Zonta to race for Prost?

[TeddyG]

Reports in the press have claimed that Eddie Jordan and Alain Prost are working on a deal to see Ricardo Zonta leave his testing role to replace Gaston Mazzacane at Prost. - www.formula1.com

I know that Liz will be happy about this! How does everyone else feel?

[Jeanburrasca81]

Better Zonta than Mazzacane...how can Alesi know how really quick he is when he has to compare himself to Gaston who already is great when he's only 1 second behind...

Oh yes...Liz would be really happy I guess...lol.

[TeddyG]

Sorry posted a little early. What I wanted to say was that Zonta did nothing at BAR so I don't know if he can really help Prost (not that they have anything to lose) but I guess we may see if he can help in the near future.

[Jeanburrasca81]

Thanks, but that doesn't change much...better Zonta than Mazzacane...although even Zonta is slower than Alesi.

[TeddyG]

True he would be a better comparasion for Alesi...I guess.

[Dino IV]

Don't mistake him for the unhappy frustrated boy that chewed his tongue at BAR: Zonta is really an awesome and extraordinary driver. I guess he has never been happier in his F1 career than now at Jordan out of the limelight. He lapped 11 seconds faster yesterday than anyone else at a damp Silverstone so I guess he's really rebuilding his confidence again. Talentwise he's about the same league as Montoya so given some time and the proper environment and he'll be a real toprunner in F1. Prost would be alright for him. Alesi is a real gentleman teacher these days, as is Alain himself, so he'll be happy to run his races there. No doubt he'll be up there with Jean pretty soon and make the mark to a topseat sooner than many will expect. Or at least I hope so, alright.

[JoMiSaP]

I think that will be a good move for Prost (getting rid of one of the worst drivers of the last years) but not a good one for Zonta (going to the second worst team in the grid).

Zonta deserves a better seat. What about in Ferrari next year alongside TGF?

[Liz]

What Dino said.

Zonta was seriously out of his element at BAR - he was placed there by British American Tobacco who wanted a Brazilian pilot due to their virtual lock on the Brazilian market, with no thought as to driver fit or team preferences, from what I understand - and it was never going to work from the first day. I am under the impression though that Zonta wishes to wait for a race slot at Jordan (which is expected when Trulli departs for Reneault), rather than take a lower level drive. But of course Alesi would be a big help to him as EJ also rebuilt his confidence and taught him a lot about how to comport himself, and he can sympathize. So either way it would be a good thing and I'm sure Rico will be guided by EJ's wishes.

Anyone who has seen Rico race in the lower formulae knows he is indeed championship material, and he is after all only 25 years old so hardly ready for the scrap heap yet.

[kuchi]

I rhink as some has said, It would be a better move for Prost than for Zonta, because he is a good driver,and has the chance to get Trullis seat. Zonta won the F3000 If my memory is right, and he showed great skills out there, so he might help that prost team because my man gaston it's just a joke.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by Dino IV
He lapped 11 seconds faster yesterday than anyone else at a damp Silverstone so I guess he's really rebuilding his confidence again.

I think maybe you should include the fact that he was the only one to turn a lap when the track was relatively dry, hence the 11 second difference.

Having said that, he definitely would be quicker than Mazzacane which isn't saying much really. But then Prost used to employ Panis, Trulli and Heidfeld so what really does he know. Hell didn't Button even have a one-off test for him at one point.

Prost + Pay Partner + Pay Driver = Can't buy a Win!

Give the Ferrari engine to Minardi

[Minardi fan]

A good move for Zonta if it goes through - and I don't think too many people will miss Mazzacane...

[Jeanburrasca81]

Awwww...don't say so Minardi fan...we all love Gaston, he#s a nice guy...far too nice...lol

[Mania]

I think it would be a good move. Zonta wont be quicker than Jean Alesi but he may push him a bit - and one thing about Jean - he HATES being slower than his team mate - so Prost would certainly benefit.


As for Mazzacane - I was one of the few who felt he deserved an opportunity to show if he was good enough -
and now he certainly has had that opportunity and he isent good enough, in fact, to be brutally honest - he's pretty
horrible behind the wheel of that Prost. Even the Minardis have been ahead of him at various stages throughout the first 3 races. So Mazzacane should do what Diniz did - hang up his track suit - and invest his money at Prost - rather than giving Alain something else to scream about...!

[Jeanburrasca81]

Yeah...kick him out of his seat at Prost but at the same time hold himback to invest his money. Maybe Gaston would do this, but Gaston's sponsors?

[Raoul Duke]

This is why I could never be a team owner. I simply would be unable of bringing myself to kicking a driver out of my team, I'm not cold hearted enough, I guess.

This reminds me of Jan Magnussen, a couple of years ago, getting sacked from Stewart in favour of Jos Verstappen.

I'm sure that beneath the cold exteriors, it can't be easy for these people to just give a driver the sack like that. But that just goes to so why F1 is such a rough bussiness, and you can't allow emotion to get in the way of the bussiness.

[Mania]

Well Alain doesent have a problem in giving anyone the pink slip. Heidfeld and Panis can attest to that. But in this case, Alain has no choice. Im sure there are more drivers around who can bring sponsorship and have some talent as well! Mazzacane is just nowhere...he should`nt even be in F1.

[bella]

go ricardo! yes! someone give him a reasonable car! (although i so dearly wanted to see him in a jordan)

oo! i want to be grid girl! me, me!

as for him, it may be a dubious move. the prost car is slightly slow, and would only lead to a lot of wandering around at the back.

(i know i'm not supposed to mention these rival forums but go to atlasf1 forums, and there's a rather interesting topic in the court forum about ricardo and bar. needless to say, the judgement is suspicious, but it's interesting to read)

[Liz]

AtlasF1 has a broken registration system. What did they say about Rico?

[bella]

http://www.atlasf1.com/bb/showthread...threadid=14407

is the link. it's all very curious.

[Tristan]

Am I the only one who thinks he'll be faster than Alesi?? Alesi was never THAT good, a fine driver, but not exactly a "great". Nor is Zonta mind, but also a fine driver. (sorry about the gobbledy-gook way of presenting my point there, I'm tired!)

More to the point, WHY ARE PROST SO SLOW?? Sauber don't seem to be having many problems with EXACTLY the same engine/gearbox setup.....

[steve nielsen]

Anything is better than Mazzacash , the guy can barely stay away from 22 place, even with Ferrari power, what where PSN thinking when they sponsored him??

[Liz]

Bella, that is indeed fascinating reading, but as it is based on speculation, it proves essentially nothing.

Different people react in different ways to being teased, bullied and humiliated by other people. Some of them fall to pieces and are unable to do their job (e.g. Frenzy, to some extent, and Zonta - both mistreated by the same "Number 1" pilot, incidentally); some go home for their guns and take revenge; some go home and stay home; and some get really angry and prove themselves on the playing field. It's impossible to judge the reasons for the way any person we don't personally know is responding, except by taking what he says and what we know about the people he is talking about, and even then we are going to be influenced by whether we like him or his adversaries better and by our own personal way of responding to such treatment.

Yes, Rico is/was rather naive coming into the situation, and he was not properly coached by people who should have warned him. Perhaps he was brought up a bit sheltered with people who always meant what they said and who helped him when he needed it, and perhaps his former teams were supportive and the team members, not being best friends and business partners with the team boss, were more of a team. You know yourself that if you've always been in an office where people are supportive and helpful, share the work load, and don't spread malicious gossip and backbite each other, when you come into a situation that is the polar opposite - and you can't figure out what the problem is - when you are doing your best to help everyone with their work and to be honest and straightforward, and you find out that your office mates are mocking you, giving you all the worst jobs, tattling to the boss about you, and otherwise making your life miserable, and the more you try to deal with it like the lady you were taught to be, the worse it gets ... you know that it can be demoralizing, stress-inducing and completly ruin your ability to do your job. Some people, when they are wised up, can turn on their evil office mates and give them 10,000 times the grief they were given. And unfortunately, these day, some of them go home and get a gun.

And some people end up getting fired for "not being a good fit", because it just isn't in them to be witches.

Rico, I think, is one of those people who just can't be a witch. (So's Frenzy, I think.) If he could have ignored Jacques (as Panis is doing) except for maintaining a cordial working relationship, or if he could have given back 10,000 times more than he got, he would have succeeded at BAR as well as Panis is doing, because he's just as good a pilot or better. Once he gets his confidence back and EJ and possibly Alesi have helped him develop a bit more edge, he's going to be fine.

Well, that's my case for Rico and I will only add that I don't think Jacques is evil; I think he is thoughtless, manipulative and egocentric, but that is the way all the best race drivers seem to be at heart.

I also think that when Rico wins his WDC that Jacques will congratulate him. And he will try his best to sound as if he is sincere.

[Jeanburrasca81]

Tristan...not only the engine and gearbox make a car fast or slow. And considering their last years performance this car is even a rocket.

I guess you are the only one who thinks Zonta would be faster then Alesi. The fact that you don't think Alesi ever was or still is a GREAT driver shows that you don't know much about him.

[Mania]

No way is Zonta quicker than Jean. But he's certainly going to quick enough to give Jean a bit of a wake up call once in a while. But he may not be going to Prost, his manager released a statement today which contained the usual denials - but the interesting part of the statement was when he said that Ricardo was hoping to drive for Jordan next year. I already suspected Trulli would be heading to Renault but why on earth would he want to leave and join Renault when they wont be as competitive as the Jordan Honda's for another 2 seasons at least..? I guess the only positive would be to see Fisichella get out of Benetton and save his rapidly sinking career.


Anyone else thinks Jean is retiring at the end of this season..the way things are going at Prost seem to suggest that to be the case

[bella]

liz:
WOOO! go, sister
i shall paste that to all i know who has said a bad word.

i'm not sure how he would do against alesi. but let's wait and see

mania:
i think it's time jean left f1 to it. unless he scores some points this year, it's best to go now. besides, i hear sportscars is a lot of fun nowadays. just think, he could do le mans...