“I thank him for having thought of me for the role of premier, but I’d rather stick to racing!” said Alonso in his official diary on Ferrari's website, while insisting that “the joke our President made about a hypothetical fantasy government made up of drivers is not to be taken seriously”.
In a recent interview with Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport, di Montezemolo mischievously responded to rumors that he's on the verge of leaving Ferrari and head into Italian politics, saying that he'd take Alonso with him because “he has the strongest character and is optimistic but also a realist.”
Other “members of the government” in his futuristic mandate would include reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, because he's “smart and fast”, Nico Rosberg, for “being able to hold off Schumacher”, talented Sergio Perez and Alonso's fierce rival Lewis Hamilton, “a great champion.” Anyone left out of the picture? Right... it starts with an “M” and ends with an “a”.
Moving on to more serious stuff, Alonso is trustful that the Scuderia will come up with an improved package for the Chinese Grand Prix, able to give him a better chance at fighting for the top spots. While reckoning that “Vettel’s Red Bull seems to be out of reach”, the Spaniard is confident the new front wing prepared by Ferrari for Shanghai will help him battle at least the McLarens in qualifying.
Referring to his on-track duel with Hamilton in Malaysia, Alonso once more emphasized the fact that the contact between them was “part of racing and you have to accept it: I was quicker than him and so I had to try and pass, otherwise I would have been caught by those behind us.”
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