«Ferrari crisis? The property is missing. Alonso will fight for the title»- Corriere.it

Podium number one hundred in his career, the second in two races,
Fernando Alonso he’s proving that it’s the talent that counts and not the identity card. The real opponent of Verstappen And Perez he is the two-time world champion. Among the depressed faces of Ferrari And Mercedes. Flavio Briatore he has always known him and pampers him: «They even tried to take away his 3rd place with a penalty that shouldn’t even be discussed. At 41 he is faster than twenty-year-olds, never had any doubts. They said he was too old, that he wasn’t a team man. Nonsense. Just give him the car and it brings results. Exceptional”.

He saw us long to go to Aston Martin. Tell the truth: you didn’t expect her to be so competitive.

«We shared the decision, we took a risk. But it was worth it: they offered us a two-year contract while others, with the excuse of age, only one. Then we knew that Lawrence Stroll was putting together a great team. In there we saw the desire for change that wasn’t there, for example, at the Alpine».

How did you know?

«I have known Lawrence for 30 years, he is a true F1 enthusiast, he is a successful entrepreneur. He started as a sponsor, after he bought Racing Point. He took a lot of people from Red Bull and other teams: in their stables they were number two or three, he gave them greater responsibilities. He has invested in the wind tunnel and in the new headquarters at Silverstone. If you want to grow, you have to do this.”

But Red Bull seems unbeatable, where can Fernando go?

«I would wait to say that the World Cup is already over. The Aston Martin is still a “virgin” car: we’ll see how much it can grow with developments. The others have yet to understand their problems, Fernando has a car that is easy to understand and drive. If he has the opportunity to win, he won’t let it slip away.’

How important is the sample and how much is the machine?

«It’s a whole, even Lance Stroll was strong before retiring. But Fernando brought enthusiasm and ambitions never seen before, nothing to do with Vettel’s period. You also need those to beat Ferrari and Mercedes».

Ferrari in crisis, again. She was set to win.

“It often happens: around Maranello there are people who talk during the winter when we need to do an in-depth analysis on why we haven’t won for more than 15 years”.

And who should do it?

«Ferrari ownership, and I don’t see it very involved in this. It is not enough to change a single. We need characters of weight in the team, now there are none. I remember they started winning continuously when they took 10-12 people away from Benetton. They did well.”

Would you have sent Mattia Binotto away?

«Binotto had done a good job, last year Ferrari was competitive. But then he had concentrated too many responsibilities on himself and this creates problems ».

However, in 2022 Ferrari was only in the fight for half the championship.

«Yes, because the running rules have changed and she has been penalized (changes to the heights to combat porpoising, jumping ed): you had to beat your fists on the table and stick. It’s not that if one gets the project wrong (Mercedes ed) after eight years of victories the regulations have to be changed».

What do you think of Fred Vasseur?

“I know him well enough: he’s a hard worker, he’s serious. He has just arrived and is coaching a team with the players he found. Let’s give him time.”

Is Leclerc frustrated, is he in danger of getting lost?

«The pilot is there, it’s the car that’s missing. Otherwise how would he manage to get so close to Red Bull in qualifying?».

Of the young people who do you like?

“Russell. He already knows how to win and is now always ahead of Hamilton. It’s a “hammer”».