Fernando Alonso will this week be confirmed as a Ferrari driver for 2010 and beyond, according to reports.
Auto Motor und Sport claims the deal will be announced by the Italian team on Thursday at the Suzuka circuit in Japan.
“It is a possibility, but it is not guaranteed,” team boss Stefano Domenicali was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph in Britain, when asked if Ferrari’s next driver line-up will be known in Japan.
Alonso’s move from Renault to Ferrari is a matter of when and not a matter of if it will happen. It is believed that Alonso could earn up to a total of 150million Euros throughout his stay at Ferrari. His contract runs for three years with an option for a further two years extension. It is believed that Fernando will earn upwards of 25million Euros a year at Ferrari.
Besides that, Fernando Alonso is also expected to take along with him some of his preferred engineers from Renault.
Auto Motor und Sport also said that lawyers were working hard in Singapore last weekend on the finer details of Kimi Raikkonen’s release from his 2010 contract.
The Finn will reportedly return to his team of 2002-2006, with McLaren and Ferrari’s mutual sponsor Santander involved in the financial details of the move. There’s a strong rumour going around suggesting Santander will pay Mclaren 25million Euros to provide Raikkonen with a racing seat for next season.
Team boss Martin Whitmarsh was giving little away on Sunday, but he did admit that it is his job to field the best drivers possible, while admitting he has been disappointed with Heikki Kovalainen. “We regard Kimi to be one of the biggest talents in the sport,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
It is believed that Hamilton is not keen on the prospect of teaming up with Raikkonen. “At the moment I’m very happy with how things are in the team but we have to see what happens,” he said.
With two world champions in the two Mclarens, we could see a repeat of the Senna-Prost era. We look forward to next season.
E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM via F1-Live
