After handing over the press an oral performance report of the team for the 2010 campaign – in which he rated Fernando Alonso as a 9.5 driver, Felipe Massa got a 7 and Ferrari were given 8 as an organization – Di Montezemolo was asked by one reporter if he plans to give Alonso a Christmas present for his contribution to the Maranello squad in 2010.
“What the heck do you give him?” he asked rhetorically. “He earns enough,” di Montezemolo continued in laughter, after which he added “And I already give him a F1 car!”
The reporter's question came after each member of the Italian media was gifted a replica model of this year's Ferrari F10 challenger. Wanting to take the joke to another level, the reporter continued “I'm not asking you what you're going to give Chris Dyer...”
As you all know, the Australian official of the Ferrari F1 Team was the one in charge with Red Bull's pit stop strategy during the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Many regard him as the main person responsible for Alonso's failed F1 title attempt, as it was the early pit stop in the Spaniard's strategy that caused him to get lost in the backfield and get stuck in traffic for the remainder of the race.
While Di Montezemolo declined to take things further, he once again emphasized the need for continuity at Maranello and insisted that no major reshuffle will happen inside the Ferrari F1 Team ahead of the 2011 campaign, except for “some adjustments.”
A similar meeting with the Italian media will take place on Thursday.
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