Expect Ferrari mania in Spain as news comes through confirming Fernando Alonso’s move to the famous scuderia rossa. Yes, the Spanish Formula One star will be racing in red next season, joining the affable Brazilian Felipe Massa who is expected to have fully recovered from his frightening accident by then.
Alonso replaces 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, whose form has been somewhat inconsistent in recent times and who is likely to take his compatriot’s spot at McLaren Mercedes next year. It could lead to sparks as the egos of Raikkonen and Hamilton clash, but at Ferrari insiders expect the kind of harmony between Massa and Alonso that has marked this year’s sporting rivalry between Brawn team-mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
Despite two difficult years at Renault, Alonso will no doubt feel a touch of nostalgia as he says goodbye to the team with whom he won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. The French team, for their part, will be hoping to put the shameful episode with Nelson Piquet Jr. behind them and are believed to have signed the talented Pole Jan Kubica as their new lead driver.
“Driving a single-seater for the Prancing Horse is everybody’s dream in F1, and now I have the chance to make this dream come true,” said Alonso, mirroring the excitement that the news has had on the F1 circuit. The sport’s ‘boss’, Bernie Ecclestone, also gave his fiat, saying that: “It is good. Good for Fernando, good for Formula 1, good for Ferrari.”
Ferrari now has two highly talented and committed drivers in its line-up, but before Alonso and Massa can mount a serious title challenge the team will have to work extremely hard to produce a more competitive car that will be able to equal or better the best in the pack. Already, the 2010 season looks enticing and the Grand Prixes at Barcelona and Valencia promise to be passionate events.
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