Departing Ferrari president Luca di Montzemolo has confirmed what we already knew, that Fernando Alonso will leave Ferrari at the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season.
Speaking on Italian television di Montezemolo said: “Fernando is leaving for two reasons.
“One, he wants another environment. Two, because he is an age when he cannot wait to win again.”
The 33-year-old dual world champion joined Ferrari in 2010 and came close to winning the title that year and again in 2012. In his time with the Scuderia he has constantly impressed with his ability to extract maximum performance from the oft sub-par machinery he has been given.
It’s expected that Alonso will drive for McLaren in 2015, with rumours suggesting he may have signed a deal directly with Honda. There’s also a chance that he may sit out for the year with an eye on a Mercedes seat in 2016. Although, Alonso has previously said it’s “probably not a big risk” that he won’t be in F1 next year.
McLaren it is then and you’d think Jenson Button, who will be 35 when the 2015 season begins, could be the man to make way.
Of course, the other well known secret in F1 is that Alonso will be replaced by Sebastian Vettel. We can expect an official statement from Maranello very soon it would appear.
Vettel’s contract with Red Bull Racing expires five days after the final race, which therefore includes the post-season test in Bahrain. Red Bull will hold Vettel to the terms of his contract, denying him an opportunity to test with Ferrari before the year is out.
[Source: BBC]
2 replies on “For liberty, Fernando”
[…] the return of the McLaren-Honda partnership rumours suggest dual world champion and free agent Fernando Alonso has already signed a deal with the Japanese car maker. If that proves true then it seems logical […]
[…] Sebastian Vettel made a clunky start, losing two places, but clawed his way back to fifth, finishing ahead of the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. There was a moment late in the race where Alonso was behind Raikkonen and clearly the faster of the two. In the past Ferrari would have paved the way for Alonso to stroll past his teammate, this morning though he was made to earn it. There’s no favours now for the wantaway Spaniard. […]