Ferrari: Alonso could leave Maranello, according to Andretti

The former American driver Mario Andretti is well-acquainted with the Formula 1 world, having raced for several teams between 1968 and 1982, winning the World Championship title with Lotus in 1978. In this regard, he offers his perspective on the Prancing Horse’s situation.

He thinks that Ferrari holds a certain status and that it’s important for F1 that it maintains its rank. He explained this to our colleagues at GPUpdate.net: « Ferrari cannot be fighting for the point of 10th place. It’s not good for Ferrari nor for Formula 1. Ferrari needs to be in the mix of the battle. Mercedes is certainly a legendary brand, but in motorsport and particularly in F1, Ferrari is the benchmark. »

Alonso does not hide his discontent.

According to him, the Scuderia is well aware and can only react: « They have to be at the front but they know it. It’s clear that everyone is frustrated, starting with Luca di Montezemolo. I think the drivers are holding back as much as possible from expressing their opinions. It’s not possible to criticize, as we all know… »

However, the Spaniard did not hold back, recently stating to the Catalan sports daily SPORT that Ferrari « needs to step up because right now they’re not doing a good job. » After the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying sessions, he also said that the F14-T « had not progressed over the last three races. »

A meeting with Montezemolo

Statements that may have prompted a reaction from the big boss of the Reds. Indeed, Luca di Montezemolo visited his driver before the Sakhir race to take stock. Alonso commented on the content of this exchange: « We tried to gather everything we had found during the first two races, and what the next steps would be in terms of performance and the car, with maximum commitment and involvement from the entire team. »

The Asturian confirms the words of the American champion: « Ferrari is at 100%. The drivers, the engineers, the mechanics, no one is satisfied. We are very united within the team, and the president can be sure that we will give our best during these two days of testing (in Bahrain this week). We will not rest until the situation changes. » The Bahrain tests were relatively disappointing for the Italian team, which, after a rather calm first day, had to end its second day due to a chassis problem.

Towards major changes?

On the technical side, Andretti believes a comprehensive reassessment of the F14-T is needed: « They have a lot of work to do. I think it’s the entire package that needs improvement. We saw in Bahrain that Force India, Red Bull, and Williams were all clearly ahead of them. I don’t know how quickly they can bounce back, but they have a tremendous amount of work to do. From that perspective, I hope they’ll be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat. »

From Fernando Alonso’s perspective, the Ferrari turtle should transform into a hare: « The pace is obviously not good, we would like to have more speed and be able to fight with everyone. For now, we lack this aspect, but we have some strengths and we will prove it on certain tracks. It depends on the circuit, but we need to improve in all areas: the chassis side, aerodynamic efficiency, power… There are many things, and we need to deliver good results in the upcoming races. »

A competitive car or “ciao”?

However, if Ferrari fails to get out of this predicament, Andretti believes that the Asturian Bull might look elsewhere: « Quite honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised [if he leaves]. He is still at the top of his game and cannot afford to waste too many seasons. So I’m sure if an opportunity arises, he will seriously consider it. »

The double Spanish world champion who will turn 33 this year sees the end of his career approaching, and if he wishes to win a new title, he might have to take a bold gamble. Andretti recalls: “When Lewis Hamilton made the decision to go to Mercedes, a lot of people were saying, ‘what is he thinking?’ and look what happened. You can never know what the next opportunity to be on top will be.”

When Fernando Alonso is no longer under contract with Ferrari, he will likely receive numerous offers. A spot might open up, for example, at McLaren, while rumors—constantly denied—have circulated about a possible desire to see the double-world champion back in Woking, with Honda’s arrival not being entirely unrelated.

For now, he has signed until 2016 but in recent history, some drivers haven’t even completed their contracts. All assumptions are therefore allowed.