REPORT: Ferrari F1 set to announce Alonso acquisition
Apparently, the long-rumored Fernando Alonso to Ferrari announcement is now all but official. According to a report from the BBC, the 28-year-old driver has signed a two-year contract with options to extend that will earn the Spaniard a tidy salary of roughly 19 to 25 million euros ($27 to $36 million) per year.
An official announcement could come as early as this weekend at the Suzuka Grand Prix in Japan. As expected, Alonso will be paired up with current Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, whose spot is currently being filled in by Giancarlo Fisichella while the Brazilian is recovering from injuries sustained during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen could possibly make the move back to McLaren, and current BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica is rumored to be taking Alonso's place at Renault. Tune back in tomorrow for another installation of How the F1 World Turns... Tip of the hat to Cheech McGovern!
[Source: BBC | Image: ph-stop - CC 2.0]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dsk123 1:33PM (9/29/2009)
Alonso is the man, but I love both Felipe and Kimi, it'll be a shame to see one of them leave, likely Kimi.
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Redline 1:43PM (9/29/2009)
Not an Alonso fan at all. I suppose I'll have to bite my tongue and just keep on supporting Scuderia Ferrari.
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Eric Liberatore 1:46PM (9/29/2009)
Not a Kimi fan nor an Alonso fan. For the Scuderia's sake let's hope Alonso doesn't end up as another Kimi.
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Andy 3:16PM (9/29/2009)
Alonso isn't like Kimi - let's face it, Alonso will make Ferrari interesting to watch. There's a reason Kimi is known as the Ice man..
kfj 3:55PM (9/29/2009)
Andy: Just like how he cried like a baby at Mclaren?
Pcx 1:52PM (9/29/2009)
Looks like i have to go back supporting McLaren then
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hyundaifans.com 6:20PM (9/29/2009)
I'm with you. I am a Kimi supporter. Cant stand Alonso.
Vetmstr 1:52PM (9/29/2009)
wow next year has the potential to be great. LH/Kimi v. Alonso/Massa.
LH Mclaren till I die
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Franz 4:31PM (9/29/2009)
Yeah, us McLaren fans will be happy to have the old Ice Man back. Alonso is a very good driver... arguably the best, but he's way too spoiled. I dunno how it's gonna work out for him over at Ferrari because they love Massa & I'm not so sure the Scuderia will be willing to give Alonso the clear #1 status he loves so much. He'll have to earn it. I'll just be happy when next season starts & we'll be back to real racing. This year's championship is nothing but a test & tune for everyone except Brawn & RBR, & with the top teams very close to being equal now, it's not gonna be a runaway for old Jensen. God, I hope Rubens beats him this year... I've never liked Button. When he does well, it's all him but as soon as he does poorly then it's the car's fault.
Vetmstr 6:19PM (9/29/2009)
totally agree with you though not a big fan of Kimi. I respect him but he can be hit or miss with his motivation.
Mayoman 1:53PM (9/29/2009)
I feel that Alonso is the best driver on the grid, but I wonder what this move to Ferrari will be like. He likes to have clear number 1 status, and Ferrari really likes Massa.
I would really like to see Kimi move back to McLaren, it would be the first time in years (at least since i've been watching F1) to have two world champions on the same team.
Ferrari v.s McLaren v.s Brawn v.s Red Bull with inner team battles at most of those teams, 2010 is going to be a great season.
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Mayoman 2:13PM (9/29/2009)
and I guess I'll have a reason to cheer for Ferrari again.
bitterspeak 2:42PM (9/29/2009)
Next season is definitely going to be a good one.
While I hope that Brawn can keep up with Ferrari/McLaren/Red Bull on their R&D and have a competitive car again, I'm doubtful. Ferrari/Macca/RBR will be utterly dominant next year.
jpz 1:54PM (9/29/2009)
What happened for Kimi racing rally full time for Fiat?
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bitterspeak 2:42PM (9/29/2009)
Not happening. Kimi has a lot of hobbies aside from F1 and because of his "average" performance this year, rumors just started flying. But the whole situation is similar to Rossi consideration to move to Ferrari F1. It's not worth switching unless you're at the end of the ropes, which is clearly not the case for either of them.
chan625 1:55PM (9/29/2009)
It will be interesting to see who settles in which chair next season and ofcourse which GP2ers get to drive f1 cars of 3 new teams.
Alonso in Ferrari wasnt a real shock, it wud be one in case kimi goes to WRC instead of mclaren...in case he stays in f1 and joins mclaren tho then both ferrari and mclaren will have matching strength and then the season will whole lot of fun regardless wat brawn and RBR does
I'll feel bad for fisi but I cant ignore fact that even tho he is talented..had he been more consistant in past lets say with renault, Ferrari might've picked him up earlier.
Roseberg will prolly move to Brawn as Mercedes is keen to get german driver in 2nd car..but I'm not sure whether barichello is leaving brawn..well theres no good reason to do that
next is what? Sébastien Loeb coming to drive RBR?!! noooo I love WRC just as much
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bitterspeak 2:43PM (9/29/2009)
The rumor is that Barrichello and Rosberg are going to switch seats. I don't think we'll be hearing much about that until Brawn GP takes both championships.
Quan 2:19PM (9/29/2009)
I'll still be part of the tifosi, but I hope Massa comes back and destroys everyone on the track, including Alonso.
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bitterspeak 2:42PM (9/29/2009)
Massa is a journeyman. I hope he never wins a WDC.
Franz 7:17PM (9/29/2009)
That's kinda harsh, bitterspeak. I'm no Ferrari fan, but I do like Felipe. He seems like a decent guy, and there's no denying the fact that he can drive. You don't come within a point of the championship on luck alone. Matter of fact, when it comes to the more technical circuits, there's no one better IMO. I think Alonso & Lewis are the real racers of F1 (all out, ballsy as f*ck), with Kimi a close second on a good day. Alonso takes the award for getting the most out of an under-performing machine (and I'm no Alonso fan either) but Massa's the most fluid, technical driver out there IMO. He rarely ever puts a wheel wrong.