For me its a difficult spat to judge this Alonso, Ferrari fall out. Ferrari drivers are asked to put the team before their own demands and we've seen drivers let go before once they have said something negative about the team. Prost did it 20 odd years ago and was sacked before the end of the season we should remember.
That said, I do think this team policy ethic is flawed and rather hypocritical. Ferrari's press releases in recent years have provided much comical entertainment and Luca has never shied away from publicly stating what he really thinks. In this instance Ferrari are insinuating Alonso has been unprofessional in hinting he feels the team need to improve and its put across like he has broken a cardinal rule. If only Luca and the Maranello press office were quite so willing to practice what they preach I hear people say. A struggling Massa felt the brunt of the teams PR when they publicly criticised his performances on their website and Italian media. Not exactly a proactive approach to improving the morale of a struggling driver and in their own words here 'unprofessional' to state such things.
Racing drivers are egotistical and almost self absorbed characters. They want to win for the team but first and foremost they want to win for themselves. Fernando is experiencing his 4th season now with a team who have promised him the earth but delivered nothing in the way of a championship. For a team of their calibre it simply isn't good enough. Alonso is naturally frustrated and may have been a little naive in stating his feelings. He has done this many times in the past of course with his previous employers. For me he is the most complete driver on the grid and you give him a car good enough and he'll deliver. I think Ferrari would be silly to let him go over a few silly comments, but there is part of me that would love to see the inner challenge at Red Bull should he end up there. I really do feel Fernando holds the cards on this one and Ferrari are simply being far too defensive and are in danger of pushing him away, rather than applying this energy into tackling the real performance related problem.
Written by a Hamilton fan
