Gerhard Berger: « Alonso at Ferrari in 2010 »

Gerhard Berger, the former co-owner of Toro Rosso, revealed that Alonso would very likely drive for Ferrari in 2010. The Austrian admits having tried to convince the Spanish driver to join Toro Rosso a year ago to replace Vettel, but the offer was politely declined by the double world champion.

The news, however, comes from the fact that Alonso has been very clear in considering 2009 as a transitional year!

In an interview given to Sport Bild, Berger seemed to have no doubt; according to him, Alonso had already planned his 2010 season and nothing could have changed since then.

« Now I can say it: he was interested, but he made it clear that he saw 2009 only as a transition year because he already knew what he would do in 2010. It will surely be Ferrari. »

Although Alonso extended his contract with Renault for two more years at the end of 2008, he was strongly linked to a move to Ferrari in the following months. Since neither party confirmed nor denied these rumors, Alonso was eventually seen in red in 2011.

However, with the disenchantment experienced by Ferrari at the start of this season, Alonso would probably be called to Maranello sooner than expected. If such an outcome were to occur as early as 2010, it is likely that he would take the place of Räikkönen, who has been disappointing since mid-2008 and has already announced his intention to leave F1 in the short term.

Moreover, in a survey conducted by the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport among Scuderia fans, Fernando Alonso was chosen as the favorite driver, far ahead of Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa.