Fernando Alonso putting his Minardi on provisional pole!

[DLarson1083]

I'm sorry, I love Alonso more than any other driver, but I really don't think him qualifying 1.7 seconds faster than Alex Yoong would be considered a "highlight" of his career. I'm pretty sure he could have had the mechanics push the car around the circuit and still beat Yoong's time by a few tenths.

[ab8jeh]

That Minardi PS01 is one of the most beautiful F1 cars in my opinion.

[thejust123]

indeed, fucking 40 mins left so nothing to see here people

[MacHoodio]

@thejust123

Indeed, but it was more the fact that Schumacher was obviously impressed, perhaps noticing his future rival for the first time. Also he beat Villeneuve in the massively superior BAR!

[sjmaco]

@thejust123 17th/22, on a fucking minardi, which is even worse than a modern-day hispania, is a massive accomplishment.

Minardi had to use SECOND HAND disc breaks, and leftover things from the other teams. This was fantastic.

[davorsertic]

@sjmaco Hispania is 3-4 seconds behind fastest teams... Minardi was 2-3 seconds... Compared with other teams, Minardi was faster then, then comparing Hispania with nowadays teams...

[sjmaco]

@davorsertic Looking through 2,001 qualifyings, Minardi were 4-6 seconds behind on most occasions, with Alonso being able to sometimes drive it to 2.5-3 seconds behind. :) They were more or less the same, unreliability was horrible on those cars as well, at least a Hispania can finish a race, 2,001's minardi finished less than 50%

[crybabys13]

aaawwww how i miss the music coming out of that car

[SeanKAlexander]

.... with 43 MINUTES left in the qualifying session... YAWN!

[darthbandon10]

@SeanKAlexander Still enough to outdo Villeneuve and land 17th.

[sjmaco]

@SeanKAlexander Managed to qualify 17th. With Minardi. Yawn at your comment.

[Spriteanimator1]

if he would be german you would say that he is in the best car.

[CHABBO]

Murray Walker: POLLLLLLLE POSSSITIONNNNNNNNN!! (circa 1997)

[Tayvk]

Who was his teammate that race ?

[Mastah27PL]

@Tayvk Alex Yoong.

[brattsveen1]

I just love the look on Schumachers face as Alonso is charging towards provisional pole. Many drivers are just interested in their own set-up and how to approach qualifying, but Michael seems to be genuinely interested in the rest of the pack as well. Alonso was fighting an undriveable Minardi, but impressed many people that day. This was the good times!

[Cherfan1998]

makes me miss Minardi, the V10 era, and the USGP at Indy...

[PS3GameProductions]

Good looking car.

[Formula1Onboard1]

Alonso 17º in this qualifying and Monteiro 22º. Big diference.

[AlonsoRules]

Alonso is one of those very rare talents that is only seen once every decade or so. He is definitely one of the most gifted drivers on the current F1 grid, he nearly won the championship last year in a dog of a car.

[sjmaco]

@AlonsoRules Woof! :D Indeed. Though he, unlike Schumi, is fighting with 3, 4 talented drivers, so he's got it a bit harder! ;)

[orikasuma]

Fantastic Fernando Alonso..



[AlexZAfRo]

ow the only person to beat schumacher in his hayday? could be except hakkinen :)

[vertigo8]

goddamnit i miss V10s so much

[pablowbt]

this is not the Cosworth engine. was developed by the European Aviation in 2001 season

[darthbandon10]

@pablowbt Sure, but they're no engine manufacturer. They just tweaked Cosworth's 1998 design.

[superneddy]

@darthbandon10 To add its just the same engine a they used in the 98 season. Its just re-badged to the main sponsor of the car, much like Sauber did when they first used Ferrari engines in the late 90's until BMW bought the team

[ThierryDanHenry]

Like the jordan or Minardi V10 song on formula one 05 :p (sorry for my bad english)

[PS3GameProductions]

Alonso proving here that its the driver not the car.

[clio2fast]

He is one of the greatest drivers in F1 history

[pufflescpbw]

2 people are hamilton fans

[f1matt]

Hope Alonso can get at least one more championship.

[1255r3]

@f1matt he will get 5 more, easily

[blaksu]

very cool, raw video

[ImReallyFuckingCrazy]

these era cars sounded and looked so sweet

[MegaMrDamo]

That Minardi looks great

[FrezoVivace]

Can't stop saying: what a fantastic engine sounds back in those days!

[cfcnlr]

i respect drivers like kubica and button etc more than the likes of hamilton, vettel the reason being is that kubica has probably the same if not better driving abilities than hamilton, but hamilton has been lifted and laid since the start of his f1 career being in 1 of the best teams in f1 whereas the likes of kubica, alonso had to come up through the ranks with poor cars etc

[mazza6595]

..now fast fwd to 2005 season :D

[rockangel1967]

i really miss minardi. it was a great team. although they always were last but no one can say they did not fight. try to stay in F1 for such a long time with literally no budged. they deserve a huge respect.

[Denspisende]

@rockangel1967 Well, in a way they are still around, only now the team is Scuderia Toro Rosso ;)

[alonet02]

f alonso is a great driver.. but a spoiled person....

[Foxx1981]

@alonet02 Nah I'd say Lewis is spoiled. Fernando is just... spanish.

[sjmaco]

@alonet02 How is Fernando spoiled? Came up, from a poor family in Asturias, fighting in Spanish karting races, trying to attract sponsors, failing many times, though proving his incredible worth once and again. He finally got a seat, in Minardi, impressed Briatore, won a race in '03, with McLaren and Ferrari dominating, and in '05 and '06 he won the championship in an incredible fashion. Now he fights in a dog of a car, and still wins. How is he spoilt?

[sjmaco]

@alonet02 Singapore '08 wasn't his fault, and Germany '10 was, I admit, a bit of a scandal, but I believe he would have passed him. But that really does not make him spoilt.

Schumi did the same with Barrichello, Vettel with Webber, Hamilton with Kivalainen on his championship winning year, Hamilton every single time had the same setup Alonso worked hard for. Prost as well, with the '93 ridiculous contract, and the '88 win in Suzuka.

[QOTSAPT]

on the description it says that Alonso has an "teamate" who was his tea mate? Alex young or tarso marques? both were pretty poor.

[QOTSAPT]

@QOTSAPT sorry its yoong its on the screen he was even worse than tarso marques

[unwicked91]

And just for the record Fernando eventually qualified in 17th.

[xcruzrr6]

Schumacher couldn't give a shit. He was 3 seconds faster

[darthbandon10]

@xcruzrr6 I think it was more that Alonso was taking Minardi past BAR in that session than being a threat to Schumacher's time...

[xcruzrr6]

@darthbandon10 ah ok. i get it now

[sjmaco]

@xcruzrr6 On a 4-second faster car

[Silverstone1950]

Do you have full qualifying???

[BrookssRobinsonn]

THE BEST SOUNDING VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

[MrWiLSo234]

that is one sick looking car .

[GTElwood]

God Bless Giancarlo Minardi, i met him two years ago and still working hard to find young talents and find them a ride. Great Man.

[VWatch07]

I like cars with low front nosecones...

[jelkec]

does were the days...no DRS, no KERS, just pure driving talent and skills....back then there were also a wet races with a lots of rain...back then you could use word rainmaster but not now when they stop the race after a small spray.....I mean that was racing....INTERESTING racing...when split stream was cool....now all of them wait for longer strait to use DRS...I mean come on guys.....anyone agree?

[adiban100]

@jelkec The first to complain just after a few drops of rain is Finger-boy

[2XRCP90]

@jelkec Absolutely. I laughed when they red flagged it at Canada this year. I can think of plenty of races which were heavier than that and wasn't stopped.

[ScottGranger94]

@2XRCP90 The camera's didn't do it justice did you see when theroad cars when round

[2XRCP90]

@ScottGranger94 I just think the stewards could be a little more lenient when they red flag a race, I mean, the wet definately throws up some surprises. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it seems that ever since 2009 drivers have been complaing that it is 'undriveable' when it is wet.

[wahaya2]

@2XRCP90 Well in fairness we've had some pretty madcap wet conditions in 2009-2011. In Canada 2011, for instance, several of the corners became lakes for a good hour and a half - so the word undriveable is pretty apt, you simply could not drive a formula one car through that, it would basically turn into a boat and float off the track with the driver powerless to even steer the car. Malaysia 2009 was even worse - the whole of the track practically became a lake XD

[sjmaco]

@jelkec slipstream* :) And the thing is now we need DRS, due to the high aerodynamics (which I am completely against, they're cars, not planes). So before you had more room to choose your braking point. Now, since the second you move from the racing line, you're at a huge loss, they need help. :)

[cud0s]

@jelkec bs. no i don't agree. people tend to view the past through a pink glasses. Those were one of the most boring times in f-1 (complete shumacher domination). And nowdays cars are faster and with fewer driving aids (no tc, launch control and many other things) +drs+kers- that means more difficult to drive more talent. The fact that race stewards are concerned about drivers safety is one of the greatest things in f1 about which legends senna or jackie stewart dreamed and fought

[Michaelingolfhansen]

@jelkec

Both yes and no! They had TC here remember!

I can't see how DRS and KERS makes the cars easier to drive (more the opposite as the cars behavior and topspeed changes all the time) and I believe the drivers are as talented as ever! And the racing wasent that good if you take the glorifying nostalgia glasses off!

BUT the seasons of 07 and 08: some of the closest, most exciting seasons ever shows that DRS and KERS are not the way to go! Overtaking should not be made artificially easy!

[rfsculero]

@jelkec They had traction control that year, though.

[LeanFx]

@jelkec the overtaking in early 2000s are as strong as DRS today , slip stream is probably only 1/3 as effective compared to before.

you can't really add KERS to the mix because the guy infront of you has KERS as well but KERS does work better with less drag during DRS+slipstream

[DeckardWill]

@jelkec Hmm... that said, there was traction control.

[MupNaz]

@jelkec 2001 had traction control

[rudfil]

Man, what a beautiful sound from that V10.

[govedar4o]

well..the "reliability" of the car and the aerodinamical factor of the minardi car which is same as on a brick showes alonsos talant!

[SebbyHaughtonf1]

1:08 Little did he know at the time that in only 4 years time, the man he was watching on the T.V Screens would be beating him in a Renault!

[beyblader10171]

@SebbyHaughtonf1

yeah but that renault was fast anyway

[philfire1987]

unbelievable that Ford Cosworth Engine was from 1998 !! Minardi revised the engines until end of 2001

[MrPotato16]

i miss minardi..

[alief54]

man even the minardi had a nice sound, never forget the old v10 days

[SebVettel18]

Talk about punching above your weight! If I'm not mistaken he ended up qualifying 17th for the race.

[chapmana22]

@SebVettel18 no way! try reading discriptions and then you wouldn't risk making yourself out to be a bit of an idiot... :P

[rich1701]

It's nice to hear that rough old cosworth v10 again, it sounded awesome at the track.

[ThomasfromGreece]

@rich1701 V10s sounded awesome in general !

[jfurry616]

Schumacher: "Damn that kid's pretty good!!"

I doubt Michael thought "the kid" would be beating him for a championship only 5 years later

[blerand91]

@jfurry616 Well Schumacher said in 2001 after he was impressed by Alonso's performances in Minardi that this guy is gonna be a world champion one day.The same thing he said also about Vettel in 2007 season where he was impressed by him in Race of Champions in Wembley and also after his great performances in Toro Rosso.So Schumacher is a perfect predictor too.He really knows when a driver has all the elements to be a champion.Got to give credit to this guy.

[F1FullRace]

lol

[Minardimaniac]

good lap no question. He actually LAPPED the other BAR of Panis in the final race in Suzuka. So no doubt he could temporarly beat the other BAR here at Indianapolis.

[Jejking]

@Minardimaniac And in fact in the process he totally slaughtered Alex Yoong with 1.25s in this qualifying session. This lap was awesome, for a Minardi you can say this car was hooked up! Brilliant to watch.

[Ferrariman601]

That little Minardi actually wasn't a bad looking car. Slow, but pleasing to the eye.

[raikkonen8]

THE FUTURE.....

[strongbowmad]

Several races that year Alonso drove the Minardi well. Several good performances obviously made people take notice!

[HERMANN354]

Great!

[rodentcafeteria]

Schumacher was like "damn"!!

[Jamirofan89]

He did that with a Minardi wow! Such a beautiful engine sound.Thanks Bernie for ruining it you bastard!!!

[TheIcyFire99]

@Jamirofan89 lol it aint bernie who changed the engines. it was fia, and bernie doesnt run it, max mosley did at the time they have the engine changes. as a matter of fact bernie wants them to be as loud as possible to attract more television viewers

[FormulaOneFan4Eva]

Schumacher's watching, "Damn, this kids good!"