Fernando Alonso predicts his former team Ferrari will return to form, despite the current deficit to the dominant Mercedes team.
Alonso drove for the Scuderia from 2010-2014 in search of an elusive third World Drivers’ title. After several frustrating near misses, his belief that Ferrari could not produce a car capable of championship glory eventually saw the Spaniard jump ship to McLaren ahead of 2015.
While the current state of the McLaren-Honda programme calls into question the success of this move, Ferrari is still yet to topple Mercedes at the top of the sport. With 2016 initially billed as the year they would challenge the Silver Arrows, it has so far been disappointing.
Ferrari is yet to notch a victory this year and recent radio outbursts from Sebastian Vettel – including his disapproval and dismissal of the strategy call in Germany – have served to emphasise that unrest is growing.
However, former employee Alonso has hinted that 2017 will see Ferrari back towards the top of the pecking order, with the regulation changes providing them with an opportunity to make significant progress.
“I think this year they are better than last year, more competitive,” he stated in an interview featured on AutoWeek. “Last year they were on the podium too, but already they are 150 points behind Mercedes, which is not good.
“But it’s hard for anyone to compete with Mercedes. It’s not only a problem for Ferrari, Mercedes has an advantage that is so great since the regulations changed, so maybe next year, with the rule changes, things can be mixed up again. I’m sure that Ferrari will be strong again.”
