Alonso loses temper with Portuguese paparazzi [video]

Fernando Alonso has landed himself in a controversy within the Spanish-language media.

After arriving in a private jet for a holiday on the small Portuguese island of Porto Santo, the Ferrari driver lost his temper with a group of paparazzi photographers as he walked through the airport.

A video shows the 29-year-old telling the group in Spanish: "The first photographer or camera I see in the next days, I will leave the next day and tell everyone that Porto Santo is a disaster.

"Ok? So please leave us alone," added Alonso, who gestured with a thumbs-down.

The footage was featured in the news coverage by several media, with some reporting that Alonso has been even more aggressive on occasion.

Alonso's next official engagement is Ferrari's traditional Wroom event in the Italian Dolomites.

Source: GMM

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 rxlonline rxlonline
what an asshole!!! just becouse u are important dosen't mean you can do watever u want!! i hope u become last in the next championship! and this is the attitude of a champion? threatening a small island that is going to say bad about her to the world, only because a half dozen photographers? and if it was in the Canary Islands, will that would do the same? what a shame ...
January 3, 2011 9:26 am
 Hardboy997 Hardboy997
So, if you want to spend a relax holidays without all of those paparazzis in the Christmas Eve you are an asshole, is that what you say? What is wrong with people these days? Why so many hate?
January 3, 2011 11:47 am
 c3vzn c3vzn
Alonso's on track behaviour is far worse than this. I applaud him for doing this.
January 3, 2011 2:43 pm
 rxlonline rxlonline
the problem isnt wanting to ward off the paparazzi, is the method! To threaten and defame the poor island of Porto Santo? who still lives just over of tourism? thats why a call him a ass***!!
January 3, 2011 5:16 pm
 Fourie_00 Fourie_00
wow rxlonline you must be a model citizen. i think most would say something to extract the most desirable result. maybe you are from portugal and see take this personally.. usually media on holiday islands are a bit more circumspect and keep their distance so that this does not occur. must have been amatures or local papz from the island? lol
January 3, 2011 7:46 pm
 Hardboy997 Hardboy997
@rxlonline: ahahah maan you are a complete **** ***! Listen, there is no problem at all. You may have a problem with the world, I'm really sorry for you. There is something called "to travel", people does it often. You should try xDD
January 4, 2011 1:22 am
 wcfuser14369 wcfuser14369
Surely this would cause more of a storm in the Portugese speaking media? He is, after all, slagging off the Portugese and a Portguese island.
January 3, 2011 9:53 am
 N20_Purge N20_Purge
What the heck is wrong with him? Back in November, he waved his middle finger to Petrov in Abu Dhabi for not letting him pass, now this. He's such a terrible role model for an F1 driver. If I was an Alonso fan, I'd be deeply disappointed by his actions.
January 3, 2011 10:10 am
 loki loki
Myeah.. seems to be a problem with all "latin" drivers. First one that comes into mind is Montoya.. come on guys. You're Formula 1 drivers. What do you expect? Don't like all the media and politics? OK, go away, like Raikkonen did.. than again, it's not all good when you're not noticed by the media altogether, right?.. Get real, Fernando!
January 3, 2011 10:23 am
 autoficianado autoficianado
he looks like a man and acts like a spoiled boy. enough said...and I agree Montoya is the same...
January 3, 2011 11:12 am
 mc959 mc959
@ Loki & autoficianado I can not agree with you about Montoya, cause he never needed to ask help to get over his team-mate! And Monty was always an asshole(that's what i liked him) but Alonso was a nice guy at Renault but became a spoilt child a Ferrari. So don't compare them, pls
January 5, 2011 2:11 am
 Hardboy997 Hardboy997
Well done Fernando!!! All those paparazzis - get a life.
January 3, 2011 11:54 am
 bobbybob bobbybob
It is their life and their profession. How else do you think they earn their money? Plus, you don't need to afraid or paranoid if you don't do anything wrong. Unless Alonso is planning to do 'max mosley', otherwise he should not be paranoid of being photographed/filmed. It's not that paparazzi want to steal anything from him.
January 4, 2011 10:53 am
 ADCAR ADCAR
I think Fernando said nothing wrong and he has the right to say whatever he wants to people following him with cameras. this video shouldn't be on WCF and his personal life should not effect his reputation as a sportsman.
January 3, 2011 1:13 pm
 radmeister radmeister
You guys condemning him are a joke...I mean if someone was stalking you would you not tell them to leave you alone? Did you expect him to pose in his underwear for the camera? To me he seemed pretty composed and relaxed. At the end of the day he did not want to be photographed or followed on his holidays, and he has the right to tell those people to leave him alone...
January 3, 2011 1:43 pm
 rxlonline rxlonline
the problem isnt wanting to ward off the paparazzi, is the method! To threaten and defame the poor island of Porto Santo? who still lives just over of tourism? thats why a call him a ass***!!
January 3, 2011 5:18 pm
 radmeister radmeister
Maybe the island should outlaw it, there are quite a few remote islands where paparazzi are illegal. It's a valid threat and justified. If his privacy cannot be kept intact on that island then it really was a disaster for him because it ruined his trip...I think you are making too much out of a guy just wanting some privacy over the holidays.
January 3, 2011 9:41 pm
 keithxp keithxp
Gotta love the off season "controversy"... Just a couple more months fellas...
January 3, 2011 2:38 pm
 Hardboy997 Hardboy997
There is no controversy man, the only controversy is created by people like you. Shame
January 3, 2011 3:40 pm
 bobbybob bobbybob
yeah, there is no controversy. Alonso being an asshole is ubiquitous. He is what he is.
January 3, 2011 9:30 pm
 keithxp keithxp
"controversy" = controversy with sarcasm...
February 24, 2011 8:11 pm
 fred123456 fred123456
Why some of u guys stay like that.. Some people just want a break from all the hype... I am in by no means of an alonso fan but give him a break.... We all of just need to have a stress free time... What if it was vettle who had done that, what would u have said what a spoiled winner... COME ON!!!!
January 3, 2011 3:00 pm
 Fourie_00 Fourie_00
lol, everyone's a critic. wondering what Webber (being the straight shooter he is) would have said.. or Hamilton or Vettell. i dont think it would have been far off. its a bit sensationalist and rxlonline is so appalled by this behaviour that he cannot stand the injustice we live with in our day to day life.. he might move to another planet :P
January 3, 2011 7:48 pm
 A A
He and Vettell would make a good couple.. Both young, stupid and arrogant, big headed, look at me. Well you reap what you sow big F1 BOYS!!. EARN your respect and you might understand humility a little more...
January 3, 2011 9:17 pm
 A A
No understand...I thought so..
January 3, 2011 9:18 pm
 bobbybob bobbybob
"Ayrton Senna is a greater man out of the car than in it." Frank Williams on Ayrton Senna Sometime later: "Alonso is a complete asshole whether in or out of the car" Petrov, Massa, Piquet Jr & Hamilton on Alonso
January 3, 2011 9:25 pm
 LipeGno LipeGno
(hi i'm Filipe a long time reader, first time commenter :) ) I'm from Madeira which Porto Santo belongs too, and there's a lot of football players that go there in holidays (Ronaldo, Figo, Zidane, Henry) and it never hapenned nothing like this. That said i think there were not paparazzy only the local news, in an archipelago with 2 islands and about 270 000 citizens if a F1 driver comes to visit is big news. Anyway like someone once said there's no such thing as bad publicity.
January 4, 2011 3:36 am
 soundwave soundwave
And these is the person that some citzens like to see what he do, and then he tell these things, forget him, guys like this the planet dont need, they are rubish.
January 4, 2011 7:39 am
 JRodrigues JRodrigues
Paparazzis?! what the hell.. there was one camera from NationalTV and one photographer for local newspaper (you can see him on the video)... what did he want?! There's the news now that his girlfriend chased a local guy who was taking photos to his house, and a owner of the house (a woman) saw her inside and they fought, and the other woman smacked her a few times.. :D Just for notice, Porto Santo is an island with 4500 habitants! Who the hell is a paparazzi in a island like that?! NO ONE!!!
January 4, 2011 8:04 pm