09/09/2014
NEWS STORY
Despite being the subject of media speculation throughout the season, Fernando Alonso has put an end to the uncertainty over his position at Ferrari by committing himself to the team for the foreseeable future; but the Scuderia must now give him the tools to fight at the front.
Alonso's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2016 and he has indicated that he has no desire to leave the team despite Ferrari struggling to produce a competitive car in recent years. Combined with the fact that McLaren has made no secret of its desire to lure the Spaniard back to Woking, the Tifosi have rightly been concerned about the future of their beloved team.
It has been another turbulent year at Maranello in a season where there were initially reasons for optimism at the start of the campaign. The return of a rejuvenated Kimi Raikkonen to partner Alonso resulted in the Italian outfit having arguably the strongest driver pairing on the grid but the Finn's second spell has failed to live up to expectations.
Despite being behind the wheel of a struggling Ferrari, Alonso has underlined his ability as a driver and his importance within the team with a string of impressive performances. The Spaniard has featured on the podium twice this year with a third place finish in China that came shortly after the team parted company with former team principal Stefano Domenicali, as well as a second place finish in Hungary.
One of the positives of the F14 T has been its reliability. The Italian Grand Prix being the first race where a Ferrari was forced to retire through a mechanical problem this year and also the first time that Alonso failed to finish a race due to a failure with his since he joined the Scuderia in 2010. However, while the car has proven to be robust on the track, Ferrari needs consistency away from the circuit if it is to challenge the frontrunners next season.
Losing Alonso to another team doesn't bear thinking about for Ferrari. It has won just 12 times in the last five years - 11 victories coming from Alonso with five in 2010 alone - which is simply is not good enough for a team that has aspirations to fight at the front every season.
In order to for the Prancing Horse to lead the pack once again, it is crucial that it keeps Alonso at the helm. The 33-year-old brings the perfect blend of experience and raw speed to a team that is relying on its drivers to go above and beyond the call of duty in a car that is simply not as quick as its rivals. However Fernando is not getting any younger and is well aware that time is running out if he is add a third drivers' championship to his name.
Alonso currently occupies fifth place in the drivers' standings, collecting almost three times the amount of points for Ferrari than his teammate in the process. Ferrari will be optimistic that it can fend off the threat of Williams for third place in the championship but it is Alonso's contribution that will determine whether or not it will be able to do so.
While some may question whether or not Ferrari will be able to get back to winning ways in the near future it is important it has a dependable driver capable of exerting the maximum from the car during this barren spell - and Alonso delivers just that.