Rumour of the Week: Alonso’s Ferrari deal done

[TheStig]

He managed to avoid being the focus of setanta.com’s Rumour of the Week for almost a month, but Fernando Alonso has made an inevitable return to this feature.

The Alonso-to-Ferrari speculation went relatively quiet for a little while, as potential buyers of Honda’s Formula 1 team stepped into the spotlight.

However, the Spaniard’s prospective switch to Ferrari is again making headlines following claims that he has already signed an agreement to join the Italian team, in 2011.

The latest gossip appears to carry with it greater weight than previous rumours, however, purely because actual dates and other details have been attached. Alonso is said to have what was a secret agreement to move to the reigning constructors’ champions in 2011 on a four-year deal.

According to the same rumours, which originated from Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Alonso could join Ferrari even earlier – before the 2010 season gets underway – if Kimi Raikkonen has a second successive disappointing campaign, next year.

Get-out clauses for both driver and team have been included in the alleged agreement.

Verdict: The Renault star has repeatedly been linked with Ferrari and the switch looked a possibility for this winter until Kimi Raikkonen decided to take up an option to extend his contract to the end of the 2010 season.

But this latest speculation is certainly more believable than most has been before.

It is certainly far from unbelievable that a contract such as this could have been agreed on the quiet, with so much deal-making done in the paddocks of Grand Prix weekends.

It seems increasingly likely that at some point, Alonso will be driving one of the famous red machines, and it is plausible that some kind of handshake or oral agreement has been made between Ferrari’s bigwigs and the 2005 and 2006 world champion.

Whether or not pen has actually been put to paper on the reported deal is another matter.

http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/other-sports/2008/12/29/F1-Rumour-of-the-week/gnid-33332/


TheStig

No news here i posted on the site months ago that this was on the cards!

P.S. Got the message Wizard:

Controls for posting would be nice as they have come up with loads of screens and things which makes life a bit difficult for an old Triumph Man!

[Dare]

This is the time of year for false rumors
and little actual F1 news!!!

Not the best time of year for a F1 Forum
                   but
Australia is just around the corner

[Steven Roy]

Until the day Alonso retires we are going to get rumours linking him to Ferrari.  We had them before he went to McLaren and we have had them since things started to go wrong at McLaren.  I wouldn't be remotely surprised if after he retires there are rumours linking him with a comeback with Ferrari.

[cosworth151]

Luca di Montezemolo seems to be stirring the pot, too. I just read this in AutoWeek:

“He’s a fantastic driver, no question. I like him. Particularly in Japan, he drove a great race. He’s a champion and a team leader, but for the moment, we don’t have any problem with our current drivers."

“That is why we confirmed officially Massa and Kimi until the end of 2010. Life is long, and in the future we will see. But for the moment, we don’t have any gray areas regarding drivers for the next two years.”

A Ferrari spokesman told Reuters, “We can only repeat that we have two drivers signed to the end of 2010.”

Of course, Ferrari is infamous for pressuring its drivers. All of this talk could just be an attempt to build a fire under Kimi.

[AJM]

i wouldnt be surprised if it did happen - with Santander moving to Ferrari from 2010 i assume they want to tie up with Alonso again (the reason Santander went to McLaren in the first place)

But who will get the boot? Wouldn't be surprised if it was Kimi if he doesnt improve in 2009.

[johnbull]

Wouldn't it be a laugh if Kimi suddenly woke up and became Kimi again and won absolutely everything there was to win next season; you know, like he is perfectly capable of doing.

I wonder what Ferrari would do with the Alonso contract then ?

On a different tack, one of the Italian TV stations yesterday evening showed a film called Enzo Ferrari. Very interesting and enjoyable viewing. My God he was a complicated man, and he seemed to go out of his way to complicate his private life too.

[Dare]

found this vid of Enzo,hope it plays


http://www.movie-forumz.org/showthread.php?t=43328

[AJM]

Wouldn't it be a laugh if Kimi suddenly woke up and became Kimi again and won absolutely everything there was to win next season; you know, like he is perfectly capable of doing.

As someone who supports McLaren - no it wouldn't be funny!  LOL

But if it did like you said it would be interesting to see what they did - Massa to Renault anyone? 

[johnbull]

As someone who supports McLaren - no it wouldn't be funny!  LOL

But if it did like you said it would be interesting to see what they did - Massa to Renault anyone? 

I can't see Massa and Alonso in the same team, so maybe.

There would be more fireworks at ferrari than there was at Macca with Lewis and Nando.

Oh, and by the way, I'd rather have Macca anyday though my favorite team is Williams.

[cosworth151]

I just got a reminder of just how accurate rumors like this are. I'm watching a replay of ESPN's broadcast of the 1992 Spa. Most of the pre-race was about a rumor that was "all over the paddock this week-end." Micheal Schumacher will leave Benetton and drive for McLaren in 1993!

I think that one was a bit off the mark.