Ex-champ Alonso inks three-year Ferrari deal
FERRARI yesterday confirmed the paddock’s worst-kept secret when they named two-time world champion Fernando Alonso as their lead driver for next season.
Alonso, 28, has agreed a three-year contract with the most famous team in motorsport, where he will join Brazilian Felipe Massa.
The Spaniard, currently at Renault, will take the place of Kimi Raikkonen, who has terminated his contract and is set to rejoin McLaren.
Giancarlo Fisichella, who has stood in for the injured Massa following his life-threatening crash, will become Ferrari’s reserve driver.
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said: “We are very proud to welcome to our team another winning driver, who has demonstrated his amazing talent by winning two world championships in his career to date.”
Raikkonen, who had a year left on his contract, admitted being “very sad” to leave the team at which he won the 2007 title, but insisted his departure had been by “common consent”.
Alonso’s move is likely to trigger a series of switches when the season ends in three races’ time, with Rubens Barrichello thought to be lining up a move to Williams.
The Brazilian veteran has shone for Brawn GP this season and lies second in the drivers’ standings, behind team-mate Jenson Button. But Brawn are expected to recruit Nico Rosberg from Williams, and Barrichello, 37, is said to have held talks about moving in the opposite direction.
Brawn could yet step up efforts to keep Barrichello, but that would only be if they failed to reach an agreement with Button for next year. The Englishman’s contract expires this year and an agreement is thought to be some way off.