Fernando Alonso has questioned further rumours linking him with a move away from Ferrari.
Both Alonso and Vettel’s futures at their respective teams have been thrown into doubt multiple times this season, with Ferrari and Red Bull having strugged for outright performance against their rivals this season. The recent rumours coming from Italian press reporting that the two drivers will be trading places next season.
Vettel himself rebuffed the rumours earlier this week and insisted he was happy at Red Bull. While Alonso was disappointed in the speculation leaked out and believes that it serves as a hindrance to his Maranello team.
“It’s sad when these rumours are created in Italy,” Alonso said. “It’s a shame as it’s not helping Ferrari, which is the reason why we are all here and Ferrari is a much bigger brand than any one individual or even Formula One in general.”
“I have a lot of respect for Ferrari and try and maintain a good atmosphere with the guys in the team, in order to have a very united team. It’s what we need and what the people expect from us. So it’s not clear to me what is the purpose of these rumours coming from Italy.”
Alonso also ruled out the ban of performance-enhancing radio communication having a significant influence on race results.
He added: “I don’t think it will have a huge impact on the race itself, or preparations for the weekend,”
“In any case, at Ferrari we have not used the radio for any performance related reasons. We tend to use it to control temperatures, to talk about traffic and strategy. I cannot say how it might affect other teams.
“As for the change in general, it has generated a lot of media attention, like the situation with FRIC, but in that case, we saw the final impact on the race was nothing special. I think it will be a similar case with this radio rule.
“It’s like if you’re a coach in football or basketball and cannot talk to your players; in the end it’s the player who shoots the ball. It won’t change our driving style and it’s not as though we won’t know how to drive the circuit.”
