Willkommen » his turbo engine era -- I think the cars are

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Fernando Alonso has been impressed by McLaren-Hondas progress in the past year, but says his main interest lies in what can be achieved in 2017 and how new regulations will change the feel of the cars.Alonsos contract with McLaren is due to expire at the end of 2017 and he has previously said his decision on whether to renew will be based on whether next years cars are more interesting to drive. Speaking on Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps, he said he is hoping the new regulations for 2017 will offer similar thrills to those he experienced in previous years of his career.Next year I finish my contract with McLaren -- the one that I have now -- so I have to make a decision if I can continue in Formula One or not. In the last couple of years -- in this turbo engine era -- I think the cars are a little bit different to drive, but I dont say if its better or worse.Everyone will have his opinion, but I have been lucky enough to drive 2003 cars, 2004 and 2005 ... even until 2009 the cars were, in my opinion, more extreme and more Formula One cars. Now when I see GP2 cars running three seconds away in FP1, it feels a bit sad. The cars are heavy, no grip, we save fuel, we save tyres, we save everything from lap one. Its a little bit against the instinct of the driver and next year is a big question mark.The regs and everything will change a little bit and if the cars are fun to drive and exciting to drive, I will probably stay longer and drive more years in Formula One, but if the cars are still giving me the feeling I had in the last couple of years I will stop. But it is not related to if you are competitive, you are either enjoying driving the car or not enjoying it and right now, in my opinion, the cars are not enjoyable. But thats probably because I drove older cars, and if you arrive now to Formula One these cars are probably very fast and very fun to drive, but not for me anymore.McLaren-Honda has made progress this year and arrives at Spa this weekend with a major engine upgrade.If you look at the team 12 months ago we were in a very different situation. We were starting last here using, I think, our ninth engine of the year here in Spa and we were lapped two times here last year, so definitely we have made a step of minutes, not even seconds, in total race time so we are in a much better position. We are enjoying it and the progress is looking optimistic, and for next year as well.We look forward to this weekend, we have some updates on the car, but we know that Spa and Monza will be some tricky races for us in terms of layout and characteristics of the circuits, but definitely we are enjoying our time now, seeing the progress, and we are hungry for more.But asked whether he thought McLaren should still be working on improving its 2016 car, he simply said: Well, I think we want to be world champions. So this year it is not anymore possible. Cheap Packers Jerseys . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Kabion Ento Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. http://www.wholesalepackersjerseys.com/?tag=youth-alex-light-jersey . 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For cricket, in all of its infinite variety, relies on judgement more than any other skill, and if theres one judgement that is absolutely vital, it is that of the self.Geoffrey Boycott, for all his faults, knows a thing or two about the game. One of his mantras is make your opponent do something they dont want to do. He says this because its true.If youre bowling to Alastair Cook, you dont pitch the ball short and wide, or on his hips, you pitch it outside off... and when hes struggling, when his footwork isnt just so, or hes overbalancing, hell invariably have a nibble. When hes in form, however, his judgement is impeccable. Ignoring practically everything that isnt in his arc, he simply waits for the bad ball and puts it away, and his leave is a thing of frustrating beauty. Hes not the most elegant, attractive or technically proficient member of the England set-up, but one look at the numbers show just how effective a cricketer he is. This is because he knows his own game.In April 1997, an article appeared in the music press arguing that accurate self-assessment was vital for a musician to perform at their best, and described a psychological test that could quantify the gap between a players self-belief and his or her actual ability. It was, as the month of publication suggests, a joke, though like all good jokes it was built around close observation and understanding. Two years later, in 1999, two psychologists at Cornell University came to a similar conclusion, noting that low-ability individuals consistently overestimate their skill levels, while the converse is true of high-ability individuals. They called it the Dunning-Kruger effect. I called it the Position of Attitudes.Weve all seen the results of extreme disparity between actual and perceived ability. The batsman who thinks he can hit every ball for six but is always oh-so-unlucky; the bowler whos convinced hes lightning fast and pitches it short and shorter still, but will get the batsman soon. Neither cricketer wins games.Accurately gauging ones own ability relative to that of the other players on the field (whether they are on your side or not) is a vital part of playing at ones best.As a wicketkeeper who sometimes keeps above himself, its a constant battle to find the right place to stand, especially to spinners. Obviously, one ought to stand up to spin, but some bowlers are just too quick for me. I leak byes aand am unlikely to take many nicks.dddddddddddd. Standing back even a yard or two may take stumpings out of the equation, but the byes dry up and I pouch the nicks. I know my own capabilities, and usually keep within them, but sometimes I give in to pressure and move to where someone else thinks I ought to stand. It rarely goes well. Im pretty confident I know my keeping self.When batting, the same is true. If youre aware of your limitations (and accept them), then you reduce the risk of failure. Its when youre tempted to overreach that things go badly. You decide to go for big shots when youre really a nudger and a nurdler.On tour this summer, I played a vital innings batting at No. 5 (when I was probably the 12th best bat in the team) during which I watched partner after partner try too hard and perish accordingly. I simply waited for the ball to be well within my arc. It worked because I played to my strengths (such as they are) and made the bowlers come to me. Occasionally, I simply tee off. This doesnt go so well.We must allow ourselves to play our own game and not be lured into playing someone elses. No matter what the wicketkeeper says. Yes, we adapt to the situation, and yes, sometimes that means we must take greater risks, but in acknowledging those risks we may still make the best of it. Try to hit the ball too hard, try to bowl it too fast, try too many variations and the percentages plummet. Ask not, as they say, what the ball is going to do to you, but what you can actually do with the ball.The England Test side has left in its wake many who have struggled to succeed because they have tried to change their natural game. And by this I dont mean adapting to the new arena, fine-tuning technique, or working on shot selection.Nick Compton, convinced he needed to impress, tried to change his natural game and was caught hooking. Alex Hales struggled as an opener because he couldnt decide who to be: had he played freely he may still have failed, but thats okay. Yes, James Vince, Gary Ballance and a few others have arguably failed to make their game work at Test level, but they were honest with themselves in the process. Fail on your own terms, not somebody elses.When Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed opened together in the warm-up game in Bangladesh, they were in direct competition for the vacant opening berth. Both played their own game, neither trying to impress. The result? They both impressed. This can only be good for English cricket.We should aim to do the same, learn from Duckett and Hameed and be our own role models. ' ' '