Alonso: I’ll forget about Ferrari if Renault deliver

Double world champion Fernando Alonso today laid down the gauntlet to his Renault team, saying that if they performed well, he would forget about his ambitions to switch to Ferrari. Speaking to the Spanish Metro, Alonso was optimistic about the prospects for his new car, the R29, which was launched yesterday in Portugal.

If we win races and are fighting for the world championship, maybe we can forget about Ferrari, said the Spaniard when asked about whether he saw his future away from Renault. I m much happier and much more optimistic about this season.

The Asturian has never been afraid to criticise or to publicly spur on his team when he feels it necessary. In 2006, in contention for the World Championship which he later won, he publicly demanded that his team work harder towards the goal. His fractious relationship with McLaren in 2007 is well-documented.

There can be no doubt that Alonso is highly-motivated for the 2009 season. Those two wins at the end of the 2008 season confirmed his status in many observers eyes as the complete package as a driver motivator, team leader, devilishly fast and a proven winner. The task of returning a midfield team to the top step of the podium effectively took Alonso most of 2008, but he managed it. When he has the team working for him, he is a force to be reckoned with.