F1: Will Fernando Alonso Go To Ferrari Next Year?

**CVT** · September 25th, 2007 02:03 PM

Hmmm.... this speculation makes sense to me.....

If JT is displaced by RB's return to the Scarlet Team, then JT's son, who is the manager of FM is in an ackward or difficult situation. That is why they are laying their cards on the table with JT's pronouncement that he is still very active and FM, talking with the Toyota team.

Also, it is JT who is not interested with FA, not the Ferrari Team, because FA bolted out of their gentlemen's agreement some years ago. So, if JT's out then FA may be welcomed in the Ferrari camp with open arms... I am wondering how KR will take this seat change next year....

RS definitely is out of Toyota, and FM replacing him makes sense.... Another open piece of the puzzle is who will replace FA in the McLaren? PDLR or our controversial JPM making his comeback?....

3909:trampoline:

from www.paddocktalk.com (and other sites)....

F1: Will Alonso Go to Ferrari ?

Speculation is rife that Fernando Alonso could be about to drop a bomb on the formula one silly-season.

Felipe Massa was spotted by paddock observers meeting with Toyota officials at Spa-Francorchamps, sparking rumours that he might need to vacate his Ferrari seat for 2008.

The tale ties in with fresh speculation that Jean Todt - whose son Nicolas manages Brazilian Massa, 26 - is increasingly under pressure to keep his top job at Ferrari, and also Toyota's reluctance so far to confirm a teammate for Jarno Trulli in 2008.

It has long been suggested that reigning world champion Alonso's most likely destination, if he leaves McLaren after a single unhappy season, is his former camp at Renault.

But the Ferrari gossip, raising the prospect of the Spaniard's pairing with Kimi Raikkonen next year, is now gathering strength, including in the pages of the British newspaper The Daily Mail.

"One stumbling block exists, however," the report read. "Would Ferrari be willing to buy out the remainder of Alonso's contract with McLaren, believed to be worth at least (US) $20 million?"

**diesoline** · September 25th, 2007 04:17 PM

the last sentence is utterly hilarious! :naughty2:

http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2752162,00.html

Fernando Alonso is reportedly off to Ferrari next season in a £20m per year deal, while Felipe Massa is moving to Toyota.

Alonso's position at McLaren has become more untenable with the FIA's confirmation that it was the Spaniard's emails that resulted in the team being stripped of their 2007 Constructors' Championship points and handed a £50m fine.

And with Ron Dennis admitting that his relationship with his driver is "extremely cold" and that Alonso's unhappy with the team's equality policy, the double World Champion's time at McLaren appears to be running out - and fast.

In fact, according to the News of the World, Alonso has just three more races as a McLaren driver having already agreed to join Ferrari.

According to the tabloid, the Spaniard has agreed a £20 million a year deal to join Ferrari for 2008, leaving Felipe Massa out in the cold.

Massa, though, is already making plans for the future with the Daily Mail claiming that he 'opened preliminary negotiations with Toyota last weekend.'

The newspaper went on to say that Massa's decision to leave Ferrari could be based on team boss Jean Todt's pending (and unwanted) retirement in order to make way for Ross Brawn's return.

The Ferrari tech director, who is nearing the end of his year-long sabbatical, is expected to return to the Scuderia next season as team boss. And should this happen it could place Todt's son, who is also Massa's manager, in an uncomfortable position.

'Massa is acutely aware that if Jean Todt, as expected, loses an impending internal power struggle within Ferrari, he will be instantly vulnerable as he is managed by the Frenchman's son, Nicholas,' the Mail surmised.

On a personal note, P-F1 believes Alonso would do well at Ferrari... after all he already knows all about the car and how to set it up.

**CVT** · September 25th, 2007 05:17 PM

+1 there bro.

What a spin to the scenario-hungry F1 fans.....

FA surely knows how to 'balance' his options....

3909:trampoline:

**Kanut** · September 25th, 2007 07:22 PM

mclaren can afford to lose alonso 'cause they hit the jackpot with LH.

**allen_the_great** · September 25th, 2007 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by Kanut

mclaren can afford to lose alonso 'cause they hit the jackpot with LH.

imo, mclaren's loss is a rival team's gain (be it ferrari or renault) so i don't think ganun lang kabilis sabihin na mclaren can afford to lose alonso. just imagine the pairing of KR and FA pagnagkataon. kakain ng alikabok si LH nyan. yes, mabilis si LH but kulang pa siya sa experience when compared to seasoned veterans like KR and FA. the most ideal scenario is LH learn the ropes from FA. too bad they're like water and oil- they just don't mix.

**Memphis Raines** · September 25th, 2007 09:01 PM

At this point, I think that he will do anything to stay away from Lewis :eviltongu

**jeff1101** · September 25th, 2007 09:35 PM

If FA goes to Ferrari then that will be the day. Ferrari always had the best in everything, the best cars , the best drivers, the best team managers etc.

I would have liked for Fernando Alonso to be the counterpoint to Ferrari's brute force approach to everything. FA proved Ferrari can be beaten at their own game and he didnt spent years on a single racing team to do that. (And he was getting good at the job too, proof positive is the amount of hate and cat calls Ferrari fans seem to have hurled at him every time he wins a race)

He could have prevented F1 from becoming another Ferrari monopoly. (I ask you, where is the fun in that?) But if he does go to Ferrari I think It will be a long time before F1 is interesting again. (another seven years is way too long...) C'est la vie!

**bbt** · September 25th, 2007 10:59 PM

if that happens, it would be interesting to see how kimi and alonso will act towards each other. knowing how fernando likes to be number one, he might switch his badmouthing from lewis to kimi. if this does happen though, i cant wait to hear what wisecracks kimi will say in response. i still can't forget the "i was taking a crap" remark that kimi made to reporters during schumi's awarding ceremony

i dont think schumi would be very happy about this though because massa is his protege and i remember that there were rumours that one of the reasons he retired was so that massa could stay on as a ferrari driver when kimi made the move. he'd be even more angry that his guy would be replaced by his former rival

personally, id prefer that alonso move back to renault because i really like the current kimi-massa team. i also don't appreciate alonso's badmouthing so i'm secretly hoping renault has some problems with their development, and alonso end up in the middle of the field and leave the front to mclaren and ferrari

**hubertq34** · September 25th, 2007 11:20 PM

for me wag na syang (FA) lumipat sa ferreri kasi dati inaaway nya si schumi... kung ano-anong sinasabi nya... sobrang yabang yan si FA kaya sa iba na lang magdrive.

**Kanut** · September 25th, 2007 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by allen_the_great

imo, mclaren's loss is a rival team's gain (be it ferrari or renault) so i don't think ganun lang kabilis sabihin na mclaren can afford to lose alonso. just imagine the pairing of KR and FA pagnagkataon. kakain ng alikabok si LH nyan. yes, mabilis si LH but kulang pa siya sa experience when compared to seasoned veterans like KR and FA. the most ideal scenario is LH learn the ropes from FA. too bad they're like water and oil- they just don't mix.

of course it is.just look at how things are in mclaren right now.its hard to think ron dennis retaining the same drivers for next season.especially after FA got dragged into the mess mclaren is at.but then again,FA+KR wont be any different from FA+LH..