quoteStefano Domenicali says he would have 'no problem' if Ferrari moved to strengthen Italian says "let's wait and see" over Ross Brawn's future Last Updated: November 22, 2013 9:42pm
quote Ferrari can dominate F1 again - technical chief James Allison By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer
Ferrari won five consecutive titles in the early 2000s but have failed to match Red Bull in the last few seasons.
"I have found a team hungry and determined to get back to the top of the podium at every race and championship," said Allison.
"It is a team that is optimistic for the future and is looking forward to dominating the sport again."
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has finished second to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in three of the last four years, seasons which have been characterised by Ferrari's inability to build a car as fast as the Red Bull.
Allison, who was talking to Sky Italia, said Ferrari's form would improve as a result of "a series of investments made on the engineer, personnel and equipment side which we are going to reap the rewards of over the next several years".
Ferrari have spent this year refurbishing the wind tunnel at their Maranello base after discovering in 2012 that there were inconsistencies between the results from simulations and those of new parts when they reached the track.
That means the 2014 car has been largely developed in the former Toyota F1 wind tunnel in Cologne, which Ferrari have been using instead.
Now their own wind tunnel is up and running again, the team are hopeful that it will improve their ability to develop their car, a major flaw of Ferrari's over the last few years.
Allison, who joined Ferrari in September, said: "F1 is not a quick-fix sport. It is an incredibly difficult organisation to get every single aspect right, and you need every aspect right to win a world championship.
"The team has been one-by-one picking off its weak points. It's a work we will need to continue and a work we will never stop doing even once we do finally get ourselves back to the front.
"I don't think we have made any secret of the fact the area we have been underperforming in, relative to the completion, is we haven't made as much out of the aerodynamic rules over the last few seasons as some of our rivals.
"That's for a number of reasons and it's an area where our team has invested heavily over the last 18 months or so and we will eventually get our reward for."
Allison worked at Ferrari through their dominant era with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s before moving back to the UK to work for Renault, where he won two titles with Alonso in 2005 and 2006, ending Ferrari's run of success.
In recent years, his reputation as one of the foremost aerodynamic engineers in F1 has grown as his group at the team now re-named Lotus has produced a series of competitive cars on much smaller budgets than Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.
However, he said the extent of the rule changes for next season - which will see major changes to the chassis regulations and the introduction of new turbo-charged engines - meant it was impossible to predict Ferrari's competitiveness in 2014.
"I'm never happy because I'm always terrified. I find it much easier to work effectively when I'm scared we're not going enough, than happy that we are," he said. "(I'm) always scared, especially in a year with so many changes.
"2014 is a very big project and it's something that started well over two years ago, so that work was well under way when I arrived and is continuing extremely fiercely at the moment in the factory."
Between 1999 and 2008, Ferrari won seven constructors' titles and six drivers' championships, but have not added to their tally of 16 team and 15 driver titles since.
There are certain things one can rely on in life no matter what is happening elsewhere. The sun will always shine, men will always love motorsport and Ferrari will inevitably always be Ferrari.
Following on from a silly season full of stories of civil war and turmoil at Maranello it should not be a surprise to hear them up to their usual tricks. The dressing down Fernando has received from Il Padrino has not been left to rest and is certainly not forgotten by the Spaniard.
With quotes to the media in Brazil of “Second place is mine, certainly not Ferrari’s” and “We started the season with great ambition, and thought we could fight for the title, we obviously couldn’t, but i’m proud of what I achieved, second place in a car that is not the second fastest by far”, his feeling towards 2013 are clear.
However, the most poignant one I feel is “”The reason why we failed? Why don’t you ask Domenicali, because not being able to use the wind tunnel, again, didn’t do us any good.” So what is Alonso angling for here? Having clearly missed out on the possibility of another team for 2014, he is forced to put up with what he has at least for the short term.
It would seem he is footing the problems Ferrari have encountered at the door of Stefano Domenicali, with a possible replacement already waiting in the wings. The glory days he enjoyed at Renault were shared with one Flavio Briatore. For any who don’t remember Briatore’s last involvement in Formula One there is a short video explaining ‘Crashgate’ below.
[Briatore, on 5th January 2010, had his ban overturned]
Alonso could regain the control of the team which he is set to lose with the introduction of a team mate on equal terms to him, Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando could be changing tact, having not been offered an extension to his contract and Ferrari keeping Nico Hulkenberg on speed dial, the team must be feeling pretty safe driver wise.
A return of Briatore to Formula One would be hard for many to envisage, especially given he said he would never return to Formula One in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. However, there is another team boss who is soon to be a free agent. Ross Brawn could want a return to Maranello where he would be well received to manage the strongest 2014 driver pairing on the grid.
Either way, Alonso is setting himself up well for next year by stirring the stew. If the car is poor, he can walk away easily citing the fact he stood by the team for so long. Alternatively, this could see the departure of Domenicali which could see an ally of his brought into the Ferrari setup instead. Should Alonso leave, he looks as if he wants to do it the hard way. The power struggles will continue long after Interlagos.
There is a long and cold winter ahead at Maranello!
quote Maranello, 26 November –Luca di Montezemolo gives an overview of the Formula 1 season that’s just ended. At 8pm tonight (CET,) an interview the Ferrari President gave to RAI Uno’s reporter Marco Franzelli will be broadcast. Here are a few samples of what he had to say, divided into the different topics. ....... The Alonso-Raikkonen pairing
“Whoever has the honour and responsibility of driving for Ferrari must think of the team first and foremost and not of himself. None of our drivers could ever hurt the other one. Alonso is maybe the strongest race driver I’ve ever met, even if it is always difficult to make comparisons with the past. We have taken Raikkonen back for his experience, for what he has done over the past two years and because he is much loved inside and outside the team. I was very pleased to see the enthusiasm that greeted the news of his return, again both internally and externally. I am sure they will help one another.” .......
quoteAnd what of the partnership between his protégé Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso at Ferrari? He smiles. “I used to be close to Kimi, I directed him towards Ron Dennis and McLaren, so I know him a little. There’s not going to be a problem [between Kimi and Fernando], believe me. They’re both intelligent, experienced guys, and both understand that verbal fights won’t help their careers or their lives. That is of course, unless something stupid happens on the track.”
Nov.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has been banned from talking about Ferrari via his personal Twitter account. The Spaniard had his ear "tweaked" by team president Luca di Montezemolo earlier this year, after making a series of disparaging remarks about the development of Ferrari's 2013 car.
"We will prohibit him from Twitter," Montezemolo reportedly said during his interview with Italian television Rai Uno this week.
quoteDec.9 (GMM/Inautonews.com) Fernando Alonso’s frustration in 2013 triggered Ferrari’s push for Kimi Raikkonen.
That is the view of the Italian team’s former driver Mario Andretti.
“In my opinion, Alonso became frustrated this season, and what he said offended Ferrari,” the 1978 world champion told the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
Andretti is referring to the arguably disparaging comments made by the Spanish driver, after which Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo revealed he “tweaked” Alonso’s ear.
“Otherwise,” Andretti added, “they never would have hired someone who could challenge him and even beat him.”
After four years alongside the often underperforming Felipe Massa, Alonso’s new teammate for 2014 is the former team champion Kimi Raikkonen.
“You have to know how to behave,” Andretti, still referring to Alonso’s attitude of 2013, continued.
“He always had a proper behaviour, but that 1 per cent … we saw what was Montezemolo’s reaction.
“It will be interesting to see what happens next,” he added, “because Kimi is not arriving to help; he is going to try to win.
“It will be a great battle that will be fun to watch.”
quoteDec.9 (GMM/Inautonews.com) Fernando Alonso’s frustration in 2013 triggered Ferrari’s push for Kimi Raikkonen.
That is the view of the Italian team’s former driver Mario Andretti.
“In my opinion, Alonso became frustrated this season, and what he said offended Ferrari,” the 1978 world champion told the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
Andretti is referring to the arguably disparaging comments made by the Spanish driver, after which Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo revealed he “tweaked” Alonso’s ear.
“Otherwise,” Andretti added, “they never would have hired someone who could challenge him and even beat him.”
After four years alongside the often underperforming Felipe Massa, Alonso’s new teammate for 2014 is the former team champion Kimi Raikkonen.
“You have to know how to behave,” Andretti, still referring to Alonso’s attitude of 2013, continued.
“He always had a proper behaviour, but that 1 per cent … we saw what was Montezemolo’s reaction.
“It will be interesting to see what happens next,” he added, “because Kimi is not arriving to help; he is going to try to win.
“It will be a great battle that will be fun to watch.”
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Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:04 pm (Last edited: Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:05 pm)
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if Ross Brawn moving to Ferrari is true may not be best news for Kimi as he is a fanboy of Alonso.
Poor Nando, needs to be 
