Spaniard to line up seventh for Italian GP; Raikkonen out of top ten
Wednesday 10 September 2014 09:20, UK
Fernando Alonso has welcomed the news that Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s long-time President, has reaffirmed his commitment to the Scuderia.
Speculation has swirled around the Monza paddock this weekend that Montezemolo, in charge at Maranello for the last 23 years, was preparing to step down.
But in an address to a tightly-assembled media scrum congregated outside of the Ferrari motorhome at the start of qualifying for the Italian GP, Montezemolo insisted he would be staying on.
"I said in March, to my shareholders and particularly to my people in Ferrari, I was ready to accept three more years,” declared the 67-year-old Italian. “The men and women in Ferrari are the most important part of my life, and I took a commitment with them.
"So that's it. If and when there will be some news about me, I will be the first - I emphasise the first - to let you know."
Team boss Stefano Domenicali paid the price for Ferrari’s dismal start to F1’s new turbo era with his job in April, but with Montezemolo following Alonso’s lead in recommitting to the team - the Spaniard last week told Sky Sports News HQ that he would be staying on for 2015 - it appears that the blood-letting at Ferrari has now ended.
“I am happy Luca is staying on,” said the two-time title winner. “We have had a very nice relationship for the last five years and I talk to him a lot. He told me on Thursday that the rumours were not true and I’m happy.”
Alonso will line up for Sunday’s race in seventh, a result that surpassed his own expectations but which fell short of the optimism that his pace in Friday practice had generated amongst the Tifosi. Perhaps the best barometer of Alonso’s qualifying effort was the failure of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen to reach the top-ten shoot-out and his own conspicuous presence between two Red Bulls and two McLarens.
“It was a nice session for me,” Alonso told reporters. “It’s difficult after Friday practice always to hear some optimists because we always seem to be more competitive – probably because we run different fuel loads to our opponents. But we expected a tough qualifying, and it was a tough qualifying, but l was completely on the limit.”
Sky F1's coverage of the Italian GP begins at 11.30am on Sunday with the race underway at 1pm
