Finally, the open secrets about Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel’s futures became officially clear on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Ferrari announced that Spaniard Alonso and the Italian team have ended their relationship “by common consent”, opening the door for Vettel to arrive from Red Bull.<\/p>\n
It is expected Alonso will move to McLaren, with the British team delaying an announcement for now until it has decided the identity of his Honda-powered teammate.<\/p>\n
“In the Scuderia Ferrari roll of honour of great drivers, Fernando Alonso will always occupy a special place,” said team boss Marco Mattiacci.<\/p>\n
Although his relationship and patience with Ferrari had clearly soured this year, the 33-year-old posted a series of tributes on his Facebook page on Thursday, and he will wear a helmet bearing the signatures of his team this weekend in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
“Today is not an easy one for me,” he said, “because even if I always look to the future with great enthusiasm and determination, at the end of this season my journey as a Ferrari driver will come to an end.<\/p>\n
“It was a difficult decision to take, but a carefully considered one and from start to finish, my love for Ferrari was a prime consideration,” said Alonso.<\/p>\n
Ferrari confirmed that Alonso’s successor, the quadruple world champion Vettel, has signed a three-year contract.<\/p>\n
“The driver lineup next season will consist of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel,” said the Maranello team.<\/p>\n
Vettel commented: “When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it’s an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari.”<\/p>\n
\u00a9 RIF | GMM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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