Ferrari expects bigger input from Alonso
Date published : 22 Dec 2009 - 17:47:47
Luca di Montezemolo says Ferrari hired Fernando Alonso to replace Kimi Raikkonen as it realised it needed a driver who was capable of working more closely with its engineers to help the team improve. Two-time world champion Alonso was long thought to have agreed a move to the Scuderia from 2011, but his arrival was brought forward by one year after Ferrari managed to agree with a pay-off with Raikkonen to terminate his agreement with the team a season ahead of schedule.Ferrari president di Montezemolo says the team had been keeping tabs on Alonso over the last two years and believes the 28-year-old Spaniard is arriving at Maranello at the right stage in his career.And while praising Raikkonen's racing abilities, the Italian reckons Alonso represents a more complete package.We have been watching him [Alonso] since 2007 and [team principal, Stefano] Domenicali discussed it with me this summer, Montezemolo said during a pre-Christmas lunch with journalists last week. He is an extremely talented driver, quick and good at working with a team, while being totally focussed on winning. I think he is coming to Ferrari at just the right time in his career. We had already reached an agreement for 2011, when both our drivers' contracts would have expired. Then, we realised that our team needed a driver capable of really getting involved with the engineers, a characteristic that was not part of Kimi's genetic make-up, even though he is an amazingly talented guy. Then came Felipe's [Massa] unexpected accident and, before taking a decision, we needed to know what his prospects were. Once we were certain he was fine, then in light of what was going on at Renault [with the race-fixing scandal], we decided to try and bring Alonso on board a year ahead of schedule. Although Raikkonen won the drivers' title in his first year at Ferrari in 2007, the team's hand-picked replacement for Michael Schumacher generally failed to match less-vaunted team-mate Felipe Massa over the last two seasons.However, di Montezemolo made it clear that Ferrari had been happy with Raikkonen's contribution to its successes in his time at the team while also dismissing speculation that the arrival of Spanish bank Santander as a major sponsor at the squad from 2010 was the reason for the early arrival of Alonso.Let's make one thing clear, we were very happy with everything Kimi did for Ferrari during his time at Maranello: he won the world championship in his first year and played a vital part in our taking the constructors' title in his second year, while in this difficult season he at least managed to secure us one victory, he said.However, we were aware that something else was needed for the way we operate and therefore, we opted for Alonso. The role of Santander Certainly, they are happy, but it is not the sponsors that choose the drivers: we have never operated like that and we never will.
