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Scheckter says people "overrate" Alonso

Published on 15 Aug 2018 11:23
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By: Fergal Walsh

1979 Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter says that people overrate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard announced on Tuesday that he would be leaving F1 at the end of the season after 17 years competing in the sport.

Alonso is widely regarded as one of the best drivers in the history of F1, claiming two world championships in the mid-2000's. However, Scheckter says that people are quick to overrate the 37-year-old, and cast his opinion on the character of the McLaren driver.

"I like to just think how many championships somebody's won,'' Scheckter said to BBC Radio 5 Live. "You can rate people that they had bad luck and bad cars. I think people overrate him. One of his problems is he seems to upset teams and everybody around him. That's not the way to win world championships. You've got to work with your team and you're nearly a leader [as a driver]."

In the days leading up to Alonso's announcement, his former teammate Felipe Massa said that driving in the same team as Alonso was not easy, but also praised him by placing him in the same rank as seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

But Scheckter disagrees with Massa: "For me, absolutely not. Schumacher has got to be rated as the best driver ever. Alonso, I don't think he's in that category [That's] not to say he's not a good driver. He's one of the top drivers there now."

Fergal Walsh

ajpennypacker

Posts: 2,475

Oh please... Judging by how many championships someone has is simply a lazy measure. Anyone could have won championships in the 2000's with the Ferrari Michael had. His greatness was demonstrated earlier though. Also later while, ironically, fighting Alonso in 2005-2006. Also, anyone could have w... [Read more]

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Aug 15 2018 - 15:28

F1 News Fernando Alonso Felipe Massa McLaren

Replies (8)

ajpennypacker

Posts: 2,475
Oh please... Judging by how many championships someone has is simply a lazy measure. Anyone could have won championships in the 2000's with the Ferrari Michael had. His greatness was demonstrated earlier though. Also later while, ironically, fighting Alonso in 2005-2006. Also, anyone could have won with Mercedes from 2014-2016. But Lewis greatness was earned while at McLaren. Alonso won two championships against no other than Michael in a car that was arguably inferior to the Ferrari. He almost won two championships in a car that was maybe 2nd or 3rd best. I think people will admire more what Fernando did in an inferior Ferrari against RB than anything else. I get people getting all sensitive comparing Alonso to Michael, but saying Fernando is overrated? That's bullshit.
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- Aug 15 2018 - 15:28
- Kean
  
  Posts: 692
  Agreed! Alonso is the one who dethroned Schumacher, and in 2010 and 2012 when he came so close to winning in the Ferrari that was inferior to the Red Bull he proved he's one of the best in the history of the sport. Everybody speaks of his poor choices, was it a poor choice to leave McLaren at the end of 2007? Perhaps, but I don't think it was a poor choice to go to Ferrari in 2010, how was he supposed to know how that was gonna turn out. Then there is this talk of him having been offered a Red Bull seat prior to 2009 that he turned down, but let's back up, who would have thought that Red Bull would dominate the way they did 2010-2013? 20-20 hind sight is a beautiful thing.
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  Aug 15 2018 - 17:01
calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
Alonso isnt really overrated, he is a great driver. Its just that, as we lazy people has said, he has done a few bad choices and ended up in a team that wont be championship winning in another while.
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- Aug 15 2018 - 16:04
- mcbhargav
  
  Posts: 1,332
  As a racer, he is the gold standard. But, as a team player, he would make a poor choice.
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  Aug 15 2018 - 16:38
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  Exactly.
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  Aug 15 2018 - 18:26
- ajpennypacker
  
  Posts: 2,475
  The team player argument is also a funny one. In drivers like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, or Sebastian Vettel, we praise their efficient "selfishness" (i.e. lack of team play) as traits of absolute champions and winners. But with Alonso we call it "being a bad team player." In my opinion the main difference between the attitudes of some of those other great drivers and Alonso, is that every one of those drivers, except for Alonso, won championships while driving the best car on the grid.
  
  But I get it, it's easy to praise those that won and easy to condemn those that came short. But again I'd point out that if Schumacher's move to Ferrari didn't work out, he might have end up being viewed as an underachiever and a driver who arseholery got in the way of championships. But instead, we view that as efficiency in rallying the team together. Same goes to Lewis but to a lesser extent (people hate him for reasons that go way beyond politics haha).
  
  Finally, I would also add that Alonso, while emotional, has been pure team play at McLaren. Sure, it wouldn't have worked without Zak Brown but fact remains that it worked. Alonso could have left bad mouthing the team, or the unfulfilled promises, or blaming them for wasting his talent. But instead the withdrawal (notice I didn't say retirement) from F1 seems like a potential hiatus, and it also seems imminent that Fernando will race in Indy under some kind of McLaren sponsorship.
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  Aug 15 2018 - 19:08
Bhurt

Posts: 320
Why do they have a picture of a woman walking her son to school?
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- Aug 15 2018 - 17:43
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  This comment made me laugh so hard I hurt my sore throat! XD
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  Aug 15 2018 - 18:26