- Ferrari
Montezemolo dismisses Alonso and Raikkonen rumours
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has dismissed speculation surrounding the futures of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen at the team.
Ferrari's disappointing start to the season has left both Alonso and Raikkonen struggling for results and sparked speculation they may leave the team. Alonso has a contract until the end of 2016, but is rumoured to be a target of McLaren's for next year. Raikkonen has a contract until the end of 2015, but his future has also been questioned after failing to match the pace of Alonso so far this year.
However, Montezemolo said such rumours are unfounded and both drivers are central to Ferrari's plans to turn its fortunes around.
"We are lucky to have two great champions, who are working with the whole team to get back to being competitive again," he told Ferrari's website. "Of course, as is the case every summer, there is unfounded gossip about alleged problems with senseless rumours bandied about, such as the ones relating to Alonso's contract or those of drivers' salaries.
"We know that the summer heat always produces silly stories. Our drivers must now relax in order to return in top form. The season is still long and we need Fernando and Kimi to be in great shape. And on the subject of Kimi, I wish him all the best as he is soon to become a dad."
Since bringing in Marco Mattiacci to replace Stefano Domenicali as team principal, Montezemolo said changes had been put in place that would start to yield results in the near future.
"We are making in-depth changes on both the organizational side, in our approach and culture. We have taken important decisions and have made significant progress, even if, at the moment, the results of all this work are not always visible. The aim is to get back to being as competitive as we were before in the shortest possible time, while at the same time putting everything in place so that we can embark on another winning cycle.
"As for our sport in general, we are pleased to see that all the major players share the views we first put forward regarding the need to revamp Formula One. We have proposals aimed specifically at improving the show, starting with more straightforward regulations, which put the spectators first, especially the younger generation."
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