Ferrari

I recently assessed Fernando Alonso’s season so far at the halfway point of the 2013 season, and my conclusion was that he was my driver of the year to date.

That was before another stellar drive in Belgium that saw him finish second behind you know who. His drive went some way to reinforcing my opinion, and that of many others, that Alonso is arguably the most complete driver on the grid and very close to the best he can be.

It may be a long seven years since Alonso clinched his second consecutive drivers’ title but there are many factors as to why he hasn’t reached the magic three titles that would elevate him to the godlike status of the Alain Prosts, Ayrton Sennas and Michael Schumachers of the sport.

The best drivers don’t always win

Even the greatest drivers in the world need a bit of help from their machinery. Remember when Schumacher first moved to Ferrari in 1996? He had to endure watching the likes of Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve coasting to world titles while he struggled with a dog of a car.

Okay, so Alonso’s Ferrari isn’t quite as much of a handful as Schumacher’s early steeds, but it is clear that Adrian Newey’s Red Bull is the class of the field and has been for the past three seasons.

Yet Alonso has still found a way to win, as he did brilliantly in China and Spain and to collect points consistently to stay in the title hunt.

Consistency is king

What really sets Alonso apart from the rest of the field is his consistency and race strategy.

China and Spain proved that he’s almost Prost-like in his planning and execution of when to time his pit stops and when to put the hammer down to dial in quick laps. But he’s also an incredibly patient driver when he knows the car doesn’t have the pace to win.

Bahrain saw his race ruined by a stuck-open rear wing that he had to pit twice to remedy, but he still managed to collect points. Likewise Monaco, when he admitted afterward that he just wanted to steer clear of incident in order to maximise his points chances as highlighted by his post-race comments on Autosport:

As for what Sergio did, I don't have much to say. His approach reminds me of my own in 2008 and 2009, because when you are not fighting for the championship, you can take more risks, while for me today, it was important to finish the race and bring home as many points as possible. That approach has allowed me to close a bit on Kimi in the classification and even if the gap to Vettel has grown a bit, we know that sooner or later, an opportunity will come to close up on him too.

Only in Malaysia was he unable to finish after possibly his only mistake of the season saw him touch the back of Vettel’s Red Bull. Two wins, three second places and a third-place finish is the most Alonso has been able to muster in terms of podium finishes, but that’s not bad from 12 races considering the Ferrari is thought to be slower than both Red Bull and Mercedes and comparable to Lotus.

Just look at what teammate Felipe Massa has been able to get out of his car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhPO2vnGQ9A

He’s a more mature person

Many of Alonso’s post-race press conferences this season have highlighted how pragmatic he has become, and this has come from years of experience.

He now talks about “maximising points-scoring chances,” “keeping out of trouble” and “staying in the title race." Gone are the days of blaming others or losing his cool, as he often did during his turbulent 2007 season against Lewis Hamilton.

Many interpret Alonso’s demeanour as arrogant, but the same was levelled at Senna and Schumacher before him.

Although he may not join Senna and Schumacher as a three-time world champion this year, a third title will surely come. And secretly Alonso knows this.

Changing drivers in a haste is not the Ferrari way.

The reality is, however, that one seat is very much up for grabs at the moment, possibly both if you like to analyse the dynamic between lead driver Fernando Alonso and team boss Luca di Montezemolo. 

Just to be clear: Ferrari would be out of its mind to let Alonso go. The bosses know it, the engineers know it, the fans know it and Alonso himself knows it.

All signs point to a renewed push for 2014, which, given the change in regulations, could swing the Formula One pendulum back toward Maranello.

To nip this one in the bud quickly, what chance of a Kimi Raikkonen return? Never say never in F1, but don’t count on it. His relationship with Di Montezemolo is tumultuous at best; a consequence of a difficult falling-out after the Finn’s underwhelming two seasons after winning the world title.

By definition, therefore, there is one seat to fill. The spot most drivers fear filling—Alonso's teammate. 

The Scuderia has two legitimate options: go with what it has, or bring someone else in. The shortlist for the latter isn’t large, though. In fact, you’d suggest there’s only one standout candidate. But first…

Stick…?

The sentimental argument against ousting Felipe Massa is that the man has bounced back from a career-threatening injury in 2009 and came within a whisker of winning the 2008 world championship for Ferrari.

Unfortunately for him, the Italian squad is hardly a place for sentimentality. Just ask 2009 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, or perennial No. 2 driver Rubens Barrichello.

What would be the strength in retaining Massa? He is, usually, a safe bet for points, albeit not nearly enough in recent seasons to contribute to a significant Constructors’ title push. But as he proved in Spain, if it all comes together he is still more than capable of netting a podium finish.

Therein lies his key weakness—he’s maddeningly inconsistent and more than ever is prone to psychological defeats; just look PlanetF1.com's report of how he described his poor run of form as “like a movie.”

That’s rubbish; the only person writing that movie script is the Brazilian. He looked like he’d turned a corner at the end of the last year and started this season on a high, out-qualifying Alonso in Australia and Malaysia.

Last year should have been Felipe's wake-up call. He was under serious review at the end of the year and almost lost his seat then.

He’s fallen in line and accepted his No. 2 role with little alternative, but he’s not performing sufficiently well enough to justify the patience Di Montezemolo and Co. are investing. The silly errors have crept in, and there’s no better time for Ferrari to replace him.

…Or Twist?

That’s because leading F1 teams have committed a cardinal sin in not snapping up Nico Hulkenberg. If justice existed in motorsport, either the German or then-Force India teammate Paul di Resta would have landed the McLaren driver alongside Jenson Button.

That’s not to deride Sergio Perez in any way—I am a firm believer in the Mexican’s Grand Prix-winning potential—but it’s just a marker of how highly related Hulkenberg and Di Resta are.

Hulkenberg—whose future this very website explored last week—has more than paid his dues in F1. He impressed at Williams and even took the bold step of taking a test driver role when the competitive midfield seats were filled in 2011.

Returning last season, he excelled and put Di Resta in the shade in the second half of the year. With a bit less exuberance in Brazil, might he even be a Grand Prix winner already?

That’s a potential sticking point: Is the German too good? Would he challenge Alonso too much? The Spaniard tends to dislike fast, young drivers…

There’s no obvious route to any seat, unless family money is lining the pockets of the team owners. But Sauber hierarchy have already indicated they will not stand in Hulkenberg’s way should he wish to leave after just one year with the team.

Ferrari have also been previously tempted by a much-less experienced Hulkenberg before, as GPToday reported at the time. Will their choice be between Di Resta and Hulkenberg again?

The problem for the Scot is he needs an outstanding third year at Force India. It looked like that might well happen after the start to the campaign, but circumstances outside his control have conspired to limiting him to points finishes and nothing more.

And, in a straight fight between the two, Hulkenberg would probably edge it.

You can rule out protege Jules Bianchi, as his inexperience makes him a gamble not worth taking. But, he can act as an excellent bargaining chip.

Here lies a potential compromise, and one well worth exploring. Should Ferrari go with Hulkenberg, they could then offer the Swiss team—with which the Scuderia has always enjoyed fantastic relations, as the cars are Ferrari-powered, was the proving ground for a young Felipe Massa, and acts almost as a satellite outfit—some kind of subsidised deal for Jules Bianchi.

The young Frenchman deserves a shot at a midfield team, would arrive with far greater readiness then Esteban Gutierrez did this year and is a far, far more promising bet than an early arrival for Sergey Sirotkin.

It’s also a fantastic opportunity for Ferrari to keep moulding him into a well-rounded Formula 1 driver and also gain a serious asset in Hulkenberg.

Is Switching A Gamble?

Yes, but not in the way Perez was/remains at McLaren, because Hulkenberg is more a proven quantity.

Any team that brings in a new driver over a trusted pair of hands is gambling, because it can always backfire. 

Ferrari stands more to lose because of its history and, of course, its title ambitions. Look at the ill-fated 2009 Ferrari career of Giancarlo Fisichella, who could not pass up the opportunity to drive for the Scuderia in Massa's absence and could not adapt to the car.

Hulkenberg would have a full preseason to acclimatise, though, and wouldn't be driving another car regularly for nine months before making the switch immediately.

All manner of logic aside, common sense dictates Hulkenberg would be a fantastic addition to the Ferrari team.

Act now, and not only do they trump their rivals and secure a talented drier, but they solve another potential problem.

Hulkenberg can afford to spend two years serving almost as an apprentice to Alonso.

He most certainly will not see it like that, but he would then be perfectly placed to lead the team after the Spaniard leaves.

Felipe is a nice guy and a good driver. But there is better out there.

And Ferrari need to sign him from Sauber.

I said at the beginning of the week that I firmly believe Fernando Alonso should persevere with Ferrari amidst speculation by David Cass of the Daily Mail that he is angling for a move to Red Bull for 2014.

Whilst it’s clear that discussions have been had and Alonso is frustrated with the pace of his car, he must remain patient in his quest for further titles just as Michael Schumacher remained patient when he made the move from Benetton to Ferrari as a double world champion in 1996.

It’s clear that Alonso is one of the best drivers on the grid, and I actually think he is the most complete driver of them all. How he almost won the championship in 2012 in a clearly inferior car to the Red Bull was staggering, and this season has done nothing to change my mind that the man is a genius. Let’s look back on his 2013 season to date.

Australia was to set a blueprint for the season as Alonso wrung the neck of his Ferrari to line up P5 on the grid. A fast start saw the Spaniard charge to third off the grid, and he emerged as the race leader after the second of his three stops, leapfrogging Sebastian Vettel. The problem was that Kimi Raikkonen’s two-stopper proved the winning way, but it was a good start nonetheless.

Alonso’s strong start looked set to continue in Malaysia. But in attacking Vettel from P3 on the grid, the pair touched. Quickly, the Ferrari lost its front wing on the main straight before sliding off into the gravel.

Chinese take-away

His disappointment would be short lived as Alonso provided a driving masterclass in China that highlighted him as a strategist very much in the mold of Alain Prost. A fast start from third on the grid saw Alonso sweep past Raikkonen into second and four laps later past Lewis Hamilton and into the lead.

Alonso timed his first stop on lap six perfectly, and despite dropping to tenth made the places back with well executed passes as teammate Felipe Massa suffered after staying out a lap longer.

From then on, it was a case of nursing his tyres for long enough which he managed for longer than his rivals on his second and third stops to have enough in the bank for his final stop. A ten second margin of victory on one of the toughest tests of tyres so far this season proved Alonso as not only a silky smooth driver but also a master tactician. As his post race interview with BBC Sport showed, his first win of the season meant a lot.

Reigning in Spain

It made him race favourite for the grip-less Bahrain, but from another strong third on the grid, his race was scuppered by a DRS problem that relegated him to the back of the field as he twice pitted in an attempt to get his stuck open rear wing fixed.

An eighth place finish was again testimony to his fighting qualities and excellent temperament in the face of adversity. In Spain, it all came together again as buoyed by a partisan home crowd Alonso produced a memorable victory, winning by nine seconds in a race again dominated by tyre conservation and sound strategy. Talking to BBC Sport after the race, Alonso could barely contain his joy at one of his finest career victories.

Alonso bemoaned a lack of pace in Monaco but also admitted he wanted to steer clear of incidents around the tight confines in order to maximise his points chances, but he was back on the pace in Canada, a fine second place finish from sixth on the grid meaning he stayed in touch with Vettel, albeit 36 points behind.

Third at Silverstone was thanks largely to the retirements of Hamilton and Vettel, but more importantly was the fact that Alonso’s lightning fast reactions allowed him to come away unscathed when Sergio Perez’s right rear tyre exploded in front of his Ferrari sending rubber and metal inches away from his cockpit.

Fourth and fifth place finishes in Germany and Hungary respectively means that Alonso is third in the standings, a point behind second placed Kimi Raikkonen. That the Spaniard is showing signs of discontent at being 39 points behind Vettel with half the season remaining having wrestled every bit out of his Ferrari shows exactly how much he wants it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKBGDSERlY

Whether or not he wants it with Ferrari is a different matter, and although I don’t see him doing it this year, he must surely stay put and join the three-time greats wearing those famous red overalls.

Fernando’s midseason marks:

Temperament: 9/10

Qualifying: 7/10

Race craft: 9/10

Summary: My driver of the year so far. That he’s been so good in such a car and is still frustrated must be frightening for the competition.

What do Fernando Alonso and Cesc Fabregas have in common? Aside from the fact they’re both Spanish and two of the best in the world at their respective sports, both men have recently been linked with moves from one big team to another.

And although it’s certainly true that their respective agents for Ferrari and Barcelona FC have been in discussions with Red Bull Racing and Manchester United respectively, I expect both to stay put.

The rumours coming out of the Hungarian Grand Prix paddock were that Alonso was unhappy at Ferrari. When asked what he would like for his birthday, Alonso is thought to have replied ‘someone else’s car’. But whilst Alonso may be dissatisfied with his car’s current pace relative to Red Bull and Mercedes in particular, there are several reasons why I just don’t see this move happening.

1. Winning for Ferrari is special

Alonso joined Ferrari in 2008 with the goal of adding to his tally of two world championship titles for the biggest team in motorsport. Think Ferrari and you think of Formula One. The famous Prancing Horse is an emblem of the highest form of motorsport and Alonso won’t want to leave the team until he has achieved the goal of joining the list of great Ferrari champions from Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio to Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher. It took Schumacher five years to achieve his goal of a first title with Ferrari since joining from Benetton as a double world champion in 1996. He went on to win four more.

2. He has a contract until 2016

When asked about Alonso’s situation by BBC Sport in Hungary, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali was adamant his man was firmly tied into a deal with no get-out clauses. "Fernando is an asset for the team. First of all, we have a contract with him and for sure everyone knows about it." The cost of Red Bull extracting Alonso from Ferrari would simply be too high even for a man like Dietrich Mateschitz. Ferrari also signalled their intent to Alonso that they will deliver the fast car he craves by signing highly former Lotus technical director James Allison who worked with Alonso at Renault in 2005 and 2006.

3. Vettel and Alonso would not work

Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad said he did met with Red Bull boss Christina Horner on Friday but it was to discuss Red Bull junior driver Carlos Sainz. And whilst Horner admitted conversations had taken place about driver options for 2014, it is unlikely the Red Bull boss would pair two such big personalities together. History has proven that it’s not such a wise move, just look at Alain Prost v Ayrton Senna and more recently Alonso v Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. Horner may also have learned some valuable lessons from the fractuous relationship between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Like Schumacher before him, Alonso is the undisputed number one at Ferrari and the team works around him. It wouldn’t be the case at Red Bull and Vettel has already expressed a preference for his friend Kimi Raikkonen in an interview with BBC Sport. Whilst undoubtedly quick and a former world champion himself, Raikkonen is a far more relaxed personality, so laid back he even sleeps right before races. It seems an easier fit, as does other option Daniel Ricciardo.

"I'd prefer Kimi. I have to be careful now, nothing against Fernando. I really respect him a lot as a driver. I respect Kimi on track and off track because he has always been really straight with me. From that point of view, it might be a bit easier."

It all points out to Alonso staying put at Ferrari in 2014. Beyond then, who knows but Alonso should be wearing red again next season and Fabregas probably won’t be but that’s a story for another section.

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No driver in the history of Formula One can come as close to winning the world drivers’ title without actually doing it as Felipe Massa.

Rewind almost five years to the final round of the title decider in Sao Paulo and Massa had tears in his eyes, celebrating becoming a world champion on his home soil. In the pitlane, his father was also crying tears of joy, tears that would become those of despair just seconds later as Lewis Hamilton past Timo Glock’s struggling Toyota on the final corner of the final lap to snatch ultimate glory from his grasp.

Fast-forward back to today and Massa is a man under pressure. Serious pressure. Yes he is team-mate to Fernando Alonso and the Scuderia has clearly put all of its eggs into the Alonso basket but seventh in the drivers’ standings with a paltry 61 points is an extremely poor return for a man who could have been world champion. It’s little wonder many see it as a matter of time before Ferrari pull the plug.

Massa’s 2013 season didn’t actually get off to a bad start in Australia. He outqualified Alonso to start fourth on the grid ahead of his team-mate and actually led the pursuit of Sebastian Vettel in the opening stint.

But he vented his frustration after the race when team strategy brought in Alonso for fresh rubber earlier on the second stop, allowing the Spaniard to come out ahead of Vettel and Massa, who was not a happy bunny afterwards when interviewed by Sky Sports F1.

No, I'm not pleased. When you are there fighting with a car and I was second and close to Sebastian and then suddenly a car behind stops ... he [Alonso] stopped pretty early to be honest - it was a risk, but it worked.

Spurred on by this sense of injustice, Massa qualified on the front row in Malaysia alongside pole sitter Vettel, with Alonso a place behind. But he bemoaned high graining on his intermediate tyres en route to a fifth place finish after Alonso crashed out in the opening lap.

Sadly for Massa, the promise of the first two races soon became a distant memory and he would not finish ahead of his teammate again in the opening half of the season.

Massa again put his sixth place finish in China down to excessive graining on the front tyres as his team-mate took the race victory.

Nonetheless, he enjoyed arguably his best race of the season in Spain, storming to his one and only podium so far having been demoted three places to 9th on the grid for blocking Mark Webber in qualifying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AYKiNFPmu4

Monaco proved an unmitigated disaster. A gearbox replacement meant he sat out the entire qualifying session and so had to start from the back before suffering a big crash during the race, hitting the wall at the Ste Devote corner which led to a hospital check up.

The accident may well have affected Massa.

Back in 2009, the likable Brazilian came close to losing his life after a suspension spring from countryman Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn smashed into his helmet at full speed forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. That he made it back to such a high level of racing at all is testimony to his strength of character and racing spirit but it is bound to have had an effect.

He was fit to race in Canada but again seemed all at sea, qualifying 16th and finishing eighth. He was slightly better in Britain, finishing sixth from his starting place of 11th but Germany was another day to forget as the Brazilian spun into retirement on the third lap.

Eighth in Hungary means that Massa is now well and truly out of the running. But more worryingly for him will be all the talk in the paddock surrounding his future within the team.

Felipe’s mid-season marks:

Temperament: 6/10

Qualifying: 6/10

Race craft: 6/10

Summary: Must buck up his ideas or he’ll be out.

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Ferrari confirmed today that former Lotus technical director James Allison will join forces with the Prancing Horse later this year.

It’s a clear statement of intent from Ferrari that they feel they need to add further strength in depth to tackle the might of Red Bull and Mercedes during the latter part of the season, but, more importantly, for the long term.

But the announcement surely has further reaching implications, notably in reassuring Fernando Alonso that he should stick with the Maranello based outfit in his quest to join Sebastian Vettel as a three-time world champion and not join forces with him at Red Bull. It emerged in the Budapest paddock over the weekend that Red Bull was considering Alonso as a potential teammate for Sebastian Vettel for the 2014 season and that a secret conversation took place between Alonso’s manager and Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Whilst Alonso is thought to be contractually tied to Ferrari until 2016, Horner indirectly admitted that he was looking at the Spaniard’s availability.

Of course there have been quite a few drivers who have expressed an interest in the seat, as you can imagine. Is he available? I don't know. You ask him.

Any conversations between any of the parties are always going to remain confidential. Last week, there was speculation about Kimi. This week, it's about Fernando. We’ve started to get a clearer picture but then other options pop up. We have a great deal of interest in the seat and we just want to make sure we get it right.

Alonso distanced himself from Red Bull talks by insisting he was happy at Ferrari, whilst team boss Stefano Domenicali also assured his man was still under contract.

But the announcement of Allison seems to be a well timed move by Ferrari. Allison is one of the most highly rated designers in the F1 paddock, and he has helped propel Eric Boullier’s former Renault outfit from podium hopefuls to race winners with Lotus, thanks also to a certain Kimi Raikkonen, another driver strongly linked to the second Red Bull seat.

And it still appears as though Raikkonen is still favourite for the role, especially if history is anything to go by. Horner has struggled to keep Vettel and Webber happy during what has been a fractuous relationship, and it seems unlikely that Red Bull would want another strong personality on the team and another driver who would clearly not want to settle for second best. Pairing Alonso with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007 is an example of what could happen again, and Vettel himself is clear whom he would rather team up with.

I’d prefer Kimi. I need to be careful now. Nothing against Fernando, I respect him a lot as a driver but I think I respect Kimi on track and off track because he’s always been very straight with me and from that point of view it might be a bit easier.

So the Allison announcement just may be enough to sway the balance in Domenicali’s favour. We all know what brilliance in the technical direction of an F1 racing team can lead to. You need look no further than Red Bull for the answer.

One of the real highlights for me from Sunday's opening Grand Prix of the season was the drive of Felipe Massa, who backed up the gradual improvement towards the back end of last season with a very good drive in Australia.

Had circumstances worked out in the Brazilian's favour, then he may well have found himself on the podium alongside his teammate Fernando Alonso.

All the signs point towards the potential for an excellent season for Ferrari. For the first time since Fernando Alonso has been at the team, it looks like they have managed to build a very competitive car from the beginning of the season.

The positive performance of Massa in the first race should fill Alonso and the Ferrari team with great confidence. For the first time in four years, they look as though they could challenge for both the Constructors title aswell as the Driver's crown.

Everybody knows that Alonso will be near the top of the standings at the end of the season and if Massa can continue to pick up consistently strong points, there is absolutely no reason at all why Ferrari can't claim their first Constructors title since 2008.

If Massa is picking up points, it will also help the individual challenge of Alonso. Only on very rare occasions will the Brazilian finish ahead of the Spaniard, both in terms of talent and team orders, but the more points he is accumulating himself, he is then taking off one of Alonso's rivals.

After Sunday's race and Kimi Raikonnen's victory, it is looking like it could be one of the most open seasons in Formula One history, with any one of ten drivers capable of taking Grand Prix victories. With that in mind, it could well be the strongest driving partnership that decides the destiny of both titles.

Lotus may have taken much of the plaudits after Sunday's race but Ferrari are looking ominous.