face value, he says he wants to win Indy and LeMans before he retires so he needs to get going. He may be figuring that if Rossi can do it, it must be easy. But, some of it just comes down to the luck of being in the right place at the right time. Michael never won it despite being the best oval racer of his day. Castroneves has won three and desperately wants #4 but just can't make it happen. So, Fernando, once you find the massive "appendages" (as Hobbs would say) it takes to hold it flat through One, a whole bunch of variables have to fall into place to be here at the end.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
So who is in for Alonso at Monaco? Button hopefully?

They should park the car. Zero points are still zero points.

On the other hand, if Jenson does the race, and all heck freezes over with retirements or crashes or what have you and he winds up on the podium, I think Fernando will have a stroke.

It's good that he's going to give it a go, though. There have been a lot of drivers stating they wouldn't do it. Well, Fernando isn't in the hunt for the driver's championship, nor is McLaren in the hunt for the constructor's championship. Fernando also doesn't have to prove his worth to a bigger team in hope of getting a promotion, or even keeping his current seat. So, he has a unique freedom to give it a go.

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Wow! From Mclaren to Indy. How the mighty have fallen. (if even for just one race)

Pathetic statement. Do you really equate Monaco with Indy? Ha! What a joke.

In case you didn't notice, he's still with McLaren who has a stellar history at Indy.

 

[Garak]

There was a time when Indy 500 was once part of the F1 championship. So, maybe it has fallen.

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: Garak
There was a time when Indy 500 was once part of the F1 championship. So, maybe it has fallen.

Oh brother! What a reach. You do know that year, don't you? Before Clark. Before Hill. Let me suggest that it was the fledgling "world championship" that fell when it lost the already prestigious Indianapolis 500 from its schedule.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Well, if you can take his comments at face value, he says he wants to win Indy and LeMans before he retires so he needs to get going. He may be figuring that if Rossi can do it, it must be easy. But, some of it just comes down to the luck of being in the right place at the right time. Michael never won it despite being the best oval racer of his day. Castroneves has won three and desperately wants #4 but just can't make it happen. So, Fernando, once you find the massive "appendages" (as Hobbs would say) it takes to hold it flat through One, a whole bunch of variables have to fall into place to be here at the end.

It will be interesting atleast and its probably the most even racing he's done since Karts! Alonso basically admitted he had a bit of wakeup call when he actually drove the track and was trying to imagine 2 or 3 cars wide at speed.
I'm sure he'll be among the fastest for qualifying, but running in traffic will be something to get used to. It seems like he's doing some homework though, watching races and learning how the drivers interact out there.

 

[DeepFriar]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
So who is in for Alonso at Monaco? Button hopefully?

They should park the car. Zero points are still zero points.

LOL Man, you really ARE cruel.... They still need to have the sponsors' (who haven't left yet) stickers going round and round on the track. It's easier to beat back demands for discounts if you at least start the race.

Lordy, I wouldn't want to be them during this time. It has to be awful. Luckily the McLaren 720S is a massive hit. Oh my, what a car! That's one way to beat Ferrari at least.....

 

[DeepFriar]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan

It will be interesting atleast and its probably the most even racing he's done since Karts! Alonso basically admitted he had a bit of wakeup call when he actually drove the track and was trying to imagine 2 or 3 cars wide at speed.


Somebody posted yesterday about his comments about his right leg having an independent self preservation brain of its own fighting to lift off in the corners when he first got up to speed. One of the better comments that I've heard in awhile.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Oh brother! What a reach. You do know that year, don't you? Before Clark. Before Hill. Let me suggest that it was the fledgling "world championship" that fell when it lost the already prestigious Indianapolis 500 from its schedule.

Of course, it was a long time ago. After all, with racers and fans, only the past is of value anyhow.

As many problems as there are in F1, I suspect that Indy very much envies F1's peak audience numbers. Some races over the past decade have had over 600 million viewers. While audiences have dropped off dramatically (that's happened to most sports, sitcoms, soap operas, dramas, network news shows, TV movies, and everything else), I doubt that the Indianapolis 500 ever had 600 million viewers. That race, too, like everything else, is also losing viewers.

Originally Posted By: DeepFriar
LOL Man, you really ARE cruel.... They still need to have the sponsors' (who haven't left yet) stickers going round and round on the track. It's easier to beat back demands for discounts if you at least start the race.

I can sit in a motionless car for a lot less money than Jenson Button.

They do have to watch sponsorship issues with their performance. Word on the paddock was that ExxonMobil ditched McLaren because they got sick of seeing the Mobil 1 and Esso logos on a car belching smoke or spitting flames as it coasted to a stop on live TV, or being hoisted up by a crane while disabled, or pushed between a gap in the barrier. They certainly have to be on TV to satisfy sponsors, but they demonstrated, probably to even Bernie's amazement, that there is such a thing as bad publicity.

The vast majority of the world's McLaren fans - and the team has a lot of fans - cannot afford a McLaren road car. But, I bet many of them right now are spitting each time they say the word "Honda."

If McLaren wants to make a bit of extra cash and publicity, they should raffle off a chance for a member of the public to watch a race in the McLaren hospitality lounge with a real F1 driver. After all, either Stoffel or Alonso, or both, winds up there fairly early on Sunday.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Ha! Look at Montoya. He went from McLaren Mercedes to ARCA. That's like going from a 100 ft. Yacht to an Aluminum skiff in front of Cabela's.

Now that I think of it, that's probably exactly what happened to autograph sessions with Montoya. Instead of the marina at Monte Carlo, it's at a Cabela's.

Before everyone gets annoyed, I love Cabela's. I buy most of my shoes and jeans there, and all of my fudge.

 

[billt460]

By the way, does anyone have the days, times, and channels for Indy 500 qualifying??????????

 

[DeepFriar]

Franchitti has a warning for Alonso. Personally I think Alonso might enjoy a cut throat ending. Let that killer instinct out!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129341

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: billt460
By the way, does anyone have the days, times, and channels for Indy 500 qualifying??????????

Where I am, I can't do anything for you with respect to channels. But, here you can find the times for all the sessions, and they will correct them to your local time or leave them at event local time. Incidentally, that site also does the same thing for most racing, so it comes in handy for WEC, F1, and everything else. The WEC site is finicky with times, so I use the Autosport link.

DeepFriar: Franchitti is mistaken. The only thing that will shock Alonso is being able to get to the end of a race with a Honda engine.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: billt460
By the way, does anyone have the days, times, and channels for Indy 500 qualifying??????????


Don't know the exact times yet, but ABC has the Indy 500 and the Indy Grand Prix. Time Trials are 20-21 May. I am assuming they are doing the Fast 6 on Saturday and then have Sunday be the rest of the field and Bump Day like recent years. Indycar.com will have the practices during the week streaming.

 

[Bill888]

I don't think Alonso has anything to worry about at Indy as far as driving in a highly competitive crowd as he'll be coming out of the most aggressive group of drivers in the world. He'll certainly need to learn new techniques that are unique to super speedway ovals, but his driving skills will make the transition an easy one.
As far as Franchitti's warnings about highly competitive drivers at Indy, just ask Michael which of the series includes the most aggressive drivers. It's been a while, but I remember Michael re-setting his F1 goal from a podium finish to merely finishing an opening lap in one piece.

 

[A_Harman]

If he gets with a good crewchief who gets the car setup right, he could win the race.
Mansell was competitive in his first try at Indy, and Alonso is better than Mansell.

 

[Jetronic]

Alonso ‘won’t stop talking about American things’

by Sniff Petrol on Thursday, May 11th, 2017


There was unrest in the McLaren pit today with news that Fernando Alonso won’t stop talking about American things.

‘Oh my God, it’s so boring,’ complained one anonymous team insider. ‘All he keeps saying is “did you know in America they do this” and “hey, you know in America they don’t do that” and then rolling down his overalls so that everyone can see that while he was in America he bought an Empire Strikes Back T-shirt.’

Sources say the Spanish driver has been walking around the paddock in Barcelona telling anyone who will listen about a film he saw while in America and which “isn’t out here for ages” and showing off his new Transformers toy which “you can’t get in the shops here”.

Spies inside McLaren hospitality add that the double world champion was seen at breakfast today loudly explaining that American cereal ‘has marshmallows in it’ before adding, ‘you know they call fizzy drinks “soda”, it’s so cool’.

‘Frankly, I think a lot of what he’s saying isn’t even true,’ grumbled one senior McLaren insider. ‘I mean, he even claims that in America their Honda engines work properly.’

 

[bdcardinal]

Seeing as well as his weekend is going at Catalunya, he should have skipped it and ran the Indy race this weekend on the road course.

 

[Bill888]

Jetronic:
Always great to see "sniff petrol" referenced as source of information. Prior to the Alonso scoup they posted a piece titled "New 911 GT3 to replace Jesus." Certainly credible journalism.