Alonso and Hamilton: Will the love story continue?

Felippe Massa knew what was expected of him when he joined the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F1 racing team in 2006. Play second fiddle. Only that he was playing second fiddle to one German who responded to the name Micheal Schumacher. So did Barrichello when he joined the team in 2000.

Frenchman Alain Prost, a four time F1 Drivers Champion, a former team owner and one who has had experienced the cultures of McLaren and Ferrari rakes up the issue of drivers going ballastic with teammates after this Sundays United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, where McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso battled it out for the top step of the podium.

Prost's statement that McLaren are playing a lethal game might actually be true. He has experience with the Late great Ayrton Senna as his McLaren teammate once. Two swords in one sheath is not possible. And two superb drivers in one F1 team is a pain too. Ferrari was quite intelligent in picking up Barrichello and Massa alongside Schumacher as it knew that the two had potential but not the guile that the genius possessed.

At McLaren, Ron Dennis would never have imagined that the rookie Hamilton would ever usurp the two time reigning world champion Alonso, especially when Alonso isnt doing badly either. That has put McLaren in a tight spot, what with Alonso even claiming that Brit Hamilton had the backing of the English team. As of now, all concerned parties claim that they are on excellent terms and that all talks of spilts are rubbish. But will the friendship last? If yes, then for how long?

The crack is there, only that it has not grown yet. That is because McLaren is in the best form of its life now. Once there is a dip in performance or if Ferrari finds some more spice in its cars, the cracks might start to widen. At that stage, Ron Dennis might indeed recall what Prost had to say about McLaren's lethal game.

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