Fernando Alonso to Ferrari in 2010: Is this F1’s worst-kept secret?

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Looking for another team for next year?

Every few years in Formula 1 the silly season goes into overdrive while the teams wait for the biggest driver on the market to make his move.

Top drivers and top teams pairing up always has a degree of inevitability about it: like Ayrton Senna joining Williams in 1994, and McLaren signing Kimi Raikkonen in 2002.

Fernando Alonso has been linked to a move to Ferrari ever since his McLaren deal went sour. Will it finally come to be in 2010?

The rumours

As TommyB posted on the forum yesterday, the Spanish press has been buzzing in recent days with rumours claiming Ferrari will announce Alonso’s deal at the Italian Grand Prix.

There doesn’t appear to be much substance behind this latest story. But Ferrari traditionally announce changes in their driver line-up at Monza and the Alonso deal has been tipped for some time. The story may have simply been a means of bolstering traffic during a quiet few days following the latest round of the FIA-FOTA row.

What really gave this story legs was the report in December by Italian journalist Pino Allievi, a man credited by those in the know as having a solid line on developments at Ferrari. Around this time, 82% of F1 Fanatic readers reckoned the deal was on.

Not long afterwards, Gerhard Berger revealed Toro Rosso had been in contract negotiations with Alonso for 2009, but the Spanish driver had said he was looking for a ‘transitional’ year before moving on somewhere else. Berger drew the conclusion that Alonso’s destination team is Ferrari.

The right deal for both parties?

Suspicion has fallen on Kimi Raikkonen as being the Ferrari driver most likely to be moved aside. After winning the championship in 2007 his results tailed off last year, demonstrated by his error-strewn four race streak without a point scored.

Felipe Massa, of course, fared rather better last year – had the rain at Interlagos fallen 30 seconds later his Ferrari would have the number one on it.

Ferrari are believed to have Banco Santander lined up to foot part of the bill – conveniently, their colour schemes match up.

The attraction for Alonso is clear. Ferrari may be off the pace this year, but that is hardly typical of their form over the past decade. Renault, meanwhile, have handed him poor cars two years in a row.

All the progress Renault made throughout 2008, culminating in two victories, turned to naught over the winter as the team lost ground to their rivals despite being handed a significant concession from the FIA to improve their engine performance.

In short, everything seems to be aligned perfectly for Alonso to make that move to Ferrari. And if they are going to keep everyone waiting another two-and-a-half months to announce it, well, that just keeps the opposition guessing…

Read more: Ferrari to confirm Alonso at Monza (F1 Fanatic forum)

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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137 comments on “Fernando Alonso to Ferrari in 2010: Is this F1’s worst-kept secret?”

  1. Alonso & Ferrari is a very strong combination. I hope he wins the 2010 title with them

    1. And allows me, to once again, completely and utterly despise Ferrari if Kimi isn’t there.

    2. Nothing will happen. i promise you that, ferrari have avery strong driver combination at the moment and thier contracts end at the end of 2010.

      Anyway ferrari dont have the best car in the feild at the moment, weather or not they will next year, i dont know. but they are not in a possition to be firing thier drivers and go “picking drivers out of this years feild”. they will want a stability Luca knows this and they have it in thier drivers, they wont want to risk this while thier car is not up to standard.

      i wish Ferrari would stop “buying” thier drivers, maybe they should have a driver development programme and bring a driver of thier own blood, like mclaren and hamilton, that piad off didnt it?

      1. They’ve talked in the last year or so about developing such a system, but I have yet to see any firm steps taken to start something.

      2. um well – genius Alonso / Ferrai deal is confirmed – LOL – enjoy the 2010 season

    3. Yes I agree this will make F1 fun again

    4. yep alonso will win the championship if he goes to ferrari, he has been the best driver in formula 1 for years…

    5. Alonso wont win the title in 2010 he doesent have it in him and nor does ferrari. Luca was very kiddish by trying to indirectly blame kimi’s involvement with the engineer’s and the team and that being one of the main reason’s to replace him what kimi did in 2009 with that bullockcart ferrari is an acheivement in its self ferrari’s glory days are over.

  2. It would trully be a very strong combination but in my view Ferrari dont have the quality any more that they had in the Schumacher-Brawn-Todt years.

  3. I just had an interesting thought: maybe Banco Santander could replace Marlboro as title sponsor come 2012: Scuderia Ferrari Santander has a nice ring to it.

    1. I actually think that is what will happen, Lustigson, maybe even earlier than 2012. It’ll certainly allow Philip Morris to have a smooth exit.

      And of course, there are those rumors that Vettel will also be headed to Maranello by 2011.

      1. Would love to see Vettel and Alonso at Ferrari – but would Alonso be happy with Vettel as a team mate?

        1. I don’t think that Alonso would do well if he has a teammate that could actually challenge him. He is much more used to being the star of the show.

          But, that will probably be the same whether Alonso’s teammate at Ferrari would be Massa or Vettel. And somehow, I don’t see Vettel’s personality fitting in well with the culture at Ferrari. He seems to be at home with his young, more open team. I think a better fit for Vettel would be for him to take Rubens’ seat when he retires.

          1. It’s about time Ferrari actually got rid of the tobacco advertising like they were supposed to have done several years ago. As Lustington says;

            Scuderia Ferrari Santander has a nice ring to it.

            It certainly does, and as Keith mentioned in the article, white and red on white and red works perfectly.

            Quite what Abbey will do in the UK next year when they can’t use Lewis as the poster child remains to be seen.

            But Alonso moving to Ferrari has been rumoured for so long, it would be a surprise if it turned out not to be true.

            The game of F1 musical chairs is really going to have a massive amounts of bums swapping seats this year, which I see as very welcome following the last 2 or 3 years of the vast majority staying put.

        2. I think Vettel is fine at Red Bull, They could become a force to reckon with in the next few years.

          1. Sush Meerkat
            1st July 2009, 20:14

            You people are mad, you are celebrating the sponsorship?.

            Who cares, give us fast cars, good races free of politics, its a Ferrari piece of engineering, not a Santander balance sheet.

        3. but would Alonso be happy with Vettel as a team mate?

          No doubt on this. Fernando Alonso hadn’t any problem with L Hamilton performance. His concerns were related to Ron Dennis and the Team.

          In fact he spoke recently about that in the Spanish press, and give L Hamilton his dues in terms of skills and capacity. But there was no so much repercussion in the English press (as expected).

          He said (literally) “it was very challenging to compete with someone who pushed strongly, an extra-motivation for me”

          1. Maybe Alonso should have gone to Ferrari when he actually had the chance.

          2. I agree with IDR, Alonso never doubted Lewis but the obvious animosity was toward the team, namely Ron Dennis, for his favouritism.

            I really hope Alosno to Ferrari is not just a rumour, hopefully, where there’s smoke there will be fire. I feel that if you read between the lines, Gerhard Berger knows something we don’t officially know. We all know that Gerhard is very well regarded in Ferrari, he must have some inside scoops.

            It could very well be a Schumacher story here. Won 2 championships with Bennetton and went to Ferrari who were strugling and built up the team to win 5 years in a row.

            I’m not suggesting that he will do exactly that, but in Ferrari’s current conundrum, Fernando is the perfect man for the job. With the resource available to Ferrari and the immense talent of Alonso in car development, they could be champions next year.

            If he goes, it’ll be the first time I’ll be supporting Ferrari since Eddie Irvine’s days!

    2. In that case, it would still be the Banco de Santander Scuderia Ferrari…

  4. I believe he will eventually go to Ferrari, but im not sure when. Its no secret that Alonso has shown full interest to be in Ferrari. But Ferrari must honor Kimi’s contract, he was after all an F1 champion and is a great driver. Things could be hanging on what Kimi is going to do next. If Kimi decides to leave, Alonso will most likely be there..

  5. More interestingly, would Massa welcome such a strong driver in the team with him? Although if they are both treated as equally as Ferrari say they treat their drivers, it would certainly make an exciting combination.
    However, with two hot-headed latin types together, if they fall out, it will be fireworks of a different kind….

  6. I wouldn’t be surprised if both Kimi & Filipe were replaced at Ferrari in 2010, I can’t see Alonso wanting an overly competitive team mate!!

    1. Ferrari could hire Jr Jr in the Alonso´s package… :)

  7. I hope Vettel goes to Ferrari. Then I wouldn’t have anything against Alonso@Ferrari because Vettel would destroy him :)
    However Alonso would never allow that, he’ll probably ask Rubens to return to Ferrari

    1. No doubt Vettel is an excellent driver, but he finds it hard even to “destroy” Webber, forget Alonso

      1. well said…

  8. I think the Massa / Alonso combination would be good for Ferrari, if Ferrari could keep them from tearing each others heads off.

    @Skova265 — Not sure I understand your comment about quality during the Schumacher/Brawn/Todt years. Ferrari was Constructors Champion in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and Schumacher won the Driver Championship in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. If that isn’t quality, what is? Or did I misunderstand your comment?

    1. He said that they don’t have the quality anymore that they did with Schumacher etc. So I think you misunderstood – though perhaps it could have been written more clearly!

  9. No the worst kept secret in formula one is that MAX MOSLEY is a DICTATOR lol

    He just doesn’t realise it.

  10. I believe he will eventually go to Ferrari, but im not sure when. Its no secret that Alonso has shown full interest to be in Ferrari. But Ferrari must honor Kimi’s contract, he was after all an F1 champion and is a great driver. Things could be hanging on what Kimi is going to do next. If Kimi decides to leave, Alonso will most likely be there..

    Maksutov, Kimi was given only a 1 year extension on his contract last year(as a sop to be Massa’s rear gunner in Massa’s championship bid), meaning that seat is vacant at the end of 2009. If Alonso wants it, I’m sure Ferrari will show Kimi the door.

    1. And just as I posted that, I realised I was incorrect. Kimi’s contract originally ran through 2009. The exyension takes him through 2010.

      Well, perhaps Ferrari would buyy him out.

      Or perhaps this is why Ferrari has been tossing about the idea of a third car ?

      1. hehe, yeah I thought it goes through to 2010…

        But the third car, im not sure that under the rules they will be allowed to have a 3rd car next year. I think this 3rd car thing was brought about when FOTA were planing to make the breakaway.. and media are still talking about it. But I need to look into that; basically if one team is allowed to have a 3rd car that will undoubtedly increase their chance of wining the constructors title which would not be logical…

        1. Will “the third car” come into the picture while caclculating constructor’s points after each race? I guess not! ;)

  11. Alonso is like Schumacher in wanting a lesser driver in any team he drives. In 2007 he thought Hamilton was going to be a lesser driver, or that he would be able to control him. Maybe he’ll think Massa is a lesser driver too. I’m sure Raikkonen is on his way out of F1, his heart has never really been in it.

    Also on the raikkonen front it was well known long before je joined Ferrari in 2007 that he was going there, but ferrari kept denying it.

  12. So Kimi is retiring? He announced that Ferrari would be his last team in Formula 1! :(
    I hope Massa get’s the sack!!!

  13. I’m really really upset, if Kimi goes i stop watchin F1 (ok maybe not)!!!

    i doubt Massa would want to play second fiddle again, seeming as he has never won a championship, and was second driver for Ferrari during the schumi era. However all of Kimi’s “hobbies” are making me think he might be preparing for a move to WRC or some other rallying chmampionship. Who knows maybe it is really his hobby, or maybe Kimi is preparing to enter WRC with Fiat next year! :(
    I hope Ferrari see the potential in Kimi and give Massa The sack, as Kimi has already announced that Ferrari will be “his last team in formula1”. However Massa hasn’t and could move to Reanult to replace Alonso or even to BMW to replace Heidfield. All i know it’s all just a rumor just yet! and please God let the 11th of sept pass without any announcement about driver changes in Ferrari!

    All of this writing because of a stupid rumor lol!!!

    1. I fully agree with you… Kimi is a talent driver and I do believe he will give great performance soon or later.

      1. kimi is the best there is the best there was and the best f1 driver there ever will be.

    2. i doubt Massa would want to play second fiddle again,

      I dont think Massa was ever a 2nd fiddle. Schumacher always praised him on his driving and they were great mates, in fact Massa thinks highly of Schumacher, but unfortunately Schu was just a bit better. Shu was better, period.

      Kimi is probably a bit better than Massa in my opinion, but he has had lots of bad luck; though in terms technical aspect in knowing how to set his car up maybe he lacks in that area. I must say that based on driving Kimi is one of my favorite drivers, followed by Vettel, Webber and Alonso, and I’ve always liked Heidfeld..; But quality driver is not only judged based on driving but also understanding of the car and consistency. Alonso probably beats them all in that area at the moment… but that’s always hard to judge…

  14. ALONSO – Hmmm…he’s just clearly the best & most reliable driver on the grid today!

    1. I must agree on that, at the moment he certainly is.

  15. James Allen reported last month:

    The word I’m hearing is that these next few races are pretty important for Kimi Raikkonen. Although he has a contract for 2010, the suggestion is that he has certain criteria to meet and that an agreement, which is in place with Alonso for 2011, has a clause which could bring it forward to 2010. The next couple of months will be decisive.

    Thus far in 2009, Kimi has but one podium, a 3rd place at Monaco, with his best finish after that a 6th place at Bahrain and his worst finish 15th at Melbourne. His average finish through 8 races is 8th.

    If indeed there is a minimum performance clause in his 2010 contract, his seat may yet be vacant at the end of 2009.

    2001-2008, his average finish in the Driver Championship was 4.5, winning it in 2007. Currently he stands 10th in drver points. I doubt Ferrari wishes to pay USD51 million for another sub-standard performance in 2010.

    1. dsob, I would say it would all depend on how badly Ferrari want Alonso. Kimi’s performances this season are not all due to him, the car is a dog and must take some of the responsibility. Therefore Ferrari shouldn’t blame Kimi too much.

      Saying that i think Kimi is already thinking of leaving F1 soon anyway be it at the end of this season or next.

      1. dsob, I would say it would all depend on how badly Ferrari want Alonso. Kimi’s performances this season are not all due to him, the car is a dog and must take some of the responsibility. Therefore Ferrari shouldn’t blame Kimi too much.

        Saying that i think Kimi is already thinking of leaving F1 soon anyway be it at the end of this season or next.

        Yes I agree. I dont think Ferrari want Alonso badly, instead I think Alonso wants Ferrari badly. But I have no doubt they would both benefit from each other and they will eventually.

        But regarding Kimi he is an excellent driver and Ferrari know that. But it is hard to judge what is going on this year because Ferrari car just did not perform, so many problems with KERS,.. etc etc…

  16. The rumour is that Fernando would be teamed with Robert Kubica. He said many times that he would like to be teammates with Robert as they are good friends.
    From Ferrari’s view point, having Robert would be a great deal because he speaks Italian and is very popular in Italy as well.

    They’ve made polls among Italian hardcore Ferrari fans, the question being “Whom would you like to drive for Ferrari?”, the biggest demand was for Alonso, and Robert was second.

    Every now and again there is gossip in the Polish press about how Robert has been spotted talking to some Ferrari main guy or he accidently gives hints that make one assume Alonso and/or him have already signed with Ferrari.

    I’d love it to happen.

    1. I think Kubica is yet another driver who would not play second fiddle to Alonso.
      I believe Schumacher decided to retire at the end of 2006 because Kimi had a contract and would not play second fiddle to him. And since when has Schumacher had a team mate that could really challenge him.

    2. The “Kubica-to-Ferrari” campaign strikes me as odd. Alonso and Vettel are exciting prospects I can understand, but Kubica? Not a thrilling idea.

    3. I think that poll was taken before Kubica said that F1 could live without Ferrari, Damon.
      I`m not sure a rerun would now show the same results ;)

    4. I know they are very good friends, but many friendships have died a painful death in the context of team-ates battles. Kubica indeed is a popular face in Italy from his years of living there early in his career, so he’s a natural target for Ferrari in many ways.

  17. Kimi has been playing around in rally cars, including a drive in the Finnish round this year. I wonder…

  18. Kimi might go to the WRC.

    Would love Alonso in a competitive car but Vettel as his team mate…I’d worry. As being huge fans of them both I think Vettel would often beat Fernando and he’d start to get annoyed about it.

    Alonso needs someone completely useless alongside him in the team…. Piquet to Ferrari?

    1. Cm’n, with increasing pressure of reducing budget, Can Ferrari afford re-constructing the car every other round (by risking Piquet in their team)?? :P

  19. I think Alonso will go to Ferrari but the question is when?

    I understand both Massa and Raikkonen have contracts with Ferrari next year, but as we know when has that ever stopped teams changing drivers. I could easily see Raikkonen retiring and going to do rallying or something similar.

  20. The story, as has been said, is that Alonso has signed for Ferrari for 2011, with an option for 2010 depending on how Raikkonen performs. As we don’t know what Kimi’s contract states (though I would guess it relies on him scoring a certain % of the team’s points rather than an absolute figure), we can’t be sure whether Fernando will move in 2010 or 2011.

    I think the hype about Alonso needing a subservient teammate is overstated. The problems at McLaren were largely caused by Alonso believing that Hamilton would be his number two, only to find out that this wasn’t the case. If Alonso signs up for a team knowing that he and his teammate will be on an equal footing, I can’t imagine that there will be a problem.

  21. NO NO NO ! ! ! ! !

    Fernando to Ferrari is not going to happen. Ever ! ! I was one of the 18% during the previous poll who said NO, and I reiterate my stand.

    Do you guys really think that Fernando has driven exceptionally well so far in 2009?? He got beaten by Piquet in the last race. His 2 wins in 2008 came at the death when all the teams had already shifted focus to 2009.

    Fernando is no longer the driver he was in 2006 when he beat Schumacher at his prime. And Ferrari has too much choice at their disposal: Kimi, Massa, Vettel, Kubika, Button all proven material.

    And even if such a nightmarish event were to occur, who would be Alonso’s partner? Ferrari would have to bring Barrichello or Piquet or Rosberg. Luca is wiser.

    1. Erm just because you don’t want it to happen doesn’t mean it isn’t going to! Or do you personally write the Ferrari contracts?! ;o)

    2. Piquet fluked it, which is easily possible when the Renault is that bad. I believe poor Nelson has now been outqualified 26 times to 0.

      I do agree he hasn’t been impressive this year, but neither has Lewis, either Ferrari driver, either BMW driver – and we know that some of them have talent.

      1. just my words, mate!

    3. Actually the Renault that Alonso drove to his 2 world titles was an exceptional car and both Mclaren and Ferrari has severly underestimated it. Both times the Renault was equal in habdling and power and Alonso drove the cars well.
      I dont know if Alonso is the driver he once was but I dont believe he wants a driver of equal ability on the team as it could bring out some his defficiencies. Hamilton proved that he was the equal to Alonso and that didnt sit well.
      These guys are type A and want to be the dominant driver at what ever team their at. Very few teams have been able tto have 2 top tier drivers and be successful with them and then it usually only last a year or so before 1 of the ego’s gets hurt and they move on.
      Alonso to Ferrari…I hope not but I think it will happen. If it does he will almost certainly ask for a lesser second.

      1. Question: Has a championship ever been won by a car that was not the best of the field? Maybe that could be an article one day Keith ;)

    4. HounslowBusGarage
      1st July 2009, 16:39

      His 2 wins in 2008 came at the death when all the teams had already shifted focus to 2009

      Hmmm. I thought the season wasn’t decided until the last race of 2008 . . .

      1. Good call. Alonso drove the wheels of that Renault for his wins in 2008-he has a talent for making slow cars go fast, both in terms of driving and developing them. He very well could play an important role in the development a competitive Ferrari next year.

        1. Except there`s so little testing now & the test/third drivers also need to know how to handle the car should they be needed to race

        2. His win at Singapore was just lucky. Thanks to the stupid safety car rule.

          1. And what about after the safety car, a few laps later he was 6 seconds ahead of Rosberg and Hamilton

  22. I’d actually like to see Massa replace Rubens at BrawnGP. Something tells me he’d fit in well there and that him and Jenson would work well together…

    Just a hunch…

  23. Some facts:
    1. Both Raikkonen and Massa have contracts ending at the end of the 2010 season.
    2. Raikkonen has stated that Ferrari will be his last team in F1.
    3. Massa can’t drive without Rob Smedley telling him when to brake (ok, just kidding with this one)
    4. James Allen has reported that Alonso has a 2011 contract with Ferrari with an optional for 2010 if Raikkonen underperforms. He did not give a source for this.
    5. Santander have indeed confirmed a move to Ferrari sponsorship after 2009.

    I don’t have any hunches.

    1. 3. Massa can’t drive without Rob Smedley telling him when to brake (ok, just kidding with this one)

      I’d be inclined to believe that one.

    2. 3. Massa can’t drive without Rob Smedley telling him when to brake

      Hahahaha….

  24. I don’t think that’s F1’s worst kept secret. That was Michael Schumacher’s retirement…

  25. I think when you support a team you get different perspectives. When new team drivers are talked of, or announced, you either think great, OK, or OMG you have to be kidding.
    Sometimes you`re proved right & sometimes you have a change of mind when you see how they work within the team or watch them in real life & find out that the media have been doing a hatchet job on them.

    Alonso has, without doubt, been a great driver. He is still amongst the best out there but would he be right for Ferrari?
    Personally, I don`t think so but I just support the drivers not chose them.
    Across the years he (& his fans) have become so desperate to get the seat that I wouldn`t be suprised if he`d drive without pay.

    One problem is that someone has to take the other team seat. I`m not sure that any driver who has proved himself would be happy at that prospect. Ferrari wants 2 good drivers.

    Alonso`s ability to bring cars on has been talked of & is, no question, very good. But Ferrari has good test drivers & the reduction in testing means that the opportunity for a driver to develop a car in the way he could a couple of years ago is also greatly reduced. So I see no real bonus there.

    The other problem is that Alonso has a tendency to mouth off & complain about lack of support etc. from his team & teammate every time something doesn`t go exactly as he seems to want. I`m not talking the Hamilton saga. IMO Lewis was equally, if not more, to blame on that & McLaren definitely didn`t handle any of it well. Alonso has bad-mouthed every team & practically every teammate he`s ever had.

    Some tifosi & Italian media want him, some don`t. Of those that do, some do so out of a kind of desperation but, if he were to get the seat & not live up to their expectations or start washing his dirty laundry in public again, they will turn on him with a vengeance.

    From a purely personal point of view I would rather see someone on the way up get the seat not someone on the cusp of coming down.

    1. He wants a good car though, and there are only two teams who have the experience and knowledge to generally turn out good cars year after year, and it didn’t work out too well for him at one of them.

      1. Every driver wants a good car, Kovy.

        Renault were Constructors Champions in 2005 & 6. The last time McLaren won was in 1998.
        Alonso left a winning team to go to McLaren which, at the time, was said to be for more money.
        Maybe Alonso would get more respect by working with Renault to bring their car back to Championship level as Schumacher did at Ferrari.

        1. I really agree with you!
          That is my dream and greatest expectation for the team.
          My team was, is and always will be RENAULT!
          And since Fernando was, is and always will be my best F1 driver, this is whan I really belive: he should fight for his team and himself!!!

    2. The other problem is that Alonso has a tendency to mouth off & complain about lack of support etc. from his team & teammate every time something doesn`t go exactly as he seems to want. I`m not talking the Hamilton saga. IMO Lewis was equally, if not more, to blame on that & McLaren definitely didn`t handle any of it well. Alonso has bad-mouthed every team & practically every teammate he`s ever had.

      I agree 100% on that. This is one negative side I dont like about Alonso. For as long as he wins he will thank the team, if not he will mouth off against them. But I think Ferrari can see that Alonso is the most consistent driver out there at the moment and Ferrari want to win of course, so they are willing to give it a chance.. I dunno. I would love to see Vettel in Ferrari!! more so than Alonso.

      1. I agree with you 100% on that.
        Also each year there are new drivers coming to the grid. Maybe 2010 will see another great youngster?

  26. best drivers need to be in the best cars generally. one of the more ludicrous sights of this year ( though entertaining) has been to watch proper racers and wdc’s like Lewis, Alonso and to a lesser extent Kimi throwing the car around to try and “grab” 12th place from some journeyman.

    Vettel could be great but seems to crack a bit under expectation (he is v young though) and Button is a bit of a flat track bully as found out in the last race where Rubens handled the cold tyre sliding much better than Jenson.

    All in all Alonso must goto Ferrari and Mclaren must sort their car out to give the results more credibility next year.

  27. Piquet to follow Alonson to Ferrari next year maybe?

    1. That would probably be the most undeserved promotion in F1 history.

      I don’t believe that at all.

      1. Yes, but that was said of Massa when he went to Ferrari also.
        He was withing 1 point of a WDC last year.
        He has performed well since he sat in the RED car and wasnt bad in the Suaber.

        1. At least Massa showed some potential in the Sauber. I really can’t find anything promising in Piquet’s performance. I was really rooting for him to do well, but IMHO he has been a huge disappointment.

    2. Please, you must be kidding…?

  28. Not a Ferrari fan but you have to admit Alonso would be the perfect fit for the Scuderia. The only problem, who will remain at Ferrari and will Alonso be able to put his ego aside and work with his teammate?

    1. The only problem, who will remain at Ferrari and will Alonso be able to put his ego aside and work with his teammate?

      yeah good point, I doubt he will be able to.

  29. well hes got a number 2 at ferrari in massa, hes perfect, nice guy, quite quick but not quite got it.

    1. Or you could have the scenario where Alonso comes into a team where his teammate is well-known & well-liked, used to how the team works & has a crew who will move heaven & earth to help him so Alonso feels he`s getting sidelined.
      That rings a bell somehow ;)

      Massa is no longer a No 2. He was within a whisper of last years` title while Kimi was behind him. The roles were reversed from 2007 when Kimi won by one point.
      In terms of ability there`s practically nothing between Felipe & Kimi.

    1. Whenever there is a three-week gap between races, Miquel will do the same.
      Sorry, I misplaced the link in the previous post.

  30. What have you all got against Alonso? Is it because he refused to lie for a Brittish team or because he was pi**ed the same team tried to favour a rookie? He is a 2 times champion and the pairing of him and Ferrari will pretty much be unstoppable. Ferrari will be back next season as will Mclaren and BMW because they are no grey areas in the rules. As good as it is to see Red Bull and Brawn this year they will not last and will be overtaken, this has been the history of F1 and I don’t see that changing. In Italy we have wanted him and Kubica due to the fact he has raced many years in Italy with an Italian manager.

    1. I don`t dislike him, rampante, I just don`t think he`d be right.
      If he ever gets the seat maybe I`ll be proved wrong. What concerns me is that I may be proved right.
      I also think Ferrari should look forward & chose drivers who will win & not back to drivers who were winning 4-5 years ago.
      He doesn`t seem to have been able to bring the Renault on this year any more than the Ferrari drivers have.
      As ever, I`m open to hearing why people have different views, though.

  31. well you have to pick someone. Alboretto’s retired hasnt he?

    1. Alboreto died in 2001 test driving the LM Audi. Im quite sure yours was not an ill joke..

  32. Of course Fernando is going to Ferrari. Kimi’s not getting it done, and his rather ho-hum attitude does not sit well with the pasionate demeanor of the team. Massa continues to do well under the circumstances, so I believe he’ll stay. Vettel would be a great choice, I’m just not convinced the vibe at Ferrari is right for him. Kubica? I just don’t see it. Rubens? Been there, done that. Button? Why? Brawn seems to be an ideal situation for him.

    1. huh? Massa hasn’t done anything more than Kimi. oh wait, Kimi is expected to win everything race while if Massa just finishes ahead of Kimi he had an amazing race. Massa is garbage.

      1. [i]”Massa is garbage.”?[/i]

        Over the 2+ seasons Kimi and Massa have been paired in Ferrari, Massa has scored more poles, mores wins, and more points than Kimi. So if “Massa is garbage”, what is Kimi?

  33. met alboreto at monaco and he was a really nice guy. that was the good days when after quali the drivers sat down ate and had a drink! He is sadly missed

  34. oops did he. apologies, i had no idea.

  35. Remember Massa and Alonso’s spat ust before going onto the podium in 2007? I somehow don’t think Massa, who is trying to make out that he is #1 at Ferrari, is going to be too happy with Alonso joining the team and Alonso’s not going to want to have Kimi as a team mate, so chances are that Alonso’s going to have to find somewhere else to drive (maybe Mark Webber’s seat) until Kimi decides to leave.

  36. Jose Arellano
    1st July 2009, 17:58

    am i the only one who would like to se kimi & alonso battling each other at ferrari… that would be awesome!

  37. kimi has outperformed massa all this year. Massa had the optimum strategy last race…Why they gave kimi so much less fuel is beyond me.

    1. No.6 Massa 16 points
      No.10 Kimi 10 points

      Kimi will have outp[erformed Massa whe he gets more points, Nick. Facts are facts,
      They`re both Ferrari drivers so I support them both.

      1. sorry, no. Kimi has outqaulified him so far…as well, Kimi has had failures.

    2. Kimi made it to Q3 and was probably expecting to qualify better than 9th with his chosen fuel load. Massa didn’t make Q3 so he ran a very heavy fuel load which he clearly got the most out of—finishing 4th to Kimi’s 8th.

  38. Boston F1 Fan
    1st July 2009, 19:23

    – I hope (a) that this happens soon and (b) that Mclaren get back on form. If both of those take place then we will see a titanic battle between Hamilton and Alonso, perhaps similar to the Prost-Senna battles of old. Wooo.

    1. Alonso at Ferrari and Hamilton at Mclaren, both cars on form – I think that might eclipse the Prost-Senna battles!!!

      Really hoping to see Alonso at Ferrari next year (Wish we had him at Brawn this year)

  39. We have to remember that Kimi was brought in my Jean Todt who always favoured Finnish drivers since his days in rallying before Ferrari head hunted him from Peugeot in 1993. Just remember how he picked fellow Finn Mika Salo to sub for Michael in 1999 and was seen smooth talking Hakkinen on the podium one time.

    However with the Italian revolution/restoration at Ferrari in recent years, Todt along with his other foreign counterparts (Brawn/Byrne/Stepney) are no longer running the show.

    Luca di Montezemolo (who seemingly initiated this purge bringing the Scuderia back to how it was in the early 90s) seems keen to put his own stamp on the team and has long made compliments about Alonso’s obvious talents.

    With Todt’s patronage gone, Kimi’s is on his way out. Because like his idol James Hunt, he’s talented but lazy.

    He is simply too inconsistant, unlike Schumacher before him and Alonso lacks a decent work ethic meaning you don’t get good value for money.

    I would suspect that all this talk of a contract with the Finn in 2010 is not as concrete as people might think – more likely Ferrari have merely an option on the driver for next year which is no doubt performance related in light of his lacklustre defence of his title last year.

    Ferrari would be better off keeping the lesser talented but more commited and now more consistant Massa who makes a good No2 like his fellow countryman Barrichello did.

    Even then the Brazilian is managed by Jean Todt’s son Nicholas so I wouldn’t expect him to last beyond next year either.

    1. Very well-said overall.

      1. hmhm…. Ferrari put out an official statement they extended Kimi’s deal by one year, and said stuff like they were happy to have him on board for 2010. Usually, they don’t gpo around saying that when its only an option (whose option? kimi’s or Ferrari’s or both?).

        funny Todt-finland conspiracy you have there… If anything, Todt had connections in Finland, bur he didnt favour them. he picked schumi for the lead drive, and irvine, barrichello and Massa as sidekicks, when he couldve taken hakkinen or Salo. And he picked Salo as a backup pfor Salo was the most experienced guy standing on the sideline with a superlicence. The alternative was normally Badoer, but that happened to be the very year badoer was running in a Minardi. And at the end of the season he dumped salo for Barrichello.

        Its also funny how you mention di Montezemolo getting ferrari back to the early 90-ies. And not just because that is the target budget level for 2011.
        Ferrari in the early 90-ies was pretty much in disarray: its founder and undisputed leader was dead and every decision at the team was made considering “what would Enzo have decided?” which gave the management a rather weak position. Who was exactly in charge was not very clear at times and management positions switched a couple of times over a short period, with responsibilities redistributed time and again. Effectively, the team became run by Ferrari’s general director, Luca di Montezemolo (!), rather than the race team folks. Lots of money were poured into the team, but after another good year, successes failed to materialize. The team went without a win for years, Prost campared its handling with a truck and it was pretty much safe bet the 4th strongest team on the grid.

        How does that compapre to today’s (di Montezemolo’s, or rather Domenicali’s) Ferrari?
        Well, following Todt’s departure in 2007, Ferrari had another good year in 2008, closely missing the title (as had prost in 1990). But in 2009 its gone wrong: even though the team has a huge budget and top notch facilities and drivers, its performance has slipped remarkably from the year before. People started pointing fingers for who was to blame and soon the team started to reshuffle its leading people with some looking after the factory more, and others looking more after the race team, and no-one felt that Domenicali’s position as a team chief was much stronger because of it. Effectively, its Ferrari general Director di Montezemolo who is calling the shots. Fans are asking what has happened to the Schmuacher-era all-imposing scuderia. They havent won a race yet halfway through the season (british GP), for the first time since 1994. And the team is current ranking in the constructors championship is…4th.

        Hmm, I know half a year like this isn’t nearly like the 90-95 spell ferrari suffered, but indeed it seems as if di Montezemolo is trying to get the team back to where it was in the early ’90s.

        1. Dog of Norway
          3rd July 2009, 8:13

          Without sounding disrepectful to Ferrari, I’m starting to pay a lot more attention to Niki Lauda’s “spaghetti culture” comment earlier in the year.

          He would know, he was there.

  40. Kimi will fight back when it comes to his race seat…….we know that he wants to leave f1 maybe…..but if he will leave he would only leave after 2010 so…..if his race seat is under threat by alonso……he’s gonna show his real Iceman drive……..C’mon Kimi Raikkonen…….win a title before you leave….maybe 2010

  41. The Sri Lankan
    2nd July 2009, 0:21

    I seriously think Toyota will have a go at recruiting Alonso if things keep going this way. Jarnos contract is about to expire and Ferraris getting wiped by Toyota. so why not? Renault should just bail out of f1 or stay as an engine supplier(which is what they are good at)

  42. I believe KIMI & MASSA have contract until 2010.
    If so then I think it may be Vettel to move to Ferrari in 2011.

  43. I am a bit suprised by all the people who believe Kimi is still at top form and has a secure place at Ferrari. Sure he’s a great guy with loads of talent, but Massa has had the upper hand over him since Monaco last season, and except for some flashes, Kimi’s been way under-performing. If Ferrari were to dump anyone to bring in Alonso (which they very much would) it would surely be Kimi and not Massa.

    1. Exactly on target, Gman.

    2. The trouble is Gman, and i am not defending Kimi, but he is still seen as a STAR. And the underperforming clause in the contract is still a rumour i believe.
      I would rather believe that Kimi will leave F1 because he is bored than be pushed. And if he stated he wanted to stay then i’m sure Ferrari may be inclined to push Massa to another team. Kimi may have more power within the Ferrari team because of his status.

    3. gman, you have to look at race pace. Massa has nothing, he can’t pass. Sure, he can bang out a couple laps when Rob Smedley is telling him how to drive…but thats it.

      Kimi is the only one to have put in consistent race pace and passing. Massa has lucked out with more points by fuel strategy.

  44. Alonso Ferrari
    2nd July 2009, 11:11

    it’s going to happen 101% question is when

  45. Am I the only one who doesn’t want Nando to go for Ferrari? But purely for selfish reasons I admit, ‘cos then I’d have to cross over to the dark side & support Ferrari ! But even I have to admit that Nando would be awesome in a Ferrari, just about unstoppable (provided the Scuderia get back on form, and I have no reason to suspect they won’t) and we could well see some epic battles once Hamilton & Kubica are back in competitive machinery.

    And as for whoever said Nando was on the way down after winning 4 years ago – well he would have won in 2007 if McLaren hadn’t stuffed that up for him. And I’ve no doubt that if he’d stayed at McLaren for last year he would have won as well. As it was, he managed two wins in the dog of a Renault, and a string of other strong finishes in a car that was barely deserving of top ten results (as Nelsinho so aptly demonstrated). Watching Nando haul that thing far further up the grid than it deserved was THE highlight of 2008 as far as I am concerned. So I hardly think Nando can be classed as on the way out – he is only 27. How old was Schuey when he won his first WDC?? Nearly 26 I beleive…

  46. for sure Fern isnt on his way down, hes outstanding in that crap renault, have you seen him sling it every which way to get it going faster. its frustrating not to see the best drivers slug it out at the front but in a way, watching them drive without a care means you get to see them on the absolute edge. if i was lewis, fern or kubic id just use this year to hone my skills at driving the car sideways a bit, have some fun.

  47. kimi’s passing ability isnt all that special, in fact i think its poor, he tends to pit pass. most do to be fair. Lewis WAS the best passer but hes gone back a notch. Alonso is ok but can take several bites to get past but at least he has the baslls to try. buttons pretty smooth and webbers move on button ( i think) was pretty outrageous but no one has the imagination of a mansell or the steel balls of a schumi.

  48. I just wanna see the best drivers in the best cars.

    Today that means Fred goes to Ferrari

    I love kimi but he seems to have lost the fire and I have never thought that flippy was much of a driver.

    It would have been great for Alonso to be at Honda last year and then brawn this year, but who knows next year.

    He is not going to last long at Renault unless they get some fire………

  49. Hmm…intresting how everybody is pushing alonso to ferrari AND that when he has not won in last 4 years is allways cars or ron Dennis fault, but when Kimi is not winning is allways his fault….I think that is a little unfair, to be honest.

    Well however ferrari has made it clear that Kimi and massa will drive for ferrari in 2010 so thatmuch about these rumors. And why it would be Kimi anyway who would go…he has won World champion for ferrari, Massa hasnt so if somebody needs go, shoud it be person who has not won anything to Ferrari???

    1. Massa almost won it last year in the final corner of the final race by 1 point…he is a super driver, and many drivers around are as good. But what makes Alonso is the urge to challenge for a win avoiding the repeats of as much errors as other drivers forced to deal with. When he is on fighting pushing to overtake or to defend his pathetic car position, the show is on…He is the most natural “humanly” fierce fighter since Senna. The Ferrari Alonso combo will be a Mediterranean fire ball that will not be equally matched by any other existing team at the moment, and then Alonso’s unparalleled domination might bring us back to Schumi’s boring dominant era…when it happens, Ron most probably will be praying for Alonso to fail so not to prove he was the ******* that killed the two super birds (Alonso/Hamilton) in one stone in 07

  50. having read these articles about goodwood and overtaking it has got me wanting to watch some season reviews over the weekend, while not doing the july 4th thing. Only i can’t work out what seasons to watch from 1975 to say 2006.

    can anyone suggest some years for me please?

  51. Raikkonen sure can be frustrating to watch at times. Last year he had double digit fastest laps recorded but couldn’t seem to put in complete races. Since that Montreal reaming that Hamilton received a joke of a penalty and his broken exhaust that melted the rear shielding of his car, he car just wasn’t the same last year. This year his car is pretty lousy so if we’re giving Hamilton a pass then so should Kimi. Kimi could very well be a three time champion. He barely lost to Schumi in 2003 and would have easily beaten Alonso in 2005 if not for the stupid one tire rule which caused him to stay out and suffer a tire explosion on the last lap gifting Alonso the win not to mention other various engine and technical failures.

    Raikkonen can be an enigma, but can still be an elite driver. Ferrari should keep the status quo. BTW dod you see the propsed figures for Alonso? 175 million euros five year contract. That’s a pretty penny. Raikkonen has also said if they want him to quit they’ll have to buy him out for 25 million euros. I know he makes a lot of money but he gets treated pretty badly considering he’s gotten them a championship and two constructor championships.

  52. Alonso is actually driving a car much better than N.Piquet, Piquet is not as bad driver as now looks. There is no special problem about beeing with Vettel at Ferrari, because the problem with Alonso at Ferrari could appear with any teamate if his teammate do not accepts to be the second pilot with low possibilities to be the champion. Alonso needs Ferrari (Renault do not have a ‘Mass Dumper’ today ;) ), but Ferrari do not needs Alonso. The only possibilitie for Alonso to drive a Ferrari is the ‘Banco Santander’, this way Alonso could drive a Ferrari, but due to commercial purposes, not sportive ones.

    1. eventually He will win in that combo and thats what counts…The fast Ferrari will shine again

  53. Alonso will be a great driver in Ferrari. Alonso is the best so far of mediocre teams’ drivers alongside Rosberg. Most of the op guns (Button, Barrichello, and Red Bulls) cannot handle bad cars. Had he not experienced accident yesterday he might win the race

  54. Schumacher back to F1 is a great news! Alonso to ferrari…what is ferrari thinking?? Kimi should no longer drive for ferrari….that 07′ title was given to him…not earned!! Massa should be better for 2010….although he’s not Schumacher. Kubica and Schumacher for the 2010 season….that’s a great team….

    1. schumacher?? rhe granddady from germany hawhwhhahahhwhahwhhwh come on men his time is past

  55. I am a big hamilton fan and think he is an outstanding driver but the thought of a competive ferrari-alonso package sorry but its game over for the field!Hamilton will need mclaren to build a gr8 car to catch him.It hurts to say it but u have to keep it real!!

  56. alonso replaced kimmi in mclaren, now it’s gonne be again, however ferrari is the good one for alonso, i hope this case will not destroy good relationship between alonso & massa, coz they are good friend… anyway you go nando

  57. Hey may I quote some of the information from this post if I provide a link back to your site?

  58. alonso is a crying baby the time that ferarri wins is past
    only he can do is crying by the stewards just like today
    ik hope he win the f1 champion this jear or witch year ever
    i dont like him he is sucks

    1. Both Ferraris were caught behind the safety car for a whole lap until they were able to pit….while most drivers pitted before and able to be in front…Hamilton purposely passed the safety car so he won’t be caught up like the Ferraris and miss being in the front with Vettel…cheated again…nothing new… and the FIA let go for a while until …”Oh yeah he needs to be investigated”…wow…too F##king late…the Ferraris spent their good energy behind the slower cars… Kobayashi came in on fresh softer tires at the end and easily devoured Alonso and Buemi…good for Sauber….
      So Ferrari with such luck and a tomato sauce spaghetti Italian management…the prancing black horse should be replaced with a sick old dying donkey…and have to consider leaving F1 and instead join the GP2…they MIGHT do better there

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