Fernando Alonso Victory: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

2008 has given me two reasons to disconnect my liking for the Renault team. The first with immediate effect was Fernando Alonso; a driver who changed his demeanour from celebrated hero at Minardi and Renault to the arrogant, selfish and immature unprofessional who survived one season at Mclaren before scampering back to his former team amid controversy and accusation.

The second reason was driver number two, Nelson Piquet Jr; a driver who has frustrated throughout the season with his general lack of pace and spark, a driver who lucked heavily into a podium finish and will need another miracle in future races and seasons to repeat that feat.  

However today it seemed, I must say I was rather glad to see Fernando take the top step on the podium in the first night race in Singapore. In a vastly weaker car than the Ferrari’s and Mclaren’s Alonso showed the rest of the field how to drive in the debut sessions on the floodlit track of Singapore.

Sadly this, of course, came undone with complications in qualifying that left him unable to challenge for pole, and on a street circuit effectively left him with no chance whatsoever of making an on track challenge. A point or two in an expected procession of cars was probably the best he could hope for; a podium a remarkable miracle away.

And then it turned on a costly mistake for an unflattering team mate in Piquet Jr .early on that turned the race on its head and gifted Alonso the opportunity to win that he expected to have lining up on the grid.

The rest of the race was then his to be lost. He managed to out pit DC, thus denying the Scot the chance to lead a race for a final time in his last season, and sailed off into the night and away from the rest of the field.

Arrogant as he may be, the right man probably won this weekend, so congratulations must go to Fernando. Congratulations must also go to a super slick Nico Rosberg bringing his car home in second, due partly to the ultra slow speed of the stewards in giving him a stop/go penalty. And finally congratulations to DC who more than likely secured his last points finish of his illustrious career with a solid seventh.