Alonso signs agreement with Ferrari from 2011

A four-season deal until 2014 will begin as soon as Raikkonen's contract expires, but if Kimi doesn't improve it could start even sooner.MILAN, 28 December 2008 - "I have a clear objective for 2009: I want to be World Champion again. There's no reason for Renault to work as hard as they are doing other than to aim for the 2009 title." Fernando Alonso has very clear objectives for the coming season, which opens in Australia on 29 March. In the meantime, awaiting the new car which Renault will unveil in Portimao, Portugal on 19 January, he is relaxing and preparing himself physically.
CONGRATULATIONS - Flavio Briatore continues to praise his abilities. "Alonso makes far fewer errors than Schumacher used to. The more pressure he's under the better he responds. Schumacher never dealt with pressure as well as he does." Certainly, on January 19 Alonso will repeat that Renault are offering him every assistance and that he means to stay where he is provided the cars continue to be competitive. But his contract remains renewable annually, and it is all too clear that his next step is likely to be a move to Ferrari. But when? Montezemolo was spoke to journalists at a Christmas dinner: "We have Massa and Raikkonen under contract for the next two years, then after that we'll have to see. Alonso is a great driver but who knows what the future may bring. He's still young...".
VAGUE - For his part, the twice World Champion, when asked about a possible future with Ferrari, replied: "I don't want to think about any options for 2010 because I'm fully focused on the objective of the 2009 World Championships." Neither party issued denials, but it's clear that a written agreement has existed between Ferrari and Alonso for some time, which spans for as much as four years. The agreement is full of get-out clauses (Ferrari want to be certain that Alonso doesn't decline before it starts, and he wants the same guarantee of the team's standards) but the deal should run from 2011 to 2014, with the final year as an option only.
EARLY START - But as Fernando implied the deal could come into operation earlier. Both Montezemolo and Domenicali feel that if Raikkonen continues to perform as he did in 2008 his position would be unsustainable, so Kimi must be at his best. The fact that an engineer like Andrea Stella - to whom he has always been close - has been placed alongside him demonstrates the extent to which his recovery is important to the whole team. Now it's down to Kimi: otherwise his contract may be terminated early so as to bring forward Alonso's arrival to 2010.
TEAM-MATES - Currently Felipe Massa is secure in his place after an excellent year which helped put an end to the doubts and perplexity of the past. The Brazilian has overtaken Raikkonen, and since Massa continues to improve he need have no fears about his position. Instead one might take a guess about who could potentially act as a support to Alonso at Maranello from 2011. The list is long, ranging from the most obvious candidates (Kubica and Vettel) to the most unlikely (Bortolotti, Mortara and other very young prospects). Only time will tell who deserves to wear the famous red at the right moment, and it is to be hoped that in the meantime Ferrari maintain their competitivity. Alonso will be hoping that when at last the moment comes, the car he finds at Maranello will be as good as in the last two years. The rest will be up to him.
english.gazzetta.it