This revelation has it all! In the formula 1 a star pilot is now in great need of explanation.
It’s about Fernando Alonso. In a bitter internal team fight, the two-time world champion of the formula 1 once resorted to illegal methods.
Formula 1: Bribe revelation about Fernando Alonso
2006 was the peak of Fernando Alonso’s career. He had just won the world title for the second time in a row and then switched to McLaren. There, too, he started the season as the top favorite. But something was different.
At Renault he was the star. His teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was getting on in years and was no competitor for the title. At McLaren, on the other hand, a youngster named Lewis Hamilton was waiting, who wanted to be number 1 at all costs.
Alonso’s coach handed out brown envelopes
A bitter struggle ensued. And because Alonso had his back to the wall after Hamilton’s sensational start to the season, he probably also resorted to unfair means. This is now revealed by a former team member.
Marc Priestley was a mechanic at McLaren. In the “Pitstop Podcast” he now unpacks. Alonso shouldn’t like his revelation at all. Priestley reveals that Alonso wanted to bribe the McLaren team to his side.
1,500 euros for everyone in the team – except Lewis’ people
“One of Fernando’s tactics was to get the whole team on his side of the garage. He tried to take control of himself,” reports the 45-year-old. At a Formula 1 race in 2007, he arrived in the garage just as Alonso’s manager or trainer was handing out small brown envelopes to the team.
“I can remember exactly: I opened the envelope and inside was about 1,500 euros. That was very questionable,” says Priestley. “As word got around in the team, we realized the only ones who didn’t get anything were Lewis’ people.”
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“Lewis did other things”
“It slowly dawned on us what had happened here,” says the mechanic, who wrote a book about his work four years ago. “You could call that a clever tactic. But the team found out about it and got us to donate everything to charity.”
Hamilton didn’t have a clean slate either. “Lewis did other things, played games in the media. Both did right and wrong things, each with their own strategy. Both wanted to be the best drivers in Formula 1 and were very successful with their methods.”
But it wasn’t enough for the title. In a dramatic finale, both ended up one point behind Kimi Raikkonen.
Discussions after the big announcement
No scandal, but rather a hammer has now been announced by the FIA. It affects next year’s race calendar and immediately sparked discussions among fans. More here.
Source: Derwesten
