Fernando Alonso has poured more cold water on suggestions that he may be a
Ferrari driver next season, by insisting that he will not be making an announcement on his future at next weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
Monza has long been favoured by the Scuderia as the backdrop for confirmation of the following season's line-up but, despite ongoing speculation that he could be wearing scarlet next year, Alonso insists that any revelation about his future will not be that quick in coming.
"I will decide very soon on what I will do next year and what possibilities there are, but there is not a fixed day," the
Renault star told reporters at Spa-Francorchamps, "And I will
not be making an announcement at Monza. It is not true."
Rumours linking the double world champion to Maranello took on a more serious complexion at the Monaco Grand Prix, when it was reported that Alonso had signed a deal to join Ferrari in 2010, after his current two-year deal with Renault expires. However, with an opt-out clause built in to his contract, and suggestions that
Kimi Raikkonen may call time on his career at the end of 2008, much has been made of an earlier switch to the Scuderia.
Having quit
McLaren after an acrimonious season alongside
Lewis Hamilton in 2007, the 27-year old Alonso has endured a frustrating campaign with the Renault team that took him to both his world title, prompting speculation that he would not see out his contract at Enstone. BMW-Sauber and
Honda have both been included on the list of suitors in recent months, but opting for another potential one-year deal appears unlikely to either provide Alonso with the front-running ride he craves or satisfy the demands of those pursuing him.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has repeatedly dismissed the rumours linking Alonso to the Scuderia, last week claiming that Raikkonen and
Felipe Massa would remain together year, and earlier dismissing the Spaniard as a disruptive influence that would not be welcome at Maranello.
