Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ferrari
Fernando Alonso fuels rumors of Ferrari move
The inability of Formula One drivers to sit still may seem natural, but Fernando Alonso may be taking it to the next level. After switching from Renault to McLaren for 2007 and then back to Renault for this season, the two-time world champion is back at it, fuelling rumors that he could move to Ferrari in another year or two.
Speculation of Alonso's potential move to the Scuderia crew began to circulate when he was on his way out of McLaren, and were furthered when his new contract with Renault reportedly left him with an out after one season. But after two disappointing races for Ferrari pilot Felipe Massa, the rumors are flying once again. Coming rather short of denying the prospect, Alonso told the press in , "I always want to be in the best car in the field... It is clear that Ferrari has one of the best cars already." Despite a contract that ostensibly secures his ride through 2010, if
[Source: F1-Live]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
cellularcoffee 7:40PM (3/25/2008)
Alonso NEEDS the best car to win. Maybe a little espionage on another constructor's chassis setup secrets would help too.
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The Doctor 7:45PM (3/25/2008)
What a tart.
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speedball3 11:34AM (3/26/2008)
Agreed!
Go Hamilton!!
Dino 7:52PM (3/25/2008)
His arrogance is really starting to get on my nerves. Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari when it was nothing and brought it to its winning ways. Alonso too goddamn self centered, and talk about loyalty, 2 races and he's already considering a move.
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Alan 8:05PM (3/25/2008)
A bit of an oversimplification, no? MS also brought Ross Brawn to Ferrari and Ferrari brought a lot of money to the table, both things that Renault doesn't have.
And if you think that Alonso should have stayed at McLaren cause they did have money and technical prowess, MS didn't have to deal with a hyper-competitive second driver either.
Alonso has acted like a douche lately, but MS was by no means an angel either.
Dino 8:11PM (3/25/2008)
Yeah, but it's not as though Schumacher knew that in the end they would succeed. They had some rough times at Ferrari, and that's what really upsets me about Alonso. He's basically just given up right away. No I don't think he should have stayed at McLaren, because it quite obvious that they like Lewis a lot more (not that that makes Alonso's whining okay). Alonso has had good years at good teams, he has not had a tough year at a poorly performing team. He needs something like that to prove his worth as a driver.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:06AM (3/26/2008)
I don't think you know what arrogance means.
He wants to be in the best car in the field. Who doesn't? That doesn't make you arrogant.
tankd0g 2:13AM (3/26/2008)
Actually I think he believes he deserves to be given the fastest car in the field, there's a difference.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:08AM (3/26/2008)
If you think that, it isn't because of what he said. It's apparently because of what you already think of him.
Nick 7:55PM (3/25/2008)
Never going to happen. If anyone is going to take over Felipe's place at Ferrari, it's going to be Sebastien Vettel, a young up and comer who doesn't have his head six feet deep in his ass, and has an enormous amount of talent.
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BPeredo 8:09PM (3/25/2008)
Beat me to it. Vettel seems to be the natural choice - what a talent!
I really like Massa, but it seems that he is better at driving rather than racing, which can be observed by his spectacular qualifying performances on Saturday but inconsistent racing on Sunday.
Vettel over Alonso, surely.
Moe 8:03PM (3/25/2008)
I actually like Massa, so I'd rather just see things stay the way they are.
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James 12:58AM (3/26/2008)
I like Massa too. But he's way too inconsistent to be champion.
Colonel Guaranty 8:07PM (3/25/2008)
I'm not the biggest Alonso fan and it is still early in the season, but I think more people are going to realize just how good he is this year. Everything is relative in F1. The results of the first two races are kind of impressive considering the equipment he has to work with. With the loss of driver aids and some luck, a podium or even a win isn't totally out of the question.
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BPeredo 8:12PM (3/25/2008)
You know, I'd prefer Alonso in a slower car. It seems that he is a little too conservative when contending for the drivers championship - often content with second place.
He's a great racer when he doesn't have much to lose. His scrap with Coulthard this weekend was very entertaining to watch.
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John Johnson 8:20PM (3/25/2008)
"if Massa doesn't manage to adapt to driving without traction control"
^Hahaha. He's like a kid driving a RWD car for the first time. Oversteer + 800HP never = good.
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Tom Winch 9:03PM (3/25/2008)
First, we should consider the source of this story. F-1 Live is the National Enquirer of F-1 news. They print every rumor they hear. All things considered, Massa is a great driver, he just overdrove the car trying to keep up with an even greater driver, Kimi Raikkonen. As for out-qualifying Kimi, Massa was on a lighter fuel load. I'm no fan of Alonso, but he is an incredible driver (as well as an incredible whiner). He's proving it with every point he scores in a mid-pack car at best. There's no way he could drive for Ferrari with Kimi still there though. Alonso needs to be a number 1 driver to perform. Now, comparing him to Schumacher when Shumie went to Ferrari is comparing apples to oranges. Shumacher brought Ross Brawn and also had contract stipulations stating he was the #1 driver and his teammate had to follow orders. That's why he got along so well with Massa and continues to coach him, Massa idolized Michael and was more than happy to follow team orders. Fernando may wind up at Ferrari some day, but after Kimi retires, not to replace Massa. If Ferrari replaces Massa with a new teammate for Raikkonen, my money's on Vettel. But overall, this is shaping up to be a great season in F-1 with BMW running up front and Red Bull showing great improvement. Malaysia showed that the McLarens are beatable when they aren't on the front row. Kimi is showing the best car control without traction control. Hamilton drove off his tires trying to get around Weber for half the race, without being able to pass him on track. Yes, an interesting 2008 in F-1 indeed!
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tpp 9:26PM (3/25/2008)
I would LOVE to see Alonso as a test driver at Ferrari.
Maybe he could also polish Massa's and Kimi's shoes while he's at it.
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tuna 9:44PM (3/25/2008)
It's not going to happen. As others have pointed out, the fans would love to see each team with two number one drivers to fuel the gossip columns, but no team is stupid enough to go there.
McLaren did go there, but by accident. I don't think they realized Hamilton would be as competitive as he turned out to be. The did get a lot of press, but I don't think it was worth the managerial mess they had on their hands.
As for those calling Alonso names, if you were one of the talented athletes in the NBA and have talent, wouldn't you want to maximize the peak of your career by playing for the team that will give you the best shot at a championship? That is all Alonoso is doing. He sees that Masa is still not the matured, consistent driver everyone says he should be by now, and is in effect telling Ferrari "hey, I'm here and I'm ready." In such business, you have to toot your own horn if you want to succeed. Vettel on the other hand, is making a huge mistake by not having a designated manager to help him negotiate deals and promote his abilities. Can't just sit and wait for opportunities to find you. You have to make doors open.
Funny. No one ever called Kimi any names when he made the bid for a seat at Ferrari after years of disgust with McLaren. Why the bias? It's not like any of these guys share their wealth with the rest of us. In fact, I'd be surprised if any of them contribute to any charitable causes. They're young. They're rich. Most of them live and own property in Monaco. Where do you live?
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Quattrofan 2:47AM (3/26/2008)
Why the bias?
Perhaps because Alonso comes across as whiny bitch, maybe that's why. Just few weeks ago, GPUpdate reported Alonso saying on Spanish radio that he "will not have patience" (verbatim) if it will take long for Renault to become competitive.
Bottom line... he is a primadona who cannot provide the feedback necessary to develop the car (as mentioned above, what Schumi did for Scuderia).
Cole Trickle of F1 - all upset because he is running in the middle of the pack.