Fernando Alonso is partly to blame for Ferrari’s difficult seasons and the fact the Spaniard never added another title to his two whilst he was with the Italian marque.
That statement might come as a shock to Formula 1 fans who often state that Alonso gets more out of the car than any other driver, but according to former-Ferrari designer, Mauro Forghieri, the 33-year-old struggles with developing the car and providing useful feedback.
“If for three or four seasons in a row the car has the same problems, that means you are not developing in the right directions, and it’s the driver’s fault,” Forghieri told DiarioDelWeb.
The Italian however doesn’t dispute Alonso’s talent when it comes to getting a good result from the car.
“Each year, when he shook the car down, he said everything was perfect, then after a few months he began complaining,” he explained. “Alonso is a great race driver, but not a good test driver.”
Ferrari’s problem, according to Forghieri, is that they’ve not had a driver of Michael Schumacher’s calibre since the German left.
“A real champion is the one who is able to manage the team,” he added. “Ferrari’s problem in the last few seasons was not having another Schumacher.”