Alonso back at the top

Fernando Alonso’s move to Ferrari was one of the worst kept secrets in the history of Formula One. Everyone in the paddock knew that the move was going to happen, it was just a matter of when. The move , though, is undoubtedly a good one for Alonso, but it also extremely beneficial for the sport. In my eyes, and the eyes of many others Alonso is the best driver on the grid. No other driver could have got the results that he has managed over the last two years in what has often been a terrible car.
Many have questioned whether the complex Spaniard will be able to handle driving for Ferrari alongside a competitive team-mate in the form of Felipe Massa after his experience with McLaren and Lewis Hamilton in 2007. However, Alonso is an intelligent man and will have learned from his past mistakes and also has the added benefit of having a great friendship with the currently absent Brazilian.
Next season now promises to be an intriguing one. Alonso in the Ferrari against Hamilton in the McLaren. Both will be battling at the front of the grid but they won’t be the only ones there. Kimi Raikonnen, the man moved aside to make way for Alonso looks increasingly likely to return to McLaren in place of his under achieving countryman Heikki Kovalinen. Massa, should be a formidable force when back in full health, and there will also be the Brawn’s, most likely consisting of Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg and the Red Bull’s of Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel, both of whom have enjoyed successful but somewhat inconsistent times in 2009.
If there is a sport that needs a shot in the arm it is Formula One. This season has seen its reputation dragged through the mud, with the controversy early in the season about whether the top teams would be re-joining the competition or forming a breakaway competition to the recent race fixing scandal that saw Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds jettisoned from a sport they once graced. The fight for the title has also lost all momentum after the thrilling finishes of the previous two seasons. Jenson Button has done his very best to throw away the Championship but still finds himself 15 points clear of his nearest rivals as he crawls to his first World Championship.
It is about time that the best drivers were back at the front of the grid. Fernando Alonso should be fighting for wins and World Championships, not battling it out in the midfield. Next season he will be back at the very top, where his immense talent truly belongs.