Back to actual motor racing; it's great news that Alonso will be returning, the sport has been worse off without him. One of the best drivers ever, no question. A driver who took on Schumacher at his peak, and beat him, in arguably an inferior car. A driver who could drag a Lada to a podium place. His performances in that terrible McLaren recently, were far better than most people even considered. He'd drag it up to 7th, when his team mate could barely drag it home. He was the only driver getting anywhere near Vettel during that legendary Red Bull run.
IMO, there were 3 drivers who were just better than the rest; Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton. See their performances against team mates; Alonso was always rightly number one (had Ron Dennis backed Alonso in 2007, instead of focusing his attentions on his protege, LH, Alonso would easily have won that year's DWC. RD's ego led to Kimi Raikkonen winning instead. Yes, LH was good, but still had lots to learn, and establishing a team hierarchy (as Alonso had specified in his contract) would have yielded a better outcome for the team. And keeping Alonso on would have been a lot better for the team in the long run; LH is fantastic in a great car, but lacks Alonso's inate ability to improve a substandard car. Hence McLaren went backwards following LH's 2008 WC win. LH was outscored and often outdriven, by Jenson Button, during their 3 years together. Has Alonso ever been outscored by a team mate, during his career? I don't think so. Remember; he was always way ahead of Fisichella, Barrichelo, Massa and Raikkonen. And anyone else he's been paired with, bar LH. LH has been outscored by a team mate, twice. And he isn't the car developer Alonso is; he's always been lucky to have the best cars, the McLaren slump and early Mercedes periods apart. He's never really shone in an underperforming/inferior car in the way Alonso and Vettel have. That's the mark of a true great. To win in an inferior car.
Vettel is a strange fish; undoubtedly a great driver, but clearly subject to issues that interfere with his focus. It's clear Ferrari just haven't been any good in the last what, 10 years at least, in spite of having two top drivers. I think that demotivates Vettel; he's clearly not the same driver that won with the Torro Rosso in Monza all those years ago. But he routinely made Mark Webber look very ordinary, and Webber had made Coulthard look ordinary, let's face it. So where's that talent gone? Seems to have left him and entered LeClerc. We won't see much from Vettel this year or next, as the Ferrari is another dog. And he's leaving anyway. But with rule changes in 2022, and Alonso back, new cars, a new challenge, it could be game on once more. Cos let's face it; F1 is more boring now than it's ever been before. Something needs to happen to spice it up once more.
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