Montezemolo defends Alonso's devotion to Ferrari
Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has defended Fernando Alonso over claims from its current bosses that the Spaniard was never as big a team player as Sebastian Vettel.
Montezemolo's replacement Sergio Marchionne told Italian media during his regular Christmas press conference earlier this week that Vettel was more entrenched at Ferrari than Alonso ever was.
"At the beginning of his adventure in Maranello, Vettel was already more a 'Ferrarista' than Alonso was after five years with the team," said Marchionne.
"He is a great boost for us. At the Christmas dinner with the team, he spoke in Italian – after having prepared his speech and learned it almost by heart.
"He has joined Ferrari immediately with the right mindset."
Speaking at the Autosprint Golden Helmets Award on Tuesday night, di Montezemolo suggested that such comments were unfair, because they did not take into account the challenges that Alonso faced when at Maranello.
"Alonso would have been more [a Ferrarista] if Ferrari, in 2010, had won a world championship that was easier to win than to lose," said di Montezemolo.
"And if in the last race of the season you lose the world championship twice, these things need to be understood."
Vettel a star
Despite remaining loyal to Alonso, di Montezemolo has also high praise for what Vettel has achieved at the team since his arrival.
"He is certainly a guy who has shown great ability to work for the team," he said. "I think it is crucial for the growth of the team, of its morale and its unity.
"But he needs to not do it with words, but with facts, like Michael [Schumacher]."
Additional reporting by Franco Nugnes
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Fernando Alonso Spotted Driving His $5.9 Million Lamborghini Hypercar Through Monaco
Fernando Alonso: F1 Hungarian GP an "important" lift for Aston Martin
The expectation on Aston Martin's shoulders as it prepares to debut its Hungarian GP updates
McLaren trying to understand Ferrari's 'inspirational' upgrade volume
Otmar Szafnauer tells Ferrari to 'leave Charles Leclerc alone' amid Lewis Hamilton battle
Why Charles Leclerc’s battle of the brakes has left him trailing Lewis Hamilton
Mika Hakkinen reveals why McLaren rivalry with David Coulthard never boiled over
Sebastien Buemi to leave Formula E after 12 seasons
Cadillac claims Rafael Camara 2027 rumour is “unsubstantiated”, yet admits “things can change”
What’s behind Cadillac’s shock F1 team principal change – and why it happened now
Top 10 rookie seasons in F1
Why F1 shouldn’t be hiding its most interesting characters
100 not out: Alex Albon on Williams’s desire to atone for its 2026 struggles
Why it will “take years” for Cadillac to reach the level F1 rivals are operating at
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments