18/09/2014
NEWS STORY
Fernando Alonso has hit out at the Italian media for its negativity towards Ferrari and continued speculation over his own future.
In the wake of Luca di Montezemolo's parting with the Maranello outfit, speculation has increased, some claiming earlier this week that the Spaniard is to swap seats with Sebastian Vettel for 2015.
Facing another round of the same old questions, the two-time world champion for once appeared to lose his cool.
"I've been commenting about my future for about thirteen months I think, so I have nothing new to say," snapped the Spaniard.
"It's sad when these rumours are created in Italy," he continued. "It's a shame as it's not helping Ferrari, which is the reason why we are all here and Ferrari is a much bigger brand than any one individual or even Formula 1 in general.
"I have a lot of respect for Ferrari and try and maintain a good atmosphere with the guys in the team, in order to have a very united team. It's what we need and what the people expect from us. So it's not clear to me what is the purpose of these rumours coming from Italy."
The Spaniard closed by paying tribute to Montezemolo who left the team in the wake of a disastrous home Grand Prix at Monza which witnessed Alonso's first retirement since Malaysia last year.
"He was our leader for many years and it was a great time for Ferrari," he said. "I wish him good luck with new projects and for the new President, I wish him good luck for hopefully a very successful future."
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Chris Balfe