Alonso elected better than Hamilton according to the English!

The Spanish driver Fernando Alonso was voted the best Formula 1 driver in 2008 by the readers of The Times. The British thus preferred him over Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.

As every year, ‘The Times’, the most popular English daily newspaper, organized the election of the best F1 driver of the season. Readers voted on the website (Timesonline) for two weeks.

The results were published today, and to everyone’s surprise, it is Fernando Alonso (Renault) who claimed the top spot. The Spaniard has indeed been the big surprise of the season, winning two races with a car that wasn’t capable of such performances at the beginning of the season… This marks the second consecutive year that Fernando Alonso wins this poll.

The most astonishing is still Lewis Hamilton’s position, second in the standings. The Englishman still does not convince his national audience, even after winning the 2008 World Champion title and claiming the record for the youngest champion in F1 history…

His lifestyle and way of communicating with McLaren would not satisfy the English public – too arrogant and too media-exposed with Pussycat Dolls’ singer, Nicole Scherzinger.

The move from England to Switzerland after winning millions in Formula 1 probably did not help.

Felippe Massa, for his part, occupies the third position among the best drivers in 2008. He is the most victorious, with 6 Grand Prix wins compared to 5 for Hamilton.

Kubica was also praised, as was the young Sebastian Vettel… the youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history.

Another surprise lies in Räikkönen’s 6th place… only. The Finn has undoubtedly fallen victim to his very “nocturnal” lifestyle and hasn’t caught the eye of our neighbors across the Channel.

Finally, it is important to note Bourdais’ good position. The Frenchman was not the most popular choice but surpasses two other Britons in this survey: Button and Coulthard. He is also ahead of Piquet Junior and is considered as good as Barrichello. This is enough to encourage the driver from Le Mans for 2009 and perhaps satisfy Toro Rosso.

Complete results of the Times poll in points

1. Fernando Alonso (Renault) – 1071.5

2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) – 1061.5

3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) – 989

4. Robert Kubica (BMW) – 912.5

5. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) – 895

6. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) – 488.5

7. Nick Heidfeld (BMW) – 217

8. Timo Glock (Toyota) – 208.5

9. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) – 194

10. Mark Webber (Red Bull) – 179

11. Nico Rosberg (Williams) – 102

12. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) – 88.5

13. Rubens Barrichello (Honda) – 30.5

= Sebastian Bourdais (Toro Rosso) – 30.5

15. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) – 24

16. Adrian Sutil (Force India) – 18

17. Jenson Button (Honda) – 16

18. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) -12

19. David Coulthard (Red Bull) – 9

20. Takuma Sato (Super Aguri) – 2

= Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri) – 2

22. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) – 1