Debate: Is Alonso Better Served Staying with McLaren?

[fortyfivekev]

Why is their possible sandbagging in these regulations relevant to who has the best car next year in a totally different set of regulations?

RB may be able to match Mercedes on the chassis side but I don't think Renault will match them on the engine side and with higher drag cars engine power will be even more important than this year. Mercedes still has a decent power advantage and that isn't going away overnight.

 

[burrito]

True the Mercedes is a better engine at the moment. But the power advantage is mostly in qualifying now, compared to the other units (barring Honda) they have only 20-30HP in race trim. The token system is being abolished for next year so each engine update (each car will get 3 new engines so three updates) can offer much more than engine updates in past seasons could.

There is also the law of diminishing returns to consider. Mercedes has been refining and perfecting an already solid power unit and these engine are now officially in the sport until 2020. I think there is a strong chance we will see other teams challenge them next year on power in race trim for sure and very likely in qualifying trim in following seasons.

And finally the tyres, Haas made an amazing start to their season because they understood the tyres faster than the other midfield teams. Who is to say that the tyres will 'click' with Ferrari or Red Bull or Renault or McLaren rather than Mercedes?

And on topic: I feel it's best to stay with McLaren for 2017. Honda are copying Mercedes according to reports, the McLaren chassis has improved massively since they lost their way in 2013 and come 2018 he is in a prime position to move to a competitive team (once the pecking order has settled and if the right seat is available) and if it's not he can retire (or stay with McLaren) with his head held high.

 

[ferrariftw1]

Alonso is still the fastest and most complete driver on the grid.i would love to see him on mercedes to give this arrogant f...k a lesson

 

[stbreaker]

do you even know F1? Alonso is the best driver in F1 right now (for a lot of people) He would beat Hamilton more than Hamilton beats him.

It's fine if that's your opinion - no need to be rude about it. Is there a driver that brings on more "red mist" replies than Hamilton?

I know enough to remember that Hamilton is 2nd all time in wins, has more championships, and tied Alonso on points and wins in his rookie season. Whether you like him or not, he's already among the best drivers of all time. It certainly isn't some foregone conclusion that Alonso would all of a sudden show up and destroy him. As far as Lewis coming back with more focus and determination, no one thought that was a ridiculous statement when used to describe Rosberg at the beginning of last season.

 

[Nick Milton]

I think he is better staying mclaren, he's top dog, and he's been there developing with the Honda and Mclaren team from start, he owns that car, and there time is coming, the might and power of Honda didn't enter F1 to cellar dwell, they will be back, and this year has seen some top ten points earning.

Stay.

 

[Runic]

It's fine if that's your opinion - no need to be rude about it. Is there a driver that brings on more "red mist" replies than Hamilton?

I know enough to remember that Hamilton is 2nd all time in wins, has more championships, and tied Alonso on points and wins in his rookie season. Whether you like him or not, he's already among the best drivers of all time. It certainly isn't some foregone conclusion that Alonso would all of a sudden show up and destroy him. As far as Lewis coming back with more focus and determination, no one thought that was a ridiculous statement when used to describe Rosberg at the beginning of last season.

He's 2nd in the all times win list because he has always been in a race winning car. When they were team mates there were other factors that contributed to their points. Also I did overexagerate while writing it. Sorry about that.

 

[LuigiV6huesca]

0 preocupation black,Alonso up in Honda

 

[InsaneOzzie]

I say go to Mercedes Alonso, sure it would potentially turn sour, especially once Alonso started winning, Lewis would start with the same rhetoric he voiced when Nico started to take the top podium spot from him, and when his engine blew.

One thing Ive noticed about F1 in the past 10 seasons is that being a top level driver is now only 25% of the winning equation, sure your skill as a driver is paramount, but it's more about the car under your arse that matters, Verstapen is a good example, he's very talented and a champion of the future, put him in a Merc and Mr Hamilton would rarely stand on the top step IMO. Another example is Schumaker when Ferrari were the dominant car, and Vettel in the RB, look how easily he won his 4 titles in the top car at that time. Without the car under them it would of been a different scenario.

so if Alonso is after a 3rd WDC title before retirement he needs to go to Merc for 2017, as he will struggle to achieve that goal with McLaren/Honda IMO.

 

[John Addison]

Alonso may still be the best all around driver on the grid but his time is running out. He screwed himself with the 1st visit to McLaren with Hamilton. If he would have shut up and raced instead of crying every 2 min. about Hamilton he most likely would be a 4 time Champion by now. He made one bad move after another since. And so one of the most talented drivers on the grid will end his career with the 2 titles. Still impressive.

 

[BenRHJ]

They should choose the other Spaniard

 

[paracletus]

Latest news suggests that FA will not leave mclaren.
It's about time f1s greatest team of all time starting winning gps again. Wouldn't surprise me if mclaren will do exactly that next year.
"Who will beat who" in the same car is anyone's speculation; a number of the top drivers are on the same level.

 

[Mr Deap]

The only reason for FA to go to Mercedes is to prove he's better than LH. But as a fan he got nothing to prove.

 

[Ghoults]

Another example is Schumaker when Ferrari were the dominant car, and Vettel in the RB, look how easily he won his 4 titles in the top car at that time. Without the car under them it would of been a different scenario.

Vettel's car advantage was actually much smaller than what mercedes has enjoyed last 3 seasons. Which is also proven by the fact that webber could not really get close to vettel in equal car whereas rosberg has given hamilton a good run for his money and won fair and square many times. If vettel's winning was all about the car then all it says is that webber was truly hopeless slouch.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/12/02/why-mercedes-were-even-further-ahead-in-2016/
The mercs were ahead by some 0.75s per lap. Red bull did not even have the fastest car in 2012 according to that stat. And vettel still won. A whole different scenario? Not really.

 

[TheCed]

I think that giving that Mercedes seat to Alonso wouldn't be as bad as a lot of people say but it wouldn't be in my opinion the best choice out there. I think that McLaren are lucky to have Alonso or things could've been worse for them. Maybe Alonso and Hamilton changed and are more mature, but that's a risk I wouldn't take.

A lot of people are mentioning Wehrlein; I personally don't think it's a good choice either. Force India turned him down to get Ocon instead. Let's not forget Wehrlein didn't dispute the whole F1 season and was driving a Manor. Yes, he has talent but no, he's not ready to get that Mercedes seat. At least, Mercedes shouldn't rush him. I think Mercedes wants to see Wehrlein compete in a better car before giving him the Mercedes seat, hence why they tried to put him in Force India. Wehrlein might stay in Manor or join Sauber this season.

Now in my opinion, the most probable thing to happen is that we see Button take that Mercedes seat. Yes, he officially retired but he also admitted he thought he retired too early without clearly saying if he regretted the decision or not. The wise choice would be to get him for a year then let him retire for good. With the surprise Rosberg retirement, I think Button could consider driving the best car of the last three years. First, Hamilton and Button have history together and secondly, Button could be a safe choice to be the clear number two in the team and earn important points for the constructors championship. He could also be a good sponsorship asset and would cost less than it would to bring Alonso. Then maybe, we could see either Ocon or Wehrlein, depending on their season, get that Mercedes seat.

 

[aka2k]

I would love to see that again. Sparks are still flying from 2007 championship.