[QualityReachOut]

I find the revelation of Ron being personally responsible for the salvation of Heikki fantastic!!
This has been discussed on other threads, but the story has taken on a life of it's own!

"Team boss Dennis makes no bones about his belief that Renault, led by outspoken Italian Flavio Briatore
with whom there is no love lost, did no favours to Kovalainen last year before replacing him for 2008 with Nelson Piquet."

Is he trying to make it sound like Flav ditched Heikki for Jr?
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...29001728.shtml
Where was all this salacious info before Heikki beat Hamilton?

"Dennis said Kovalainen, whose F1 debut was dismissed as 'rubbish' by Briatore,
'lost his motivation' in 2007 as he was 'misguided' in how to go about things like physical preparation."

If I'm not mistaken Heikki ran a big time Marathon within days of the end of last season!
Perhaps Ron is talking about physical preparation more specific to F1.

"Then when we spoke to him you could just see that look which says it is in there
if we could just get his self-belief back, get him into a position where he knew what he had to do."

My god!!!
Ron, you wouldn't be hedging your bet in the event that LH is beaten by your new masterpiece of self improvement

L. Ron Hubbard Dennis!..... I do like the sound of it !!

Cheers! Ah... no thanks I think I'll pass on the elixir of positive brainwas.. I mean thinking!

[scemHeish]

L. Ron Hubbard Dennis...that's a new one!

And yes, I think he is talking about physical preparation regimes as directed by the teams. Remember it was Ron who, as a team boss, first implemented specific training regimes to his drivers.

[pkxlugbsbv]

Let's remember that Heikki is also the kid who beat M Schumacher in the finals at the race of champions a few years back. He didn't do all to bad in GP2 either, barely being beaten by Nico at the wire.

Heikki wasn't as impressive as perhaps I would have thought last year at Renault. He certainly doesn't seem to be very far behind Lewis's talent in the Mclaren. This kid could very well be the upset of '08.

[QualityReachOut]

Let's remember that Heikki is also the kid who beat M Schumacher in the finals at the race of champions a few years back. He didn't do all to bad in GP2 either, barely being beaten by Nico at the wire.

Heikki wasn't as impressive as perhaps I would have thought last year at Renault. He certainly doesn't seem to be very far behind Lewis's talent in the Mclaren. This kid could very well be the upset of '08.

Not only do you (and myself) as well as a lot of other people that have been paying attention
have this feeling.(that Heikki could be the upset kid) Ron is trying to take credit for it! Thus this thread!!
(which BTW has a mis-spelling in the title) If I was being less subtle I would have titled it:
"Where the He!! Does Ron Get Off Claiming That He Made This Kid Out of A Discarded Piece of Crap"

[pataagusata]

Ron is simply taking after Angelina Jolie by adopting "sons" from all over the world and giving them a better life!

(Of course you're bound to get a rebellious one now and then...i.e. FA)

[erepsysoulpfbs]

I'm not sure how Renault does their fitness and mental training, but there has been stories about McLaren's work in the last months since they work with a Finnish fitness centre and have a Finn for a team doctor. According to Kovalainen, McLarens approach physical and mental training is more professional than what they had at Renault.
In that sense Dennis's comments, which BTW are similar to what he has said before the first race, wouldn't be far off the truth.

[QualityReachOut]

I'm not sure how Renault does their fitness and mental training, but there has been stories about McLaren's work in the last months since they work with a Finnish fitness centre and have a Finn for a team doctor. According to Kovalainen, McLarens approach physical and mental training is more professional than what they had at Renault.
In that sense Dennis's comments, which BTW are similar to what he has said before the first race, wouldn't be far off the truth.

Yes I understand their is a difference in being fit for max results in F1, and the fitness required to run 26+ miles! That is a point well taken! I just get the impression, and in fairness to Ron it may be media driven, and blown out of proportion, that their is way to much emphasis on what a reclamation project he had to have been, coming in! Throw in the timing, and it's a little fishy to me!

[PoideAdelereX]

ridiculous. heikki had no problems at IMO the most difficult race of last season (Fuji), and that was close to the end of the season. he had no problems finishing in second place, and holding off the to be world champion raikkonen. now, i do possibly agree with the fitness and mental preperation thing, but to suggest that by taking on heikki, ron dennis has personally been responsible for the salvation of a particularly mentally tough finn, who, on the face of it, had a pretty damn good rookie season, is to be an insult to the finn. kovy was unlucky at reno, seeing as how briatore wanted fernando and piquet jnr. this year. however, kovy was not mclarens first choice either. if, and this is a big if, kovy had been relentlessly pursued by mclaren when alonso left, then i think ron would have grounds for this claim. but, he wasn't. just after heikki has outqualified and outraced lewis, these comments start emerging.

[QualityReachOut]

ridiculous. heikki had no problems at IMO the most difficult race of last season (Fuji), and that was close to the end of the season. he had no problems finishing in second place, and holding off the to be world champion raikkonen. now, i do possibly agree with the fitness and mental preperation thing, but to suggest that by taking on heikki, ron dennis has personally been responsible for the salvation of a particularly mentally tough finn, who, on the face of it, had a pretty damn good rookie season, is to be an insult to the finn. kovy was unlucky at reno, seeing as how briatore wanted fernando and piquet jnr. this year. however, kovy was not mclarens first choice either. if, and this is a big if, kovy had been relentlessly pursued by mclaren when alonso left, then i think ron would have grounds for this claim. but, he wasn't. just after heikki has outqualified and outraced lewis, these comments start emerging.

Thank you!
Because what you expressed in this post elaborate's on my reasoning for starting it!
Some of Ron's comments are quite bazarre!

[Konservir]

A guy who is able to run the Marathon is more than enough fit to drive an F1 car for 90-120 minutes at top levels.
The only thing needed that is different is neck muscles training.

As for Ron and McLaren being the ones who revolutionized physical training in F1, that's bull-brownies! There was a guy called M. Schumacher who was the fittest from the beginning to the end of his F1 career, and he never drove for the McTeam.

The only time Ron had to implement harder physical training was with JPM!

[Konservir]

Thank you!
Because what you expressed in this post elaborate's on my reasoning for starting it!
Some of Ron's comments are quite bazarre!

I like the use of the "bazarre" word there!

[Konservir]

ridiculous. heikki had no problems at IMO the most difficult race of last season (Fuji), and that was close to the end of the season. he had no problems finishing in second place, and holding off the to be world champion raikkonen. now, i do possibly agree with the fitness and mental preperation thing, but to suggest that by taking on heikki, ron dennis has personally been responsible for the salvation of a particularly mentally tough finn, who, on the face of it, had a pretty damn good rookie season, is to be an insult to the finn. kovy was unlucky at reno, seeing as how briatore wanted fernando and piquet jnr. this year. however, kovy was not mclarens first choice either. if, and this is a big if, kovy had been relentlessly pursued by mclaren when alonso left, then i think ron would have grounds for this claim. but, he wasn't. just after heikki has outqualified and outraced lewis, these comments start emerging.

We all know how big a hypocrite Ronald is, so in the end this is not a surprise to me.

[gvataler]

I think that RD tries now to emphasize just how fair he is to his drivers and how glad he is for HK.

I don't buy it.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

but to suggest that by taking on heikki, ron dennis has personally been responsible for the salvation of a particularly mentally tough finn, who, on the face of it, had a pretty damn good rookie season, is to be an insult to the finn.

When and where has Dennis said that?
kovy was unlucky at reno, seeing as how briatore wanted fernando and piquet jnr. this year. however, kovy was not mclarens first choice either. if, and this is a big if, kovy had been relentlessly pursued by mclaren when alonso left, then i think ron would have grounds for this claim. but, he wasn't. just after heikki has outqualified and outraced lewis, these comments start emerging. As I said earlier, These comments have not just surfaced after the last race, Dennis was quoted daying the pretty much same thing in a Finnish F1 site March 13'th, also Whitmars has said all along that Kovalainen has constantly developed better as he get's more integrated with the team.

[PoideAdelereX]

When and where has Dennis said that?

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42133
in this article. he claims that "Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"

As I said earlier, These comments have not just surfaced after the last race, Dennis was quoted daying the pretty much same thing in a Finnish F1 site March 13'th, also Whitmars has said all along that Kovalainen has constantly developed better as he get's more integrated with the team.

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42133
in this article. he claims that "Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again,"

i cant argue with your second point!

[erepsysoulpfbs]

Unless Ron suddenly has began talking about himself in third person it's quite a bit more propable that by "we", he refers to McLaren as a team.

[PoideAdelereX]

i think mclaren may be trying to generate public empathy by claiming that they were the only ones to have faith in this sad, broken little man that they took under their wing, and have now nursed back to full health. its this particular image that i have a problem with. mclaren did NOT show faith in heikki. its common knowledge that nico was their first choice. after alonso and nico were ruled out, who was the best option. heikki got the seat by a process of elimination (well thats how it appears anyway). and by ron referring to "we", i would assume he means the team McLaren yes, seeing as how he is the public face of mclaren. i dont disagree with your point about ron making these comments a fortnight ago, i didnt know that. i assumed that he had made them after malaysia, which, by comparing his two drivers comparative performances, really makes ron look like a fair weather kind of employer.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

I'd say the comments are more of a jab towards Briatore, who has made several comments on how badly Dennis handels his drivers.

The fact is Heikki got shafted at Renault, the car was rubbish and Briatore wen't looking for Alonso halfway to the season. Not exactly the perfect way to motivate your driver.

[sharpyure]

Funny, I would have thought that HK is just another "recycled driver" from Renault, like that other character they got last year and then dumped.....

or getting worried about not getting credit or something....


or maybe just worrried that the number two at Renault becomes number one @ mac, that ole Flavio may get credit or something

or maybe he is trying to avoid HK having the feelings that FA got when he too, gets put in his proper place behind the true Mac-Knight and Lord Protector of English Virginity.

OTOH, we all know that Mac and RD always tell the truth, nothing but the truth, and only the truth, each and everytime one of their mouths move, so help me God, so be silent, you doubters and herectics

[pkxlugbsbv]

wow, there's some pent up energy here.