Act like a true champion, Lauda tells Alonso
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-05 21:01
BUDAPEST, Aug 5 - Fernando Alonso may have blown his Hungarian Grand
Prix hopes in a moment of madness that could also cost him the Formula One
title, according to triple world champion Niki Lauda.
Renault's Alonso, 11 points clear of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher with six
races remaining, was handed a two-second qualifying penalty for an incident with
Red Bull test driver Robert Doornbos and ignoring warning flags in practice.
Race stewards slammed the 25-year-old world champion's behaviour as
"unneccessary, unacceptable and dangerous".
The penalty left the Spaniard staring, at best, at a mid-grid starting
position at a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficiult.
"What happened yesterday was stupid, because he threw away most likely the
race here and even the championship if he is unlucky," Austrian Lauda told
reporters at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
"Now it depends on how strong is Alonso. If he now starts to crack -- and
yesterday he cracked because under normal circumstances he would not do that --
and if the pressure builds up then he is a real normal human being and nobody
special.
"Tomorrow will be the most difficult race he will fight because he will not
make the top 10 for sure, he has to come from the back and here you cannot
overtake," added the Austrian, a champion with Ferrari and McLaren.
"Let's wait and see how he copes with this situation and I hope he does not
crack because this is what a world champion should not do."
ECCLESTONE AGREES
Lauda, who lost the 1976 championship after leading Briton James Hunt by 35
points before a near-fatal crash, said Alonso's behaviour on Friday had not been
worthy of his status.
"This is not the way a world champion should drive," he declared. "It is
ridiculous what he did from my point of view."
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