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Alonso 'better' for Ferrari - boss

December 4

Fernando Alonso is arriving at Ferrari because the famous Italian team needs a race driver in the Michael Schumacher-mould...
 
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guardian.co.uk

Fernando Alonso set for Ferrari deal

• Spaniard will replace Kimi Raikkonen from next year• 'He's pulled off the deal of his life,' says close friendThe two-times world champion Fernando Alonso has signed a deal with Ferrari starting in 2010. It could be officially announced in the run-up to this Sunday's Japanese grand prix at Suzuka.The Spanish driver, who finished third in Sunday's Singapore grand prix to score the Renault team's first podium finish of the season, will partner Felipe Massa after agreeing a three-year contract worth in excess of $30m (£19m).Although Kimi Raikkonen has a contract with Ferrari for 2010, it is believed that the Finn will return to the McLaren-Mercedes squad next year to partner Lewis Hamilton, replacing his fellow Scandinavian Heikki Kovalainen who has been disappointing this season.Neither Ferrari nor McLaren would officially comment on the matter, but a close friend of Alonso said he had little doubt that the Ferrari deal was already done. "Fernando isn't always the most demonstrative of guys, but when he was walking down the paddock he almost looked as though he wanted to leap into the air and click his heels together," he said. "He looked like a guy who'd pulled off the deal of his life."Ferrari currently have three other potential drivers they could call on in the event of Massa not being fully race fit by the start of next season, although the present signs are that the Brazilian driver is well down the road to recovery from head injuries sustained in practice for August's Hungarian grand prix.The other drivers on their books include Giancarlo Fisichella, Luca Badoer, Marc Gené and potentially the seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, although sources close to the Italian team have ruled out the prospect of the 40-year old making a full-time return to the Formula One field.Meanwhile, Jenson Button will be going to Suzuka knowing that a race win on this challenging high-speed track near Nagoya could set him up to clinch the world championship in Brazil a fortnight later. Button finished fifth at Singapore, crossing the line just ahead of his team-mate Rubens Barrichello, his only serious remaining rival for the title with three races of the season left to run.Next year Button will probably not have to worry about Barrichello driving a similar car as the veteran Brazilian is likely to be replaced by Nico Rosberg, a move which will further strengthen the ties between the Brawn team and their engine suppliers Mercedes-Benz who are anxious to have a German driver in the team.FerrariFormula OneRenaultMotor sportAlan Henryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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The Independent

Schumacher should fear Alonso say Ferrari

Michael Schumacher could rue his departure from Ferrari because Fernando Alonso is perfectly placed to beat the German to the world title again, team boss Stefano Domenicali said today.
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B.B.C. NEWS Ferrari expect Schumacher return

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says Michael Schumacher has told him he intends to make a Formula 1 comeback with Mercedes next season.
12/18/09
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The Independent Massa returns with a new 'baby' for...

Felipe Massa looked every inch a man reborn yesterday; leaner, fitter and hungrier than ever as Ferrari unveiled the car on which he is pinning his hopes of winning the Formula...
01/29/10
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The Sydney Morning Herald Alonso ready to end career at Ferrari

Newly-announced Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso said Thursday that he wants to end his career with the famous Italian team and emulate Michael Schumacher's achievements.
10/01/09
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The Independent Ferrari unveil 2010 Formula One car

Ferrari launched its car for the upcoming Formula One season today, naming it the F10 in hope of a return to the team's winning tradition.
01/28/10
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F1 Complete Italian GP Review: Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen: Position 3° Time 1:16.52.370 Gap +30.664 Laps 53 Chassis 279 Giancarlo Fisichella: Position 9° Time 1:17.48.562 Gap +86.856 Laps 53 Chassis 280
09/14/09
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guardian.co.uk Michael Schumacher returns to F1

• 'I cannot ignore this unfortunate situation,' says Schumacher• Seven-time champion will drive for Ferrari until Massa returnsSeven-time Formula One world champion Michael...
07/29/09
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guardian.co.uk

Fernando Alonso win delights Ferrari

• Spaniard leads Felipe Massa in team 1-2 on debut• Sebastian Vettel loses out to exhaust problemA sweeping one-two victory for the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the Bahrain grand prix could not obscure the overall dullness of a contest in which, for the first time since 1993, the drivers were not allowed to refuel their cars. A processional race was brought to life only when the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel, a convincing leader for the first hour, developed an exhaust problem which reduced the power from his engine, allowing the Italian cars to pass and relegating the young German driver to an eventual fourth place behind the McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.Even the new lightning-fast pit stops to change tyres failed to add to the excitement, partly because they were too brief to provoke much in the way of incident. Most of the drivers made only one mid-race stop and spent most of the time on their radios, talking to their race engineers about the best way to achieve a safe balance between tyre wear and fuel consumption.Add the unwelcome addition of fiddly new corners which turn the Sakhir circuit into a giant go-kart track and this was the recipe for an unsatisfactory start to the most eagerly anticipated season for years. Apart from the Scuderia Ferrari, overjoyed by their success after the travails of 2009, the team gaining most pleasure from their afternoon's work were probably Lotus, rewarded for their Malaysian-backed efforts to revive a famous name by having their two cars classified as finishers, albeit at the tail of the field in 15th and 17th places. The other new low-budget teams, Hispania and Virgin, saw their cars retire.For the McLarens, which finished third and seventh in the hands of Hamilton and Jenson Button, and the new Mercedes outfit, for which Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished fifth and sixth, there will be some head-scratching among the engineers after their failure to match the leaders' pace. Hamilton found encouragement in his podium place but Button was unable to get past Schumacher over the last 15 laps which he spent on the tail of the seven-times champion.Nothing, however, could dim the excitement in the Ferrari pit, where a new regime came under severe criticism after suffering disaster after disaster last season. Following the example set so successfully 12 months earlier by their former technical director Ross Brawn, they abandoned last year's hopeless car midway through the season and concentrated their efforts on preparing for 2010. Today their new F10 showed the kind of reliability that underpinned five of Schumacher's championships and enough speed to be in the right place when Vettel faltered and the Red Bull's 4sec cushion started to shrink.For Alonso, watched from the grandstand by the King of Spain, this was the best possible start to his career with his new team, making him the sixth driver – after Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Raikkonen – to win his maiden race for Ferrari. Starting from the third slot on the grid, behind Vettel and Massa, he slipped past his team-mate between turns one and two on the opening lap and was in position to take advantage of the pole man's misfortune with 15 laps to go."It's even more special because of the history of the team and the expectations of those who drive for this team," he declared, articulating a sentiment guaranteed to endear him to the numberless fans of the Scuderia around the world. "The guys here at the track and back at the factory in Maranello worked day and night to make this car and we've arrived here very well prepared."There was an extra surge of emotion inside and outside the cockpit of the second Ferrari as Massa crossed the line 16sec behind his team-mate on his return to racing after the accident that almost took his life in Hungary last July. "It's fantastic to be here," the little Brazilian said. "I didn't get a good start and lost a position to Fernando but the race was great and the car was perfect."The day's biggest disappointment was endured by Vettel, whose pole position had been achieved with a lap that won praise from his rivals. "It seems something broke," he said, "but luckily we could continue and finish fourth, but we should have won today. It was positive all weekend, except for the exhaust failure."What became clear today was that Formula One is the new Premier League, with a Big Four whose cars finished in the top eight positions followed by a group of worthy midfield runners (Force India, Renault, Williams and Sauber are the equivalents of Spurs, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton) and a sweaty bunch of relegation contenders. Despite spinning his Force India on the opening lap while blinded by a cloud of oil smoke from Mark Webber's Red Bull, Adrian Sutil looked the most likely to disturb the established order.The last time Ferrari opened a series with a 1-2 win was with Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in Australia in 2004, prefacing the most crushing of the German's championship seasons. Vettel will win races this season and so will Massa and Hamilton but the intelligent and consistent Alonso, with 25 points to his name under the new scoring system against Massa's 18 and Hamilton's 15, must be feeling optimistic about the prospect of a third title.Formula OneFerrariMotor sportRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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The Independent

Ferrari ready to unveil Alonso

As Ferrari plan to announce the signing of Fernando Alonso for 2010 very soon, their injured driver Felipe Massa is preparing to race again in a Brazilian karting event amid rumours that he might participate in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1 November.
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F1 Complete Italian Qualifying Review: Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen: 3rd 1.24.523 8 Laps Giancarlo Fisichella: 14th 1.23.901 9 Laps
09/12/09
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guardian.co.uk Felipe Massa on his near-fatal crash

Exclusive In his first interview since the accident that left him in a coma, the Ferrari driver insists he will return more determined than ever to win a world titleFelipe...
09/08/09
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guardian.co.uk Massa sets pace for Ferrari on return

• Massa led seven-car field at Valencia's Cheste circuit• Brazilian completed 32 laps and will test again tomorrowFelipe Massa returned to a competitive Formula One car...
02/01/10
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guardian.co.uk Ferrari hint at Schumacher return

• Luca di Montezemolo proposes three cars per team • Move could mean Schumacher returning next seasonLuca di Montezemolo, the Ferrari president, wants each Formula One team...
08/12/09
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F1-Live.com Ferrari to look at young drivers...

During an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali admitted it is Ferrari's fault it is currently effectively a one-car operation...
08/31/09
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cbc.ca Alonso wins GP opener as Ferrari goes...

Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain Grand Prix in his first race for Ferrari, leading a 1-2 for the Italian team at Formula One's season-opening race Sunday.
03/14/10
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The Independent

Ferrari get their man as Alonso finally joins Massa

Formula One's most open "secret" finally became common knowledge yesterday when Ferrari confirmed that Fernando Alonso is to take Kimi Raikkonen's place for the next three years.
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guardian.co.uk

Alonso signs Ferrari deal

• Kimi Raikkonen set to return to McLaren• Robert Kubica in position to replace Alonso at RenaultFormula One's worst-kept secret has finally been confirmed, with Fernando Alonso joining Ferrari from next year.The double world champion has signed a three-year deal and will partner Felipe Massa at the team, with Giancarlo Fisichella taking up the role of test and reserve driver.Kimi Raikkonen, who has spent the past three years at Ferrari, is expected to return to McLaren, with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica moving to Renault to fill the void created by Alonso's exit.It had long been speculated Alonso would sign for Ferrari, going as far back as the midway point of last year, with rumours gathering steam as this season progressed. Now the Spaniard will be hoping he has a genuine shot at becoming a three-time champion after winning his two titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006.Ferrari's team head Stefano Domenicali is delighted to have Alonso finally on board, but also paid tribute to Raikkonen. The Finn won the drivers' title in 2007, edging out Lewis Hamilton, as well as helping the team win the constructors' crown that year and again last season."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," said Domenicali. "Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari."In his first year with us he managed to win the drivers' title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari's history, and he played a vital role in our taking of the constructors' title in 2007 and 2008."Even during a difficult season like this one, he has demonstrated his great talent, with several good results, including a great win in Spa. We are sure we can share more good times together in the final three races of this season."FerrariMcLarenRenaultFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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F1 Complete Italian GP Preview: Ferrari

Maranello, 9th September - The final European event on the Formula 1 calendar is a very important one for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, it being the home race for the...
09/10/09
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F1-Live.com Alonso signs three-year Ferrari deal

Today Ferrari has announced a three-year deal starting next season with 2005 and 2006 World Champion Fernando Alonso...  
09/30/09
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F1 Complete Massa: "Alonso must earn status at...

Nov.12 (GMM) Felipe Massa insists he is not worried that Fernando Alonso is set to arrive at Ferrari and assume a Michael Schumacher-style 'number 1' role.
11/12/09
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B.B.C. NEWS Alonso 'will switch to Ferrari'

Fernando Alonso will move from Renault to Ferrari next year and spark a cascade of other driver changes, according to McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
08/21/09
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F1-Live.com Ferrari keen to test Massa, seeking...

Ferrari will soon try again to gain an exemption from the in-season testing ban, this time for Felipe Massa...  
09/10/09
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Los Angeles Times Felipe Massa's injuries may get...

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One champion, might come out of retirement to drive again for Ferrari in place of Massa, who was seriously hurt in a freak accident Saturday. ...
07/29/09
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