There are many lessons to be learned from this season in Formula One. The first is that Fernando Alonso is still a master. The second is Ferrari needs a dominant driver given the fall of Kimi.
There is often one common complaint about Formula One. It is boring. There is not enough passing. One team tends to dominate in a particular seasons. The list goes on and on.
What would spice up Formula One? A good rivalry. One already exists between Ferrari and McLaren. The dust up over the spying last year only caused the animosity to fester even more. Still, angry manufacturers do not make for an emotional rivalry.
How great would a driver rivalry be? Look at last year. Alonso and Hamilton went at it so hard on the same team that they forgot about Kimi and let him win the title. It made for great entertainment and racing.
Well, the rivalry this year has lost a bit of the bite. Why? Until recently, the Renault of Alonso was a mid pack car at best. Ah, but it is improving and Alonso has perked up. He is looking feisty once again and Hamilton is in his sights.
For my measure, the Ferrari is a bit better than the McLaren, but the McLaren is a bit more reliable. As we have all seen, the McLaren is far superior in the wet. On top of this, the Ferrari team has made some horrific gaffs.
Take the current Ferrari team and add Alonso to it for 2009. He is a dominant personality, much like Shumi was before. It is hard to imagine the team having the same gaffs as this year. Alonso is also a superior wet driver, which makes up a shortfall.
Obviously, Ferrari will need to open a seat. Heck, they should boot both drivers. Alonso and Vettel sound like a good team. Alonso and Massa is a more likely pairing. The demise of Kimi is sad, but it is clearly his own fault.
Now we have our banner rivalry. I dare you to not commit to rooting for either Hamilton or Alonso. There is simply no way to sit on the fence in this case. You will love one and hate the other.
The blazing red Ferrari of Alonso and the silver fox McLaren of Hamilton. First race of the 2009 season. They are side by side on the front row. The lights go out and the two blaze down to turn one and the rivalry would start to boil.
If Alonso ends up at Ferrari, the number of plots and subplots would be staggering. One has to wonder if Bernie will start moving behind the scenes. Can you imagine the interest in the 2009 season if such a rivalry came to be?