Alonso to drive for Ferrari?
Dietrich Mateschitz (above) recently added fuel to the rumour that Alonso has already signed for Ferrari.
The Red Bull owner said that he had no desire to sign him for 2008 as he was “free for one year only”. Alonso, when questioned about this, said that this wasn’t the case and there wasn’t an ‘escape clause’ in his contract.
I may be wrong but surely every Formula 1 driver has such a clause in their contracts? If a team is woefully underperforming the driver must be able to escape to a better team.
If we presume that he does indeed have a seat lined up at Ferrari then the obvious choice would be to replace Massa. But can you image Räikkönen and Alonso putting up with each other in a team? I certainly can’t. They both hate the press (although Alonso doesn’t mind the occasional, well timed, interview with a Spanish newspaper), they are both World Champions and neither would settle for being an equal alongside their team-mate, let-alone being a number two.
The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds. But lets not forget that Senna and Prost were team-mates at McLaren in 1988 and they won every race apart from one, even if there was a bit of friction behind the scenes.
What do we think then? Is Alonso really going to go to Ferrari once the 2008 season has come to an end?
Filed under: Blogs, Formula 1, Personalities
Tags: Felipe Massa, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull
Ed returned from a stint in Milan, working on the Italian version of Autocar, and joined the team in August 2007. After two years of countless scooter accidents and a constant battle against coffee addiction it was a relief for him to start writing in his mother tongue. As well as managing the website, Ed writes various features and is a regular contributor to CNN, Channel 4, Sky News, the BBC and a number of radio stations. He was also awarded the MSA/Renault Young Motoring Journalist of the Year in January 2009. 
John Williams:
April 10th, 2008 1:21pm
I really don’t think he can. Raikkonen and Alonso becoming team-mates, although exciting, is just a recipe for disaster. Unless of course Massa is staying and Raikkonen is planning to leave and have a career as a skidoo racer…
Ales Norsky:
April 10th, 2008 3:40pm
This rumor just won’t go away and that fact alone often indicates that it has some credibility. The idea of having two world champion calibre drivers dice it out as teammates is not normally associated with Ferrari’s line of modus operandi, however, there were days of Ickx/Amon, Arnoux/Tambay, and Alesi/Berger. They were all very evenly matched, although all actual Ferrari world champions had enjoyed preferred No.1 status. It is hard to believe that they would want to change that philosophy now. Nonetheless, in the past Raikkonen was somewhat vocal about quitting F-1 at 30, and maybe Ferrari never intended to retain his services beyond 2009. Regardless of existing contracts, Alonso and Massa could swap seats after this season and in 2010 Raikkonen may be let go and replaced by some youngster. You heard it here first!
Peter:
April 10th, 2008 7:06pm
Umm…. aren’t we mixing up Lauda / Prost with Senna / Prost here? 1988 was the year McLaren won all the races but one, and that was when Senna was doing to Prost what Prost had done to Lauda in 1984 – being the youngster challenging the established champion.
Why would Ferrari want Alonso and all of the baggage that goes with him. Unless Kimi has already decided to retire?
Ed Foster:
April 11th, 2008 9:00am
We are indeed mixing up Lauda/Prost with Senna/Prost. Thanks for reminding me!
It was indeed 1988 when Prost and Senna won every race apart from the Italian Grand Prix, which Gerhard Berger won in the Ferrari F1-87-88C. Senna, having put his car on pole collided with Schlesser’s Williams-Judd only 2 laps from the end. Meanwhile Prost’s engine failed on the 34th lap. I got there in the end…
I think you’re right about Ferrari not wanting all the baggage that goes with Alonso, but every Grand Prix driver has a certain amount. I wouldn’t have thought that Raikkonen and Massa are a bunch of roses all the time.
EF
Timmy Green:
April 14th, 2008 9:29am
Does it matter if team mates hate each other in F1? If it were a football team, or tennis doubles, then ok, there may be a need to get along as best you can. But in an F1 team, so what? I’m sure we’ve all gone into ‘the office’ (or whatever working environs you operate in) and disliked someone, but any normal person just gets on with it. It may just be my ignorance, but really, what’s the difference between having Alonso, Raikkonen or Santa Clause as the other man in red, surely you’re still going to race just as hard as you normally would?
Colin Johnston:
April 14th, 2008 10:52am
hmmm… just imagine…
Alonso has a Ferrari contract but it’s not to drive for Scuderia Ferrari it is to lead the new Scuderia Toro Rosso after FIAT buy out Mateschitz’s 50%, rebrand it Maserati & move design & development to Maranello…
Rich Ambroson:
April 15th, 2008 4:52pm
Colin, I like the way you think! (Though I’d rather the “satellite” team be named Alfa Romeo… ) ;-)
Steve James:
November 3rd, 2008 11:24am
I heard that Alonso will replace Raikkonen as he underperformed this year.
I think we should give Alonso the chance to get a car to make his talent.
I am sure he will a third world champion in a ferrari. That will strike fear with Maclaren when Alonso is here to spoil the talent show.