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WEC drivers slam Fuji date change for Alonso

Published on 12 Feb 2018 09:23
7
By: Rob Veenstra

Other drivers have hit out at a calendar tweak that means Fernando Alonso can now contest the full sports car world championship in 2018. Earlier, the McLaren driver looked set to skip the Fuji round of the world endurance series due to a clash with a grand prix.

But series organisers have now moved the Fuji date -- making it clash instead with races that affect other drivers on the world endurance circuit. "It's a shame that a race is changed for one driver when the change hurts so many other drivers who have contracts in place," Alonso's former teammate Jenson Button, now a Super GT driver in Japan, said on Twitter.

Sports car driver Olivier Pla added: "Many thanks WEC, your lack of consideration and respect for the drivers who had a contract the same weekend is unbelievable. I'm sure I will be not the only one to be (not) impressed with what you did."

And Andre Lotterer said: "Wouldn't it have been a lot easier for everyone if Alonso would just miss a F1 race? Is that going to change much for him?"

denis1304

Posts: 284

it's a bitch when some "outsider" have more sway then you...

1
Feb 12 2018 - 10:27

F1 News Fernando Alonso Jenson Button McLaren

Replies (7)

denis1304

Posts: 284
it's a bitch when some "outsider" have more sway then you...
- + 1
- Feb 12 2018 - 10:27
RenaultFM1

Posts: 100
They should keep him in there. who will miss him?
- + 0
- Feb 12 2018 - 14:16
- ajpennypacker
  
  Posts: 2,475
  He's the second most popular driver on the grid, so yeah...
  + 1
  
  Feb 12 2018 - 14:39
f1dave

Posts: 782
Lotterer is right.
- + 0
- Feb 12 2018 - 15:30
RacetoWin

Posts: 95
There is no way that changing a date for Fenando Alonso should be allowed when the Date is changed to replace the Petit Lemans race with the WEc event.

Many WEc racers and teams cherish the petit lemans race and this temporary rookie driver is already being a bad apple to the bunch.

If toyota announces that this is their final year and fenando's car is not within the needed points to take the title than its a possibility that he doesn't even show up to Fuji, that is why this should not be changed, this should not be at the loss of petit lemans.

either way, teams might just ditch fuji just to race at road atlanta.

i hope japanese fans throw eggs at fenando just to show their mood towards him as he has constantly hit out at the japanese culture that according him and mclaren was too slow.
- + 1
- Feb 12 2018 - 16:11
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  The irony is that he actually likes Japanese culture, or at least at glance. He even has a Samurai tattooed on his back.
  + 0
  
  Feb 12 2018 - 16:23
ajpennypacker

Posts: 2,475
Oh please... they will all benefit from having Alonso around. It will bring a lot of new viewers to WEC simply because he is there. Yes... it was distasteful the way they did it, but it's not like a last minute change either. There are several months to make whatever changes needed to be made. Faux outrage is a pretty popular sport this days.
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- Feb 13 2018 - 17:28