Abu Dhabi: Fernando Alonso is not ruling out a return to Ferrari after his last race for the team at the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
Alonso said he had greatly enjoyed the ‘unique experience’ of driving for the ‘Prancing Horse’ — he will be replaced by four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel — over the past five years.
He admitted to feeling emotional about his farewell to the iconic Italian outfit as he prepares to confirm a heavily rumoured move to McLaren on December 1.
“It was emotional. The worst moment to be honest was on the grid,” said Alonso, a world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, after the race at Yas Marina Circuit.
“When I jumped in the car and we fired up the engine and all the mechanics stayed there with the blankets, until 20 seconds to go, I saw the faces of the two guys at the front tyres. They were looking at me with their eyes shiny and it was tough to put the first gear and start the race.”
“I don’t know,” Alonso said when asked if he could return to Ferrari. “More or less I know the questions you will do normally but I did expect this one so I’m not prepared to answer.
“At the moment it’s not an option because if you say bye-bye it’s not because five minutes later you think you might come back. I went from Renault to McLaren, then I came back to Renault. I went to Ferrari, maybe I’ll come back. It seems that people that work with me give me one door open, which is different to things I read about being difficult to work with.
“At the end of the day the places I work I can usually come back to so that’s a good sign.”
The 33-year-old finished sixth in the world championship, a whopping 223 points behind champion Lewis Hamilton, after finishing the Abu Dhabi race in ninth position.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Ferrari replaced Marco Mattiacci with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal in the latest shake-up for the struggling Formula One team.
Mattiacci lasted just seven months in the job after being hired in April to replace Stefano Domenicali.
On Sunday, Ferrari finished its first season without a race win since 1993.
Last week, the Italian automaker announced that Vettel was replacing Fernando Alonso as the team’s leading driver alongside Kimi Raikkonen.
Arrivabene comes to Ferrari from Philip Morris, where he was most recently vice-president of consumer channel strategy and event marketing, working closely on the partnership with Ferrari.
Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said: “We need a person with a thorough understanding not just of Ferrari but also of the governance mechanisms and requirements of the sport.”
— With inputs from agencies
