SEPTEMBER 20, 2007

Alonso to Renault? Why not Ferrari?

There is no doubt that part of the negotiation going on at Spa last weekend was to find a way for Fernando Alonso to get out of his McLaren contract. Our spies suggest that while everyone seems to think that Fernando will wash up at Renault, it is much more likely that he will be popping up as Kimi Raikkonen's team-mate at Ferrari. The Italian team would obviously have to pay a considerable sum of money in order to achieve that goal but no doubt that money could be used by McLaren to find a replacement and perhaps even to pay its fine.

Alonso was busy doing the rounds in Spa and was spotted at Red Bull Racing, which can only be seen as a courtesy call, rather than something serious. At the same time the sharp-eyed observers will have seen Felipe Massa visiting Toyota.

We also hear that a group of Ferrari owners recently visited the factory in Italy and were told by a senior Ferrari man that there was a possibility that Alonso would drive for Ferrari next season and that the team was working on a deal.

All this would involve Massa moving on to become number one at Toyota, which would be a lucrative move but might not help his career as a Grand Prix winner. It would also create some interesting dynamics in the Todt Family.

Massa is managed by Nicolas Todt - Jean's son - and he may not be happy to see his charge being booted out of Maranello. This might perhaps explain the fact that another Todt Jr protege - Luca Filippi - is now being mentioned as a possible Ferrari test driver next year.