Ferrari Says Alonso and Raikkonen Will Not Clash

Since the days of Enzo FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
5131 photos
37 videos
, the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team has been run with the concept that there would be preferred driver and a secondary driver, but the signing of Kimi Raikkonen to the team for next season shows for the first time that things may be changing. For the first time, Ferrari will have two drivers who are roughly equals.

Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali does not completely agree that picking up Raikkonen is such a major change in philosophy for the team.

“All drivers who work for Ferrari know that the interests of the team are the priority. It’s normal that each driver wants to do the best for himself, because it is in the nature of all drivers to want to beat everyone. That has been the way we have always operated and it will continue like this in the future,” said Domenicali.

The one advantage that the team has is that both men have experience with the team. Alonso has obviously been racing with Ferrari for several years, and Raikkonen raced with the team from 2007 to 2009.

Alonso claims that Raikkonen will not change his role at the team.

“I was always informed about the team’s movements, even at a time when the decision had not yet been taken.

However, once they decided not to keep Felipe, they asked me what I thought and I told them that in my opinion, Kimi was the best out there in the market, especially when next year’s championship will see many changes and will require a lot of car development work in January and February. I told the team it was important therefore to have a team-mate with a lot of Formula 1 experience,” said Alonso.

Alonso says his job at the team does not change whomever his teammate is. He will continue to try to finish in the highest place that he can and push the team to create the best car that it can.

“Having two champions will make no difference. Even when I came here, people said that it would be a difficult relationship with Felipe who had been here for many years. After four years together, I can say he is one of the best friends I have here,” said Alonso.

Massa has not yet decided what he will do next season. There are seats available at F1, especially Raikkonen’s now-vacant seat at LotusLotusUnited Kingdom, 1952 > present68 models
951 photos
7 videos
, or he could go to another series. He says that he is talking to F1 teams about a drive next season. Massa also spoke about the new driver pairing.

“As for Fernando and Kimi, they are both great drivers and I know both of them very well. With the two of them, Ferrari has a top quality driver pairing. They are very different in terms of personality, as am I, because we all have our own character and I hope it all works out well for both of them and the team,” said Massa.