Ferrari assures that everything is fine with Santander

The case of the consultant from Red Bull is settled in a single paragraph with vitriol: « If there is one thing that makes the Horse Whisperer jump, it’s lies. It is possible to have a difference of opinion, it is possible to have heated debates, it is possible to smile when someone claims to see spies where there are none or laugh at those who occasionally try to be in touch with spirits. But when lies are spoken, the Horse Whisperer cannot let it pass. »

Ferrari is referring here to Helmut Marko’s statements after the Barcelona race, where he was surprised to see the Scuderia’s responsiveness to their strategy changes concerning Mark Webber: « We noticed that Ferrari is conducting some sort of espionage. We called Mark into the pits later than planned. Yet they managed to have Alonso come in at the same time. They were able to react to what we were doing. » It didn’t take much for old espionage demons to resurface, especially for a team that has itself been involved in one of the most famous espionage cases in F1.

But the barrage of criticism set up by the team focused on the journalist from As, one of the main Spanish newspapers, who reported on a heated discussion between Emilio Botin, the president of Santander, and Stefano Domenicali, the team manager of the racing team. Raul Romojaro committed a crime of lèse-majesté since the Spanish bank is one of the team’s main sponsors. This was all the more unfortunate because Fernando Alonso had just announced the extension of his contract in Maranello for five additional seasons.

The team therefore wanted to let it be known that everything was going as well as possible: Someone in Spain, perhaps a victim of heatstroke, invented a science-fiction story about an alleged discussion in the pits that supposedly took place on Saturday afternoon after the qualifying session, between the team principal of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Stefano Domenicali, and the president of Santander, Emilio Botin. Unfortunately for the journalist in question, who was not present at the Circuit de Catalunya and is not a regular visitor to circuits, not only is the story false but also the context in which he revealed it.

If there is indeed a relationship that is going at full speed, it is the one between the Prancing Horse and Santander, one of the main partners of the Scuderia. You can ask the same thing to the bank’s representatives, and they will give you the same answer. Those hoping to stir things up would do well to calm down and perhaps check their information with the main parties involved before starting to write.

Of course, the Scuderia’s sponsors must be delighted to see Fernando Alonso finish more than a lap behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. The announcement of Aldo Costa’s resignation as technical director of the Scuderia the day after this performance is also a sign that everything is rosy within the team… Move along, there’s nothing to see!

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr