FIA sides with Alonso...too late (F1)

[Lord Blackadder]

So they uphold the penalty against Alonsoi but tacitly admit they were wrong by changing the rules as a result.

Could end up being the penalty that decided the '06 Championship...the race is close enough as it is, but those were some big points Alonso may have kept from Schumacher if he had started 5th instead of 10th.

"Better late than never" is not the kind of excuse that Fernando Alonso will be happy with though.

 

[iGav]

"Better late than never" is not the kind of excuse that Fernando Alonso will be happy with though.

And the irony is that Renault set the precedence with this back at the 'Ring when they claimed Villeneuve held Fisichella up, even though it was unintentional.

What goes around, comes around...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I suppose there's no point feeling sorry for them since (as we've all noticed repeatedly) every team cries foul when they think it will help them yet every time any team is penalized they act very pitiful and claim they've been shafted, even if they really were breaking the rules.

Of course in this case Renault was shafted...but Flavio and Fernando really shot their mouths off over this one. I thought only Bernie could get away with saying ridiculous stuff - like Schumi driving for Renault next season.

 

[Counterfit]

I really doubt this penalty will have an effect on the championship. Well, at least not in Ferrari's favor. I don't think starting 5th would have made Fernie's engine not explode, but Massa probably wouldn't have been right behind him, and possibly finished in the points.

 

[Jon'sLightBulbs]

I really doubt this penalty will have an effect on the championship. Well, at least not in Ferrari's favor. I don't think starting 5th would have made Fernie's engine not explode, but Massa probably wouldn't have been right behind him, and possibly finished in the points.

Alonso says that starting at 10th isntead of 5th forced him to use a very aggressive engine setting for any hope at the podium. This resulted in those bits of metal and oil pools flying out his exhaust at Massa. Considering that Alonso has not DNF'd this year due to engine failure, what he says is credible.

 

[Counterfit]

Even with the more aggressive engine setting, his best lap was .6 behind Kimi and Schumi, and over .1 behind Massa. I think they would have used it anyway, with the same result.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Maybe, but if he had been better placed to start with they may have chosen to simply concede the race and take the points in hand rather than pushing the engine to failure.

The championship is still very much up for grabs but at the moment Ferrari has both a better car and two drivers capable of regular podiums. Renault has a slower car and Fisichella is not helping Alonso beat the Ferrari duo.

 

[JFreak]

The championship is still very much up for grabs but at the moment Ferrari has both a better car and two drivers capable of regular podiums. Renault has a slower car and Fisichella is not helping Alonso beat the Ferrari duo.

Yes, and that's why Alonso is bitter. He knows that he lost it, unless Schumi DNF in some of the remaining races, and having Ferrari as reliable as it is, that seems unlikely.

Having the points difference as little as it is and victories are currently tied (both have six), it may very well be that after the season the points difference is zero -- and the number of victories would be the deciding factor.

But Alonso won last year in China, so he'll still have a chance...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Either way it looks like the last three races will be exciting...

What Alonso needs now is a useful teammate, one that will fight Massa for podiums and let Alonso concentrate on Schu.

 

[iGav]

Alonso says that starting at 10th isntead of 5th forced him to use a very aggressive engine setting for any hope at the podium. This resulted in those bits of metal and oil pools flying out his exhaust at Massa. Considering that Alonso has not DNF'd this year due to engine failure, what he says is credible.

I don't think it would've made any difference, Renault have admitted reliability concerns and failures with the same spec of engine that Alonso used at Monza.