Heikki Kovalainen

Reemz27 · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:20 am Post subject: Alonso Rated Top Driver of 2008

Quote:

McLaren-Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton may have won the world championship, but it is the Briton's former team-mate and Renault star Fernando Alonso who has been deemed to be the best F1 driver of 2008...

Fernando Alonso has topped a poll of the best Formula 1 drivers of 2008, according to a leading British newspaper - and Crash.net's own readers' results are only just around the corner too.

The Spaniard - back-to-back F1 World Champion in 2005 and 2006 - surrendered his record as the sport's youngest-ever title-winner to former team-mate Lewis Hamilton this year, but a string of stand-out performances in the latter stages of the campaign saw him score more points than any other driver over the second half and hoist himself up to fifth spot in the final standings in a car that back at the start of the season had barely been able to make the top ten.

Alonso's part in Renault's stirring fight back has been recognised by readers of The Times, with the man from Oviedo receiving 1,071.5 votes - exactly ten more than newly-crowned world champion Hamilton, with whom he famously endured a fractious and ultimately destructive relationship at McLaren-Mercedes in 2007.

The pair were the only drivers to break the 1,000-point mark in the poll, and the success of Alonso - who plans to resume testing for the Régie ahead of the 2009 campaign in December - made headlines in motor racing media around the globe.

"To be recognised for your work in your own country is one thing," the 27-year-old told Spanish newspaper El Mundo, "but from somewhere else it makes me really proud."

"He had a very poor car to begin with but he and Renault have turned their season round," mused The Times' motorsport correspondent Ed Gorman, "something which is extremely difficult to do when your main competitors are moving ahead all the time."

"He won the world championship and he produced some incredible drives," was the verdict on Hamilton, meanwhile, "but he was also erratic and unconvincing at times. It is early in his career to make firm judgements about how good he is going to be.

"As brilliant as he is, it is almost as if he can't face driving in a boring enough way to secure safe titles. Lewis loves to race - he is probably the best racer out there - but that is not always what championship-winning campaigns are about."

Title race runner-up Felipe Massa wound up third in the poll, with Gorman tipping the Brazilian to go from strength-to-strength in 2009 and remarking: "He confounded his critics who said he would not make it in the post-traction control era and he consigned Kimi [Raikkonen], the reigning world champion, to the margins.

"Had he not been let down by Ferrari on two occasions he could easily have won the title, as he might have done last year as well. It's funny, Felipe's image in Formula 1 is dogged by his woeful early performances, but also by the fact that he does not look or behave like a champion. He's far too nice and sporting for starters, and he does not throw his weight around."

Unexpected championship contender Robert Kubica was ultimately rated fourth just behind Massa, as BMW-Sauber 'seemed to reach for the sky, touch it, then run away again, as if terrified by what they had achieved'.

Scuderia Toro Rosso's Italian Grand Prix-winning star Sebastian Vettel was ranked fifth, with Gorman suggesting that the young German's talent 'may make him unstoppable' and admitting he wishes '[Vettel] was going to Ferrari in place of Kimi - what a prospect that would be'.

A 'disappointing and puzzling' Raikkonen - who 'only drives quickest when it is too late' - placed just sixth in the poll at the end of a desultory campaign as defending champion, notching up barely half the points of team-mate Massa, with the experienced Nick Heidfeld seventh, Toyota duo Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli evenly-matched in eighth and ninth and Red Bull Racing ace Mark Webber completing the top ten.

Amongst the high-profile names to be found further down the list were Williams' Nico Rosberg in eleventh, Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen a lowly twelfth, Rubens Barrichello - the most experienced driver in grand prix history - and record-breaking four-time Champ Car king Sébastien Bourdais equal 13th, Brits Jenson Button and David Coulthard just 17th and 19th respectively and F1 rookie Kazuki Nakajima bringing up the rear of the field with just a single point.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/16112008/23/alonso-rated-top-driver-2008-uk-f1-fans.html

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Reemz27 · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:25 am Post subject:

I think Heikki was my driver of 2008!

Heikki has gone through a lot of Bad Luck this season and the most Bad Luck - Lewis I think was just like showing off about "oh look i just won the Australian Grand Prix i'm looking ahead to win the Championship!"

I think also My driver of 2008 is Fernando, He has shown that he is capable of having a seat in one of high teams but Ferrari/BMW Sauber (Not McLaren!) they just don't want him or they're seeking for another young driver to win the Championship/ Race! Also he has gave big contributions to the Development of the Renault and i'm sure that next season the Renault will be as fast as The Ferrari's & McLaren's!

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ellen777 · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject:

i chose felipe massa because he was pretty consistent and won the most races of anybody

he also really deserved the title

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YAY FOR FORMULA 1!!!

LogicPro · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:10 am Post subject:

In this poll there aren't Alonso, Kubica and Vettel, who in my opinion were the top 3 of this season. And especially Kubica deserved the World Title, more than Lewis (who did some mistakes, as in Canada) and Felipe (whose chances to win the world championship were due to Lewis' penalty in Spa-Francorchamps and the other one in Fuji - FIA and Ecclestone wanted the world championship to be open until the last race, but finally justice won Smile

)

So my choice is Lewis Hamilton.
Felipe did a good season, but he gained at least 8 points, as a gift from the FIA. He had to be more careful during the first two races.
Kimi was forgotten by Ferrari, who preferred to concentrate on Massa...and in qualifying he was simply terrible - in the last races he solved his problems and maybe next year he will be fighting for the wolrd championship again.
Heikki had a lot of bad luck, but he didn't match his team mate's pace (he didn't like the car behaviour and in free practice he had to test for Lewis). Hopefully next year he will have more luck Very Happy

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"Ayrton Senna was an extraordinary racing driver. His skills, craft, subtlety and courage were of such magnitude that he dwarfed his generation of drivers."
Ron Dennis

Icemans biggest fan · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:00 am Post subject:

Here is my list of top drivers:
1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Robert Kubica
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Felipe Massa
5. Kimi Raikkonen

Biggest Loser: Piquet Rolling Eyes