A former Ferrari chief has pointed the finger at departed Fernando Alonso following the Maranello team's recent troubles. Legendary designer Mauro Forghieri, a key Ferrari figure from the 60s to the 80s, said the Spaniard cannot simply blame the team for his failure to add another title to his tally since joining in 2010.
"If for three or four seasons in a row the car has the same problems, that means you are not developing in the right directions, and it's the driver's fault," Forghieri told the Italian website diariodelweb.it. Alonso, widely credited as the best driver in F1 today, has returned to McLaren for 2015, despite clashing badly with the British team in 2007.
McLaren's acting CEO Jonathan Neale told the Mirror: "There has been a lot of speculation about our relationship with Fernando last time but we can confidently put that to one side and say we are just here to get the job done."
Forghieri, however, is less confident about Alonso's place within a team. "Alonso is a great race driver," he said, "but not a good test driver. Each year, when he shook the car down, he said everything was perfect, then after a few months he began complaining. A real champion is the one who is able to manage the team."
He said Alonso therefore does not compare with Ferrari's last great driver. "Ferrari's problem in the last few seasons," claimed Forghieri, "was not having another Schumacher." (GMM)
Ex Ferrari boss points finger at departed Alonso
- Published on 30 Jan 2015 16:13
-
2
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Antonelli admits Mercedes has lost its speed advantageAndrea Kimi Antonelli has confirmed what Mercedes feared: the team no longer has the fastest car on the grid. Speakin...
25 Aug 2026 16:11 -
Steiner's stark warning to Russell: top team days could be overGeorge Russell faces intense scrutiny after being told by Guenther Steiner that he must improve immediately or risk e...
25 Aug 2026 15:09 -
Why Alonso rates Verstappen above Schumacher as his greatest rivalFernando Alonso has named Max Verstappen the best competitor he has ever faced on track, placing the Red Bull driver ...
25 Aug 2026 14:08 -
Why Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen's new Red Bull contract ends the 2025 silly seasonToto Wolff believes the driver market has effectively closed after Max Verstappen committed his future to Red Bull Ra...
25 Aug 2026 12:56 -
Why Wolff isn't worried about Norris repeating Verstappen's comebackToto Wolff has played down the threat posed by Lando Norris's closing title deficit, pointing to Max Verstappen&#...
25 Aug 2026 11:55
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 631
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 204
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (45)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 188,072 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name Ferrari
- Base Maranello, Italy
- Kimi Räikkönen 1
- Michael Schumacher 1
- Michael Schumacher 1
- Felipe Massa 2
- Fernando Alonso 3
- Felipe Massa 3
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Felipe Massa 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Sebastian Vettel 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Felipe Massa 5
- Michael Schumacher 5
- Michael Schumacher 5
- Felipe Massa 6
- Felipe Massa 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Felipe Massa 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 7
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 511,382 comments on Ferrari
- 284 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Ferrari
Replies (2)
Login to replyPosts: 204
What a bunch of B.S.!! There's no way that Alonso could run that team (and take the blame for Ferrari's demise) with the company management and associated grid leadership it had during the years that he struggled to win the driver's championship. Giving cars a thumbs-up after a few dozen test laps does not make drivers subsequently responsible for 20-race deliveries of performance and durability. Last year was a total flop for Ferrari, not because of Alonso, but beginning with car and power unit design miscalculations. Just another backstabber dusted off by current Ferrari management to try and relocate blame. "Et tu, Brute?"
Posts: 1
I agree with btwnditches. It has been Ferrari's fault all along. The team showed it had problems not understanding racing by their awful calls for pit stops or not to stop that cost the team wins. That is not the drivers fault, it just showed that Ferrari's management was not up to doing their job.