This year Ferrari with the duo Charles Leclerc-F1-75 seems to finally have the chance to fight to bring back to Maranello that world title that has been missing from the now very distant 2007. The Monegasque driver has won two of the first five races of the season and, despite the growth of Red Bull, he currently leads the world championship with a 19-point margin over reigning champion Max Verstappen. In a crowded calendar of 22 events, the road to achieving the goal is still long, but the hope of the native of the Principality is to be able to extend his dream until the last GP of the season. The last one who managed to play for a championship in a red suit in the final race of the season, albeit losing, was Fernando Alonso.
The Asturian, who drove for the Cavallino from 2010 to 2014, saw his world champion dream vanish twice, one step away from the finish line: in 2010 and 2012. Two bitter and bitter defeats, even if you both got behind the wheel of a decidedly less performing car than the Red Bull that later became champion with Sebastian Vettel. Much has been said and written about the relationship between the Spaniard and Ferrari, between memorable feats and hard disagreements between the parties. Interviewed by BBC, Alonso retraced those seasons, also explaining his own decision to leave the team two years before the end of the contract. A choice that led him to embrace the very unfortunate adventure with McLaren, who had just switched to Honda engines.
“The years in Ferrari have been very demanding – recognized Alonso – we got close a couple of times [a vincere il titolo] and the missed opportunities have been very heavy for everyone. The atmosphere within the team was not happy enough at a certain point. [Per questo] I decided to terminate the relationship with Ferrari, even though I had another two years on my contract. Because it was best for both sides“. However, to those who accuse him of having given up better placings in the drivers’ championship than those obtained with the Woking team, the Oviedo bi-champion has the answer ready: “If you do something in a moment of life it is because you feel it is right. Thanks to that decision, other opportunities have come“.
“If I had stayed longer in different teams I don’t think I could have had a chance to win anyway – finally added Alonso – because the sport was clearly dominated by only one team“. The reference is clearly to the Mercedes silver arrows, with which Alonso revealed that he had never negotiated for a transfer: “I didn’t have a chance to go to that team. I’ve never talked to Mercedes. So apart from that, finishing second in a red or orange or blue car doesn’t change much. You are still second“.
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