Ferrari creates F1 super team

LONDON - Reuters

REUTERS Photo

Kimi Raikkonen's return to Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso has handed Formula One a compelling storyline for the next two seasons.
 
Whether the stellar line-up of champions, Ferrari's first such pairing for 50 years, blazes a trail to title glory or derails itself in a shower of sparks along the way remains to be seen.
 
The two are fire and ice, and it has been no secret in the Formula One paddock that Alonso would rather have retained Brazilian Felipe Massa as a loyal number two, but equally determined.
 
Both know what it takes to win titles, both are supremely quick and old and wise enough to see beyond the usual mind games.
 
"I don't think Alonso will be too pleased to see Raikkonen there," said former racer and Sky television commentator Martin Brundle on Wednesday.
 
"He (Raikkonen) will go about it in his own way. If he heard a radio message 'Fernando is faster than you', Kimi Raikkonen is not going to move out of the way.
 
"He's going to radio back and say 'So why is he behind me, then, if he's faster than me?". And a few expletives along the way. It will definitely put Alonso on his toes. It will be the strongest pairing in Formula One."
 
Motor racing-Ferrari say Raikkonen not an anti-Alonso choice

Ferrari say their decision to bring 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen back to the Formula One team next season will help and not hurt Fernando Alonso's chances.
 
"For anyone thinking that the choice of Kimi is somehow an anti-Alonso choice, I can put their minds at rest," team principal Stefano Domenicali told the team website (www.ferrari.com).
 
"At Ferrari, everyone knows the interests of the team come first and only then those of the individual. Fernando is a key asset for this team and he will be for a long time.
 
"I'm sure he is the first to be happy with a choice made to strengthen the group, because he is too intelligent not to realise that a stronger team can only be an advantage," added the Italian.