
He has been at the center of numerous transfer rumors for months, but Fernando Alonso swears loyalty to Ferrari despite yet another frustrating season. The Maranello team began the 2014 World Championship with great expectations and the hope of being able to take advantage of the new regulations to close the gap with the other top teams, but after twelve races it has still not won. The Spaniard is fourth in the standings, 99 points behind Nico Rosberg. In short, the balance sheet is in the red, and in this case the colors of Ferrari have nothing to do with it.
"Right now it's not my intention to leave, I want to win here and finish the work we started a few years ago. Our season was frustrating because we had high hopes with the new rules this year and, starting from scratch like all the other teams, we thought we could have an advantage. But we found ourselves in the wrong position and uncompetitive. We are further from the leaders this year than in any other season, sometimes a second and a half behind Mercedes".
The situation is not encouraging, but the two-time world champion doesn't seem willing to throw in the towel. And even if the rumor of his possible return to McLaren, the team with which he raced for just one season alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007, becomes insistent, on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the Spanish driver reiterates that his future will be in Maranello.
"There were a lot of rumors last summer but nothing came out of my mouth that could suggest that I was interested in leaving Ferrari or that I wanted to join another team. There was a lot of speculation, which didn't bother me but created a bit of tension and stress. Yet the fact that the best teams are interested in you also makes you happy and proud".
Having archived the discussion on his future, the Spaniard focuses on the work of the new team principal, Marco Mattiacci, who took over from Stefano Domenicali.
"He's trying to change a lot of things and the fact that he doesn't know much about F1 is good and bad. It's bad when you have to change very precise things on the car, an area in which we are weak compared to our rivals. But it's positive because he has very fresh ideas".
Alonso does not shy away from questions about Mercedes and the rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, which resulted in the Spa accident:
"It's not easy when there are two chances of winning on the same team. It's not just a question of drivers, but also of mechanics and engineers. When you find yourself against your teammate, even without wanting to, your mind is always looking for something strange that is favoring the other driver".
Alonso, however, absolves Rosberg for the accident that compromised Hamilton's race in Belgium after just two laps.
"It was a racing accident. There is no way that Nico from the cockpit could have been precise enough to slash another car's tire with his front wing. It's not the surgical department of a hospital. Surely, we are not that precise".
In the meantime, the team is working to make a good impression in front of its fans. Ferrari's technical director, James Allison, says:

"Spa and Monza both have characteristics that, perhaps, do not highlight the best aspects of our car, and for this reason we approached the Spa weekend with a bit of trepidation. Spa is a track on which engine power is of great importance but where aerodynamics are also greatly highlighted. In Belgium, however, the F14T performed with dignity. There are some differences between Spa and Monza, but the characteristics of the two tracks are such that we think we can see competitiveness in Monza similar to that shown in Spa: we therefore hope to be able to have another decent weekend, before facing the rest of the season on tracks that should suit our car better".
The face, even before Fernando Alonso's words, belongs to someone who doesn't want to deceive anyone, not even on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, in this crazy year for Ferrari.
"The most difficult of my five at Ferrari: frustrating. The podium would be fantastic, we have to have the best race of the year in front of our fans but I know it's an optimistic goal. It will be a defensive game. We are improving, at the beginning of the year we were 2 seconds behind Mercedes and now at 1.4 seconds, it's not enough".
Better, for the Spaniard and for everyone, to look ahead. To 2015, to the renewal beyond 2016, despite the court of McLaren, to Mattiacci's management, to this computerized F1 open to seventeen-year-olds like Verstappen that Alonso loves despite everything:
"When I was little it seemed like superhero stuff, you entered on a crazy bull, there were 1000 horsepower lightning bolts, you saw Senna or Prost not making it to the podium standing up. This is a slightly more developed GP2. But I'm not thinking about retiring, I'm young, I have ten years left even if I enjoyed it less this year".
Hope is on the 2015 car. Technical director James Allison explains:
"Every part will be different".
As long as we understand what to improve. For Alonso, the engine is the part that needs the most work:
"The new power unit will be decisive".
He arrived in Maranello to bring the world title back to Italy, but since he joined Ferrari, Fernando Alonso has managed to achieve little satisfaction, encountering on his way first a super-Red Bull, then an extraordinary Mercedes. On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, however, the Spaniard dismissed the rumors that he would be leaving and promised his love to Ferrari.
"I believe that since last summer there has been almost continuous news and rumors and therefore it has been going on like this for a year. It's not a good thing, because it creates a bit of stress and takes away the serenity of both me, the fans and the people on the team. I'm proud that there are some teams that say they would like to have me, because they obviously appreciate my work, but I've been saying for a year that I want to continue at Ferrari and that I want to extend the contract. That was my will, I repeat it every fortnight, at the end of every race and yet it is never said, in fact we tend to say the opposite. Speeches relating to other teams have never come out of my mouth, the opposite has always happened. As far as the renewal is concerned, we are working on it, I have a contract for another two years and as I always say regarding rumors and to maintain serenity, my will is to continue for the years that are necessary. Let's see if this can be done, but for the next two years at least there is no problem".

And for the future it is essential that Ferrari returns to being competitive and fighting for the title.
"Obviously the most important thing is to win, because this is the case for all athletes. But I think there are also other things that can still make you confident and happy with your job and I think that Ferrari can offer many more things than just winning, because there is a passion for this team that makes you a driver who is already proud of that. what you are doing, regardless of the outcome. The most important thing is to fix the things that are not right in the car and in the team and do everything that is necessary. Even with Mattiacci there is a desire to change things and to be more aggressive in the approach to the work we do. This renewed desire to win makes continuing with Ferrari even more attractive".
Thirty-three years and still a great desire for Formula 1.
"I'm much younger than I may seem from the outside, I'm only 33 years old and until five years ago people arrived in Formula 1 at 26 or 27 years old. The fact is that I started at 19 and it seems like I have many years but, given my chronological age, I still have many seasons left ahead of me. I could still have ten, Schumacher stopped at 43, Pedro de la Rosa is on the simulator every day and is 43 so it's not a question of age. It's a matter of having fun, of continuing to want to get up in the morning to train, of taking planes and flying to Australia and Malaysia, of racing with top cars and still feeling good sensations. As long as I have this desire, I won't set limits for myself. This year there is a little less fun because the cars are a little slower. We need adrenaline and we hope that the sport will return to take the direction of taking performance to the extreme to return to having truly top Formula 1 cars".
Meanwhile, Ferrari reaches a technical collaboration agreement with Haas F1 Team for the supply of its Formula 1 engines. The multi-year agreement includes the supply of the entire engine system starting from 2016. Says the team principal on Wednesday 3 September 2014 of Ferrari, Marco Mattiacci:
"We are pleased to announce the strategically important agreement reached with Haas F1 Team and we welcome the American team as a new competitor in Formula 1. After joining forces with those of Gene Haas on a commercial level a few months ago, this agreement represents the next step in a growing relationship. While the goal always remains to strengthen the power unit development program for all our customer teams, we believe this new partnership is capable of going beyond the traditional supply of the power unit and related technical services. The American market is among the most important for Ferrari and continues to offer us many interesting opportunities. We will give Haas F1 Team all our support so that it can become a competitive competitor in Formula 1".
Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton tries to become the Spa accident and tensions with his teammate Nico Rosberg.
"There is nothing in my mind. I'm excited to move on and happy to be here. Monza is one of my favorite circuits and I hope to have a good weekend".
The two drivers clarified during the meeting organized by Mercedes, and on Thursday 4 September 2014 they return to the topic during the drivers' press conference, in which both participate, on the eve of free practice for the Italian Grand Prix.
"We've already said it all in our press release, but trust is a big word and not something I would apply to racing. Nico and I have been racing for a long time, we laid good foundations a long time ago and we have to start from there".

The Englishman jokes several times with Fernando Alonso, sitting between him and Nico Rosberg. The German driver, more drawn in his face, does not shy away from questions about the case that has heated up minds at Mercedes:
"No one forced me to apologise, it was a decision I made after reviewing the situation and hearing the opinions of others. I took my responsibilities. What has changed compared to Spa? The time has passed".
Nico Rosberg responds, targeted by the public at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix.
"It definitely wasn't a good feeling, but I understand the fans who were there to see a good battle between me and Hamilton. A witch hunt against me? I respect everyone's opinion, for my part I'm just trying to lead and do my job and bring the best out of this situation. I'm very lucky to have a car like this, the team is also doing a fantastic job in development and I want to make the most of this moment".
However, Mercedes has ruled out team orders:
"The team has made it clear that we must not have contact with each other, so the approach does not change for the future. It's always been the same".
Lewis Hamilton also faces a barrage of questions about the Spa accident and the consequences. To those who ask if he has frozen the negotiation for the renewal of his contract with Mercedes, the British driver replies:
"I'm not freezing anything. We are talking to the team but the priority is to win the championship; then I still have one year left on my contract and there is no rush. I see my future with this team and I'm happy to be at Mercedes. I believe that if I am in this room together with other riders it is because I want to take a step forward, turn the page. I'm happy to be here and I hope for a good weekend".
Says Lewis Hamilton, who doesn't show much desire to answer questions about his relationship with Nico Rosberg and what has changed after Spa.
"We have already said everything in our press release. Confidence is a big word and it's not something I would apply to track racing".
During the press conference there were those who asked Fernando Alonso, sitting right between the two Mercedes drivers, to act as an ambassador of peace.
"No".
This is the blunt response of the Spanish driver, who smiles and jokes with his two rivals:
"They have the objective of winning the title, from the outside we will try to enjoy this beautiful battle. They have a problem, but a good one".
Then we talk about the Italian Grand Prix:

"It is one of the most important races for us because we race in front of our fans and we would like to give them good results. In the last editions I have always finished on the podium and I hope to be able to do it again this year even if this will perhaps be the most difficult race for us. But we saw some encouraging signs of increased competitiveness in Hungary and in Spa we almost ended up on the podium with Kimi. Getting on the podium here is always something special".
On the contact with Kevin Magnussen in Belgium, which cost the Danish McLaren driver a 20-second penalty, Fernando Alonso reiterates:
"We tried to fight, to overcome as always. I was more than 30 laps behind Kevin and it wasn't easy to overtake him, when I saw that there were some cars in front of us I tried to do it and in the end I went onto the grass and the race direction decided to penalize him. I gained a position but lost a few in the race and when you're fighting for sixth or seventh place it doesn't matter much".
There are those who say, for example, that it could be the last Italian Grand Prix as president of Ferrari, Luca Montezemolo, expected at the top of the new Alitalia.
"I don't know, I've only heard rumors but nothing from him. If one day it happens that he has to go we'll talk. In five years I've always had him as president, as my right hand. If it happens one day it will be completely new".
While Kimi Raikkonen's hope is this:
"We can have a good race here, but we need a smooth weekend so that we can carry out our entire program starting from Friday. The sensations were already quite good in the races preceding Spa, except that it's something always happened, a contact with another rider or some small but annoying problem. It's very difficult to get good results when you have vicissitudes like that. Belgium was probably the first race in which we didn't have problems and the result was better".
He won't have the lightness of his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, winner of three of the last six races, who is asking for a podium at the weekend, to have fun and eat lots of pizza. Nor the responsibilities of the World Championship leader, Nico Rosberg, who has not yet stopped apologizing to Lewis Hamilton, or the luciferian boldness of the Englishman, who asks:
"How do we behave now? If the rider in front gets thrown out nothing will happen and can we all run closer together?"
But beware of calling Sebastian Vettel bourgeois, or of reminding him of Enzo Ferrari's saying, who claimed that a driver loses a second per lap to every son. The German driver, four-time World Champion and father of a little girl since January, replies:
"I hope it's not true and then he also had children but he didn't drive".
False, but at 27 you can get a question wrong in history, the concept doesn't change:
"These are things that are impossible to measure, I feel the same and I love what I do. However, it would be very sad if someone sat in front of you and said that they regret having had a child because they lose two tenths or a second. There would be something wrong with him".

So? What's the mystery behind this season's flop?
"It's not a question of hunger, trust me. There is nothing you hate more than losing. Of course we did something wrong, but I'm not that far from Daniel. The truth is this year Mercedes had a package that was out of reach".
It is inevitable, in Monza, to reflect on Ferrari's problems and the future.
"I have a contract for another year, I'm happy at Red Bull. As a driver you always want to win, people say that the best feeling is to do it with the Ferrari: I've never felt…".
Closing with a jab at Alonso, who publicly prefers Hamilton to him:
"For me it's a compliment: in the past we battled and I ended up in front of him many times. Better Fernando or Lewis? Even if I had an opinion I wouldn't feel the need to tell anyone".
Friday 5 September 2014 we start again with the Mercedes in front of everyone and the Ferraris in the second row during free practice for the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The second session is also dominated by the Anglo-German cars thanks to the best time for Nico Rosberg, who precedes his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, by 0.061 seconds, who was stopped in the pits for about an hour due to an engine electronics problem which forces Mercedes mechanics to do extra work. However, the Briton remains the fastest of the day, thanks to the time of 1'26"187 set in the morning. The two Ferraris are not far behind, with Kimi Raikkonen closing the afternoon session with the third fastest time, 0.1 seconds behind Nico Rosberg Fourth is the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who at the wheel of the other Ferrari has a gap of over 0.3 seconds. Followed by the Williams of the Finnish Valtteri Bottas, and the McLaren of the British Jenson Button. The reigning World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, at the wheel of Red Bull, does not go beyond the seventh fastest time, more than 0.5 seconds behind Nico Rosberg. The top ten is completed by the Danish Kevin Magnussen with the McLaren, the Brazilian Felipe Massa with the Williams and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo with the Red Bull.
"We hope to do well for all the fans who were already in the stands today".
This is the message from Fernando Alonso.
"For various reasons, Friday in Monza is always a little different from the others, also due to the characteristics of the circuit. In general I am happy with the setup work and the tyres, especially with a load of petrol. Towards the end we feared we would have a problem , but to dispel any doubts I did another lap and everything went back to normal".
Kimi Raikkonen is also satisfied:
"It was a very intense but positive day. We used almost every minute to try everything we had planned".
While the Ferrari team principal, Marco Mattiacci, says:

"These are positive signs".
Then, when asked if it is true that Luca Montezemolo could soon leave the presidency of the Maranello company, he replies:
"These are rumours, gossip and it's not my habit to comment on these. I spoke to the president an hour ago to update him on free practice".
The Italian Grand Prix, however it ends, will mark the end of an era. Not so much because it will most likely be Luca Montezemolo's last as president of Ferrari, but because it will certainly be the last Italian race in which ScuderiaFerrari will present itself to the fans with its traditional set-up: that of a team completely made in Italy, born, raised and managed within a company largely independent from Fiat. The two pieces of news - that of the divorce between Montezemolo and Ferrari and that of the loss of autonomy by ScuderiaFerrari - evidently connected to each other, exploded during the afternoon in the Monza paddock, when a series of more or less controlled rumours, certainly not very rational, they begin to tell of a Montezemolo intending to announce his resignation on Saturday morning. But you don't need much evidence to be sure that this won't happen. Neither on Saturday nor in the days following the match, regardless of the result. Montezemolo, as usual in cases like this, does not speak. But his staff are adamant in ruling out that he will resign. It is, they say, the usual summer catchphrase. It's been said that way for years. The journalists took the offer of a place on the board of Alitalia Etihad, added it to the somewhat stormy exit from the board of directors of the new FCA and invented this story. Instead, they assure Maranello, the president - who will confirm this version in Monza - is very focused on Formula 1, and on Wednesday he will present the company's financial statements which are once again record-breaking (there is talk of almost 400.000.000 euros of useful). And yet, upon closer inspection, the news of the farewell between the president and Ferrari is not at all so unfounded. On the contrary. The impression is that, regardless of the denials, a path has been taken that will lead in no time, but not too long, to a separation, not exactly consensual, between the two parties.
A sensational step, if we consider that Montezemolo's mandate was renewed until 2017 only last spring; that the manager, who has been in permanent service at Maranello for almost 23 years, will receive a monstrous exit, and the lawyers are already talking about it; that changing the structure of a company as particular as Ferrari (we sell dreams, was the old Enzo's motto) risks being a suicidal move, even more so if a reliable and safe solution is not ready. What precipitated the situation in recent months is not yet clear. Certainly the relations between Montezemolo and the FCA are no longer what they once were. But beyond personal relationships, what appears to be the key step is the decision not to separate Ferrari from FCA's listing on Wall Street scheduled for next October. The fate of Scuderia Ferrari is therefore that of a company closely linked to a company governed by Dutch law, with English tax regime and listed on the New York stock exchange, such as FCA. In short, accustomed to working in perfect autonomy and being accountable for their actions only when the financial statements are published, those in Maranello would suddenly find themselves in a more controlled condition, with many heads to answer to and many regulations to follow. A situation which, for an anthropological profile like that of Montezemolo, a subject historically inclined to follow his own instincts rather than the procedures of a listed company, can give a certain feeling of claustrophobia. If we add to this the temptations of various top managers to take control of what is still considered the true family jewel, we understand why Montezemolo himself is really starting to think of the Alitalia-Etihad affair as an excellent exit strategy. On Saturday 6 September 2014, all eyes on Ferrari, including those of Sergio Marchionne and Luca Montezemolo, were not enough to contain Mercedes' excessive power: after having dominated all phases of free practice, Lewis Hamilton had no difficulty in gaining pole position for the Grand Prix Premiod'Italia, ahead of a furious Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button. Which means - among other things - that all six of the first cars, the first three rows of the grid, are powered by Mercedes.

The Ferraris did badly, therefore very badly, with Fernando Alonso seventh, but ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen even excluded from Q2, thus making yet another poor impression. But, once again, let's go in order. On Saturday Mattian, during the third and final free practice session, Lewis Hamilton set the best time, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. The other Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg, does not take part in the session due to a technical problem with the transmission, which raises fears that the gearbox will need to be replaced before qualifying. Sergio Pérez also slowed down due to some technical problems with the gearbox, while the Russian Daniil Kvjat has to replace his car's engine for the sixth time, and will therefore receive a ten-place penalty on the starting grid. A few hours later, in the first phase of qualifying, the best time was set by Lewis Hamilton, followed by Nico Rosberg, 0.15 seconds behind. The two Williams are ranked immediately behind; the first driver with a car not powered by Mercedes is Jean-Éric Vergne in STR-Renault. Three pairs of drivers are eliminated: the two from Lotus, the two from Marussia and the two from Caterham. In Q2 Lewis Hamilton once again confirms the lead of the ranking, ahead of Nico Rosberg and the two Williams. However, the fight to get into Q3 is more intense. At the last attempt Kevin Magnussen ousts Kimi Räikkönen from the top ten. In addition to the Finn, the two Toro Rosso drivers, the two Sauber drivers and Nico Hülkenberg are also eliminated. In Q3, after the first attempts, Lewis Hamilton is still in first position, still ahead of his teammate, Nico Rosberg. Valtteri Bottas is third, after scoring an excellent first set. At the second attempt no driver managed to improve the time set by the Briton, who thus took pole position. Nico Rosberg finishes second, while the second row is monopolized by the two from Williams. In short, Lewis Hamilton will start ahead of everyone in the Italian Grand Prix, stopping the clock after lapping in 1'24"109, Nico Rosberg doesn't go beyond 1'24"383, not to mention Fernando Alonso, who almost gets caught 1.5 seconds behind. But, as mentioned, Fernando Alonso is at least ahead of the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. Sergio Perez's Force India completes the top ten.
"Did I expect it? Obviously not, but for some reason it was difficult to find good grip. I made a few small mistakes".
Kimi Raikkonen says dejectedly.
"What can I promise? We will try to do our best but it seems quite difficult for us. Yesterday went well, tomorrow will be a different story".
But, as mentioned, it is the future of president Luca Montezemolo at Ferrari that attracts the attention of the media. From Cernobbio, where he spoke at the Ambrosetti workshop, the CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, first states that no one is indispensable, but the change of presidency is not on the agenda, but then he speaks more clearly:
"Montezemolo's economic results are very good, but in the case of Ferrari a manager must also be evaluated for his sporting results: we haven't won for six years, we have the best drivers in the world and we can't start between seventh and thirteenth place".
But Luca Montezemolo tells the media present in Monza:
"In March I made the shareholders available to stay for another three years. That's all. If and when there are changes, I will inform you".
He had to deny it, Montezemolo. He had to come to Monza, face notebooks and cameras, and say that none of it was true, that he won't be leaving in the next few weeks, that his future is in Ferrari and that Ferrari's future is still in his hands. And instead he did more. The president has indeed denied his intention to resign soon, but in doing so he took the opportunity that had been given to him in the press in recent months and days and relaunched it to people and offices whose silence of these scorching hours is eloquent more than any declaration.

The message sent from Monza by a tanned and fit Montezemolo, who climbed onto the running board of the Ferrari motorhome for the occasion, is ultimately very clear: you have renewed my mandate, you have communicated that you want to replace me, and therefore now it's up to you to choose the timing, find the right way and above all find the economic resources to do it (see severance pay chapter). All in all, Montezemolo was also clear about the timing, carefully avoiding references to a too remote future. Ferrari's horizon, as described in his words, ends with the month of October:
"I am here to work, today and in the coming months. We are preparing a big event in Los Angeles for October (Ferrari's sixtieth anniversary in the United States, ed.), and then a brand new car to be presented at the next Paris motor show (October 2, ed.)".
And it is definitely more than a coincidence that the listing on Wall Street of Fiat Chrysler automobiles (FCA), after all the real watershed of this story, is scheduled for October 13, 2014. A date that will effectively mark the end of Ferrari as an autonomous and independent company, a sort of company with a special statute within the Fiat galaxy, and consequently the end of the relationship with Montezemolo, who has always been a priest of the ontological anomaly. The sporting aspect of this story is much less clear. With significant symbolic meaning, while Montezemolo makes his speech, a few meters away on the track, the remains of his Ferrari are buried alive by the fury of Mercedes, capable of placing six engines in the first six positions. A humiliation expected, announced, expected, partly even already metabolised. But still a humiliation. Which will certainly have an impact on Turin. But the worst is yet to come, not so much because there is still the race, but because what will happen next is a gigantic unknown, perfectly summed up by the uncertainty over Fernando Alonso's fate. The story is singular. Until a few days before the Italian Grand Prix, the renewal of his contract, which expires in 2016, seemed like a done deal. There had been talk of absurd figures (105.000.000 euros in three years), the Spaniard and Ferrari had denied it. And yet they said they were one step away from signing the new contract, so much so that some had even given the announcement as imminent. Instead, hand in hand with the worsening of the Montezemolo-Ferrari crisis, there was a curious setback in the negotiations.
"I will stay if there is no big news".
Says Fernando Alonso.
"He has a contract with Ferrari until 2016".
Luca Montezemolo counters, thus transforming a pilot whose contract needed to be promptly renewed in order to discourage maneuvers by the competition, into a pilot whose escape should be prevented. At the window, everyone knows, there is Honda with a very clear plan: to return to F1 in a big way, beat Mercedes and thus demonstrate that it knows how to make hybrid engines like its competitor Toyota (sector leader). And to do so he wants to make use of two World Champions at the wheel. The idea, more precisely, isSebastian Vettel in 2015 and Fernando Alonso the following year, if not before. Luca Montezemolo may not be the only one leaving after the listing on Wall Street. On Sunday, September 7, 2014, the weather at the start was dry and sunny, with the air temperature 25 °C and the track temperature from 37 °C to 42 °C. A right-front wheel cooler fitted to Hamilton's car detached and crunched on the front wing, causing Mercedes to push him to his grid slot following a reconnaissance lap. An inspection by Mercedes found there to be no problems for Hamilton. Unlike previous years when softer tire compounds were selected, making one pit stops was calculated to be faster than two by around 12 seconds. Ericsson was ordered to begin from the pit lane after being penalized for driving too fast under double waved yellow flag conditions in the third practice session. When the Italian Grand Prix began from its standing start at 2:00 p.m., an incorrect mode dropped Hamilton to fourth and moving Rosberg to the lead into the Rettifilo chicane.

Wheelspin dropped Bottas to 11th. Magnussen passed Massa on the left for second going into the Rettifilo chicane. Pérez accelerated faster than Alonso and passed him before Alonso repassed Pérez on the left at Curva Grande corner. Vettel moved to fifth by the end of the first lap but his teammate Ricciardo was put wide onto the chicane's run-off area, dropping four positions over the same distance. Massa attempted to take second from Magnussen by braking later than he did at the start of lap two as Rosberg pulled away from the two. Magnssen went wide at Curva Grande corner and blocked another pass from Massa. Drs was enabled on the next lap and Hamilton used it to attack Massa, allowing Magnussen to pull away from Massa. Magnussen defended but ran deep entering the Rettifilo chicane, allowing Massa to slipstream him into the Variante della Roggia chicane and steered right to claim second place. Magnussen entered the turn off the racing line, spun his tires on its exit, allowing Hamilton past for third into the first Lesmo corner with better acceleration. Massa and Hamilton pulled away from Magnussen who was being caught by Vettel, Button, Alonso and Pérez. Hülkenberg lost ninth to Räikkonen on the same lap and Bottas was unable to find the space at Parabolica corner to attempt a pass. Bottas did however overtake Hülkenberg for tenth at the Rettifilo chicane. Chilton entered the Variante della Roggia chicane too fast on lap six, and hit the second set of kerbs at the corner, launching his airborne car into the barrier, ending his race. The safety car was not needed. Rosberg led by almost four seconds by the conclusion of the lap and moved his brake bias towards the front of his car. As Massa went faster Rosberg did the same in response. On the following lap, Rosberg locked his tires into the Rettifilo chicane at 332 km/h, drove onto an escape road and slalomed through obstacles to retain the lead. His advantage over Massa fell to two seconds. Hamilton used Drs to steer left before the Rettifilo chicane and passed Massa for second on the 10th lap. Hamilton began drawing closer to Rosberg but required a further few laps to pull clear from Massa; he did not attack Rosberg and stayed out of his teammate's slipstream, nursed his tires and minimized his fuel usage.
Bottas overtook Räikkönen for ninth on lap 13; the next lap, he slipstreamed past Pérez on the left for ninth into the Rettifilo chicane. Bottas overcame Alonso's defense on the outside to take seventh on the main straight during lap 16. Two laps later, Bottas passed Button on his right for sixth. Red Bull elected to bring Vettel into the pit lane at the end of the same lap for hard compound tires to try and pass Magnussen on pit stop strategy rather than duel Bottas. Pérez followed in response the following lap. Bottas passed Magnussen for fourth at the Rettifilo chicane on lap 21. Magnussen and Alonso made their pit stops on the next lap, rejoining in ninth and eleventh, behind Vettel and Pérez separated them. Magnussen slid exiting the Variante della Roggia chicane trying to pass Pérez. Massa made his pit stop from third on lap 24, and emerged in fifth. Hamilton received instructions for an engine mode change and Rosberg entered the pit lane from the lead on the next lap and handed the lead to Hamilton. Bottas made his stop on the same lap and rejoined alongside Vettel on the main straight but was forced wide, allowing Magnussen to pass him. Hamilton took his pit stop on the 26th lap and handed back first to teammate Rosberg. Bottas also fell behind Pérez but re-passed the latter going into the Rettifilo chicane. Hamilton's race engineer Peter Bonnington radioed him to stay at least 21.2 seconds behind teammate Rosberg and conserve his tires for an attack later on. Hamilton was aware from previous experiences earlier in the season that the method to pass a driver was to do so when tire grip was optimal otherwise it would not have been possible to draw close enough to effect a pass. He recorded the fastest lap at that point to move within seven-tenths of a second of his teammate Rosberg by the start of lap 28, causing debate among Mercedes pit lane staff. Massa at this point was 12 seconds behind and Bonnington allowed Hamilton to attack earlier than planned. Rosberg's front brake temperatures overheated and his attempt to conserve his rear tires by moving his brake bias towards the front of his car compromised them. Hamilton used Drs and as Rosberg applied his brakes, he drove onto the Rettifilo chicane's run-off area and slalomed his way past some obstacles, promoting Hamilton to the lead. Alonso's energy recovery system failed, triggering a complete electrical shutdown half a minute later, and stopped at the side of Rettifilo's run-off area to retire for the first time in 2014.

Button attempted to pass Pérez into the Rettifilo chicane but the two narrowly avoided contact. Bottas tried to pass Magnussen into the same turn but defensive driving from Magnussen forced Bottas to cut the chicane on lap 31. On the 34th lap, Ricciardo turned right and braked later than Räikkönen for ninth into the Rettifilo chicane. Hamilton began to pull away from Rosberg, leading his teammate by 4.3 seconds by the start of lap 36. Bottas steered left into the Rettifilo chicane the following lap and Magnussen turned right, causing Bottas to mount a kerb to avoid a collision; Bottas overtook Magnussen. Soon after, the stewards imposed a five-second stop-and-go penalty on Magnussen for putting Bottas off the track in the latter's earlier passing attempt. Button turned right to pass Pérez into the Rettifilo chicane for seventh on lap 39. Pérez then drew alongside Button through the Curva Grande and Variante della Roggia turns. Pérez steered right and was forced wide onto the Curva di Lesmo chicane kerb in passing Button for seventh. On the following lap, Bottas passed Vettel at the Rettifilo chicane for fourth and his teammate Ricciardo overtook Button for seventh at the same turn. Ricciardo caused Pérez to lock his brakes before the Rettifilo chicane and moved lanes to take seventh at the Variante della Roggia chicane on lap 41. Button passed Pérez at the second attempt into the Rettifilo chicane but had a slow exit after locking his tyres, allowing Pérez to put Button wide into the Variante della Roggia chicane and reclaim eighth. Ricciardo caught and passed Magnussen on his left at the Rettifilo chicane for six on lap 44 despite locking his tires and drifting sideways. Ricciardo received a message to chase his teammate Vettel, who defended fifth from Ricciardo into the Rettifilo chicane on lap 47 but was slow leaving the turn. Both drivers were alongside through the Curva Grande corner and Ricciardo turned left to pass Vettel for fifth at the Variante della Roggia chicane.
Brake problems caused Gutiérrez to hit Grosjean at the Rettifilo chicane on the 51st lap, puncturing Grosjean's right-rear tyre, who slowly drove into the pit lane.Kvyat's brakes failed on lap 52, causing him to turn left onto the grass at the Rettifilo chicane to avoid hitting Räikkönen, and clipping a polystyrene marker as he rejoined the track. Hamilton won the race by 3.1 seconds over Rosberg. Massa took his first podium result of the season in third, and his first since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. Bottas took fourth, ahead of the Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Vettel in fifth and sixth. Pérez, Button, Räikkönen and Magnussen rounded out the top ten after his five-second time penalty was applied. Kvyat, Hülkenberg, Vergne, Maldonado and Sutil, Kobayashi and Bianchi, Gutiérrez and Ericsson were the final classified finishers. It was Hamilton's sixth victory of 2014 and the 28th of his career. There were three lead changes in the race; two drivers reached the front of the field. Hamilton led twice for a total of 27 laps, more than any other competitor. Mercedes double on the day of the Ferrari disaster: first Hamilton, then Rosberg. All with Alonso forced to retire - due to an engine problem - when he was in tenth position, and Raikkonen ninth at the finish line only thanks to the 5 second penalty imposed on Magnussen. A defeat that weighs heavily: for the first time since he joined Ferrari, Fernando Alonso does not get on the podium in Monza. And this happens right under the eyes of Sergio Marchionne, Luca Montezemolo and a lot of fans who, apparently, seem to have already chosen who to bet on: Lewis Hamilton, applauded here as if he were racing in a Ferrari, complete with boos for his hated teammate Nico Rosberg. And the same goes for Felipe Massa, third, celebrated with great warmth by the fans who do not forget his past with the red tracksuit.
"I no longer race for Ferrari, but my heart is always here with you".
Fourth was the Finnish Valtteri Bottas, in the second Williams, and fifth was Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), winner of the last two races. The Australian preceded his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, and Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) for the umpteenth time, but due to a five-second penalty he was relegated to tenth place, behind Kimi Raikkonen. Seventh is therefore Sergio Perez with Force India, eighth Jenson Button (McLaren). From the point of view of the World Championship ranking, however, little changes because Nico Rosberg remains firmly in command, but the second career victory on the Monza circuit, to be added to the three pole positions obtained, has a special flavor for Lewis Hamilton, which marks a very important point in his favor against Nico Rosberg. In fact, it should not be forgotten that Lewis - to the delight of his many fans in Monza - truly deserved the victory.

Furthermore, the sixth victory of the season allows the British driver to reduce the gap that separates him from his teammate in the standings: with 238 points, the German driver now has a 22 point advantage over his teammate. The two Mercedes drivers, after the clarification and truce following the Spa accident, ignored each other at the end of the race. The challenge is open.
"Rosberg and I are friends? We are teammates and always will be".
This is Lewis Hamilton's response after his success in Monza to the question posed to him on stage by Jean Alesi during the awards ceremony. The British driver says he is thrilled with this victory and congratulates the people who came to Monza, clearly on his side, as demonstrated by some boos sent to Nico Rosberg:
"Fantastic, exceptional audience. You make this Grand Prix special".
Regarding the race, Lewis Hamilton says:
"First of all, congratulations to the team who wanted to do a double and we succeeded. The race was difficult, at the start I had a strange problem, several lights came on, fortunately I didn't lose too many positions. Then I fought with Felice, it was a fair fight. The duel with Rosberg? I was told to stay a little behind and wait until the end, but that wasn't the way forward. The car was fine, I was close and I pushed".
While the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, comments on Lewis Hamilton's departure:
"This problem at the start is strange, we need to see the cause of this technical problem".
And speaking of Nico Rosberg, he states:
"Two mistakes at the same point? There's a lot of pressure at the moment, but I'm satisfied with the podium. Haven't Hamilton and Rosberg had to face each other closely? As it should be, without touching each other. Now Lewis has a 22 point difference, anything can happen".
Regarding the next Grand Prix, which will take place in Singapore, Toto Wolff claims that it is a circuit more for Red Bull:
"We have to be competitive".
Nico Rosberg regrets the final result:
"It's a shame, it didn't go well, but Lewis (Hamilton) had a great race and deserved the win".
With these words pronounced from the podium in Monza, Nico Rosberg explains his mistake at the second corner which allowed his teammate to pass him and go on to win the Italian Grand Prix.

"Lewis was very fast and came from behind and so I had to try to accelerate my pace and I simply made these mistakes. A bad mistake because it made me lose the lead in the race. Monza is a difficult circuit for braking due to the load low and the highest speeds of the season. It's one of the challenges of this weekend and unfortunately I made mistakes twice in the race".
However, the German driver finds reason for satisfaction in the team's overall result.
"It's still the first double in several races (from Austria, ed.), the first here in Monza for a very long time. It's a fantastic result for Mercedes, while as far as I'm concerned I'm disappointed with the result, but second place is good for the points gained and then we look forward".
Daniel Ricciardo has a smile for everyone, he collects dozens of selfies, handshakes, pats. Even when a police sergeant presents him with a police officer and Daniel lends himself, lightly, to yet another self-portrait. The Australian from Red Bull doesn't concede a hat trick after the triumphs in Budapest and Spa. But the fifth place and the 10 points with which he supports his third place in the World Championship are by no means trivial. He is the fastest of the day (362.1 km/h at the braking point of the first chicane, 31 km/h more than Nico Rosberg) and the one with the best race pace, excluding Mercedes, with the second set of tyres. He is the one who offers the most overtaking and spectacle, sanctifying his Sunday on lap 46, at the Roggia, when his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, passes. Fake on the outside, detach on the inside and goodbye.
"Yes, it was the most fun overtaking of the day, the most beautiful because he fought. Do I drive first? I gained more points on Seb, it was a good day, we'll see what happens next".
A half lie, because in Red Bull the horse to bet on has long been Joe's son, an Italian who emigrated to Perth from the Messina mountains of Ficarra, who blossomed at the Faenza school of Toro Rosso. He also made sparks by starting twice from twelfth place, the first time slipping down three positions at the start and again at the end of the only round of pit stops.
"I had a bad start, then I recovered and used my head. The strategy helped me, I was able to conserve the tires to attack at the end, but today the Williams also had something more than us and I did my best".
Better, much better than Sebastian Vettel, who was at the foot of the podium halfway through the race but then let Valtteri Bottas pass him, and ends the day as he always does this year, explaining why he had no speed:
"We wanted to stay ahead of McLaren and therefore always be aggressive, and in the end the tires gave the soul".
A strategic error not as a World Champion, whose fate at Red Bull has been sealed for some time, with his move to McLaren increasingly likely to lead the way for Alonso for 2016. At the same time, after a long series of races brought to deadline, Ferrari was forced to retire on the Monza track. The disappointment on the part of the fans is therefore evident. Fernando Alonso explains:
"We have had a good run of races without any problems. Reliability has been our strength and continues to be so. It's a shame that it happened here in front of our fans. I think it was a problem with the electric motor, we had to turn off the engine right so as not to damage both".

Hopes to see Ferrari winning this season?
"No".
This is the dry comment that Fernando Alonso makes, with a melancholy smile, after retiring from the Italian Grand Prix. After 86 races without mechanical problems, the first retirement of a Ferrari in years is yet another sign that this season will be remembered as one of the darkest in the history of the Maranello team. Adds Kimi Raikkonen, talking about his race.
"It wasn't perhaps the hardest race, I fought but I just didn't have the speed, I was slightly faster than some cars in front of me, but it was difficult to overtake".
In Singapore the track will be very different from that of Monza:
"It is clear that we hope that the result will be better, but there is nothing left to do but wait".
What remains of the 2014 Ferrari is a wreck abandoned on the side of the Monza track and a man walking dejectedly in the heart of the Villa Reale, on a sunny afternoon at the end of summer. He has a helmet on his head, not for safety reasons but only to avoid showing the world his true expression, which therefore can only be guessed at: something halfway between tiredness and nausea. That man, of course, is Fernando Alonso. But it could be Luca Montezemolo or Marco Mattiacci or any of the one hundred thousand Ferrari fans who flocked to the racetrack again this year, because the truth is that that man is nothing other than the perfect symbol of the moment that Ferrari, understood as a company, is experiencing. , as a team, as a group of men no longer a leader and never more than in these hours crushed between a humiliating present and an uncertain future. The Monza Grand Prix, won by Mercedes, but above all lost by Ferrari (Alonso retired due to a fault in the electrical part of the power unit and, worse still, Raikkonen ninth thanks to Magnussen's penalty), will be told to future generations of fans of Formula 1 as the worst moment in the legendary history of the Maranello team. The shots coming from Cernobbio hit straight to the head. But those who arrive from Monza hit hard on the heart. Children with the required red hats, girls with little horses painted on their faces, bare-chested thugs wrapped in the fiery red flag, watch the silent spectacle of the new Formula 1 made in Mercedes without saying a single word, without applauding or smiling, astonished. But what did we come to do? They know nothing about the words spoken by Marchionne, nor about what will happen to their Ferrari after the listing on Wall Street.
But what they see is eloquent. And what they see is the sad spectacle of a slow car, poorly built, without the culture of the engine (in this case the hybrid) and without the adequate passion, in short, an anti-Ferrari which as such is bullied by any opponent crossings on the asphalt, be it the phenomenal silver arrows of Hamilton and Rosberg, who enjoy arguing like children because no one can catch them, be it the surprising Williams-Martini of Bottas and Massa, yes, Massa himself, deservedly back on the podium in Italy after a long time, even the resurrected Red Bull-Renault of the new Vettel-Ricciardo duelists. But, above all, what the Red fans see in these days of agony is a team in disarray. In Monza, in the motorhome. In Maranello. In Turin. Nobody knows what to do, nor how, nor for how long. A suffocating situation, which can only produce devastating effects. The main one is Alonso's mad desire to go away, say goodbye to everyone, leave the little red boat to sink in its own hysterical storms and embrace Honda's technical project as soon as possible (which wants to relaunch itself with McLaren). He would never have wanted to reach this conclusion, winning with Ferrari was a real goal for him, partly because in red it is more beautiful and partly because statistically in red it is also more probable, given that for the Maranello team to win it is vital. But this probability, due to management turbulence, is disappearing.

So perhaps it is better to leave it alone, aim elsewhere and do it quickly as the years pass and the identity card says 33 years, too many to waste time after little understandable stories of stock market listings and corporate structures and no better definable dynasty .
"I'm especially sorry for the fans. They gave us so much enthusiasm and we were unable to give anything back. But this is the best we can do".
Ferrari must win. If it makes a profit but ends up lapped and finishes ninth, it's not an acceptable thing. At 2:00 pm, in the hall of the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, while the red lights for the start of Monza go out a few dozen kilometers away, Sergio Marchionne faces head on the problem of problems: the presidency of Ferrari. Is Montezemolo in question?
"It's not an issue on the agenda".
Everything therefore seems to start according to the most classic of schemes: if there are tensions they do not emerge on the day of the Italian Grand Prix, with the spotlight on the race. But shortly after the scenario changes radically. On Saturday, in the pits, it was the president of Ferrari who announced:
"I presented to the board of directors my willingness to stay for three years".
Marchionne points out:
"Ferrari is a subsidiary of Fiat. We have 90%, the remaining 10% belongs to Piero Ferrari".
Therefore it is not the Maranello board of directors that can decide alone who is the president, but it is the men at Fiat. The clash over the level of acceptable autonomy between Turin and Emilia, which has been creeping up in recent months, thus becomes official. Marchionne is already speaking in the past tense:
"We had Montezemolo manage Ferrari for a period of time for two reasons: to guarantee the independence of the manufacturer and to protect the positioning of the product. This is why it was important for it to separate from Fiat".
Away from technicalities, Marchionne's reasoning is very linear: a level of autonomy for Ferrari is indispensable even today, because those who produce dream cars cannot be confused with those who churn out the Panda. But that autonomy has a limit. The CEO of FCA explains that:
"We are at the service of the company".
And in that we bring Montezemolo back to the group of managers even if for decades the patron of Ferrari was seen as the guarantor of the Agnelli family. And if Montezemolo is a manager like the others, when a company changes its mind or there is no longer convergence of objectives, things change. General statement which applies to all companies but which Marchionne immediately translates into practice:
"There are two elements of Ferrari that are important for us: the economic results, on which Montezemolo did an excellent job and on which I also complimented him, and the sports management. The heart of Ferrari is to win".

Here is the sore point, the one on which today's Montezemolo, unlike that of the past, has few arguments to counter:
"Seeing Ferrari in these conditions, without winning anything since 2008, makes me sad. We have the best riders, they are two world champions. We have exceptional quality boxes and really good engineers. Seeing people in seventh or twelfth position doesn't interest me or Ferrari".
It's a crescendo. When agencies ask a question in English, Marchionne is harsh:
"I am Luca's friend. But we are all useful and no one is indispensable. Above all, no one can even think or give the idea that society would have big problems without him. There is a limit to everything".
Heavy words compared to which the premise appears inevitably destined to end up in the background. Marchionne's speech is one of those with few ways out. The CEO of FCA does not pronounce an explicit act of no confidence in Montezemolo but certainly after these declarations the relations between the Maranello factory and the Turin factory will become even more complicated. As if that wasn't enough, the day after the defeat in the Italian Grand Prix, Sergio Marchionne makes an unexpected visit to Maranello. The occasion is the Philip Morris Board of Directors, in which the CEO of Fiat-Chrysler participates. Marchionne also allegedly meets with Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo. Marchionne enters both the Ferrari headquarters and the track at Fiorano in a Maserati Quattroporte followed by an escort. Perhaps something more will be known about the future at Ferrari on Thursday 11 September 2014, when the board of directors meeting called to approve the half-year's accounts is scheduled: Marchionne could also be there again. For Montezemolo, if he were to leave Ferrari, the doors to the presidency of Alitalia could open. In the middle of the Emilian plain, surrounded by a wall that is symbolic today as never before, there is Ferrari, with its engineers, its mechanics and its rhetoric of pistons and petrol. All around, the enemies: American managers, Turin bosses, people perceived as strangers, whose silhouettes lengthen like threatening shadows over the great dream of Marcello's team. It is the news of the first day of a siege, which comes from Maranello twenty-four hours after the unfortunate Monza Grand Prix. The events of Cernobbio, with the near dismissal of Luca Montezemolo in the press, are experienced, in these parts, as a violent and disorderly act of war. The meaning of which is clear: Fiat wants to get its hands back on Ferrari. A simple concept and not even that strange in itself, were it not for the fact that in these parts it evokes devastating precedents. The last time the Turin factory directly managed Ferrari, it ended in a sporting disaster, where you never won on the track, and in an industrial apocalypse. Then Montezemolo arrived and the dream was reborn.
"Ferrari cannot be managed like a car factory, it is a luxury brand and must be treated as such. Making money selling cars like these is a miracle, it takes years to build it while it only takes a handful of months to destroy it".
Obviously it's not a given that it will end like this this time too, but there is a lot of fear inside the Maranello fort. The resisters rally not so much around Luca Montezemolo, who despite still being a recognized and much loved leader, in recent times had made very little shared decisions, but rather around the image of Ferrari as a factory ontologically different from the others, superior. And it is precisely as a result of this perceived superiority that Marchionne's choice to use the objective shortage of recent sporting results was seen as instrumental and unbearable. Of course, there is no shortage of even less technical topics than this.
"If someone like Marchionne comes, he will immediately cut off all our benefits".

A worker says, but most people make it a question of principle:
"A CEO who on the eve of a stock market listing publicly says that the drivers' ranking is more important than the balance sheet of a subsidiary, which also has a profit of almost 400.000.000, has never been seen even in jokes".
They explain from Ges, the Sports Management, the heart of the Maranello company:
"The truth is that we were used as an expendable argument in a battle that had a completely different object. The men who were exposed to public ridicule by those careless words won like no other in Formula 1. And it was a serious mistake to forget this".
The GES, to be clear, is the physical location of the factory where, at the moment, plans for the 2015 relaunch are being developed. And the climate is terrible. Everyone breathes it. Even managers and engineers who at this moment no longer know who to answer to. Or which direction to take. Marco Mattiacci, the team principal who took over the uncomfortable legacy left by Stefano Domenicali, embraced with unusual warmth by the entire team in Monza, is preparing the work for next season with enormous effort. But the wave of questions raised by the possible dismissal of Luca Montezemolo is making his job very complicated to the point that he himself no longer knows what role he will find himself in in a few months (he is one of the candidates for the CEO position).
"I don't aspire to that position. I'm working on something completely different. But I owe everything to Ferrari and clearly if they ask me I obey".
But the worst thing is that the harsh climate was also experienced by the two World Champion drivers (as Marchionne recalled). Kimi Raikkonen has started to think seriously about the option of permanently retiring from the business. Fernando Alonso, the one indicated as one of the company's main assets, would pay out of his own pocket to already be elsewhere. He thinks he is one of the strongest drivers in the history of Formula 1, but he knows he still has a few years of career left to win another world championship. And the squabbles of the Italian industry really interest him very little.