Alonso hits back at Ferrari boss Mattiacci

ABU DHABI — Fernando Alonso has hit back at Ferrari principal Marco Mattiacci for saying that Sebastian Vettel would bring “the utmost motivation and commitment” to the Formula One team when he replaces the Spaniard next season.

“I heard the comments and I don’t think they were very good,” Alonso told reporters ahead of his last race for the Italian team at Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“If he tried to mean that I was not motivated, he arrived too late at Ferrari.

“He has a few months here and didn’t see probably all the five years that I’ve spent here and how I’ve fought every single race in the championships,” added the double world champion.

Ferrari have not won a race since Alonso’s last victory at his home Grand Prix in May last year and are facing their first blank season since 1993. They are currently fourth in the standings.

Alonso was quick also to point out that only one driver, himself, has won a race for the sport’s oldest and most successful team since 2009.

He also made clear that he had decided to leave rather than Ferrari opting to replace him with Red Bull’s four-time champion Vettel.

“Probably I was too old when he [Mattiacci] tried to renew me until the Monza race, and he kept pushing and pushing and had a lot of talks,” said the Spaniard, who is set to return to McLaren.

“Even in the last moment again we had a lot of phone calls and
e-mails that I still have in my computer. Probably at that time I was not so old, but again when I took my decision I guess he had to find another driver.”

Mattiacc1 took over as principal in April after Stefano Domenicali stood down.

Meanwhile, Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has denied saying he was not interested in the youth audience because they did not buy expensive watches or bank with the sport’s sponsors.

“I never said younger generation, I said children. The question to me was children,” the 84-year-old told Reuters at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“I don’t know how many six- or seven-year-old kids there are with a Rolex [watch], which their parents have probably bought for them. It’s not the six year olds that buy the product we advertise,” he added.

“I answered a question. The question was about children. That was it.”

An interview in Campaign Asia-Pacific magazine caused a rumpus last week when Ecclestone was quoted as saying: “I don’t know why people want to get to the so-called ‘young generation’.”

Speaking at the Yas Marina circuit after presenting the ‘Bernie Ecclestone Trophy’ to the winning British team of the Formula One in Schools competition, Ecclestone clarified his remarks.

“We want to attract a teenage audience. That’s what we want to do. So people grow up like the guy who’s 30 years old now,” he said.

Ecclestone’s comments have been a talking point in Abu Dhabi, even if team principals have refrained from open criticism.

“Educate the children and you grow them into being customers,” said Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff, whose team have won both Formula One titles this year.

“For an aspirational brand like Ferrari definitely our demographic is from the moment they can switch on TV or they can enter in a Ferrari store until when they can afford a car,” commented Ferrari principal Marco Mattiacci.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner added that his brand was “very much about youth and absolutely the team has a huge following from the youth segment, that’s male or female. It’s irrelevant of sex, or age or race.

“But what you have to remember is that when you’re 84, a 70-year-old is still pretty young.”