Phil wrote:Perhaps Alonso isn't very happy due to the way the car can't get him where he wants to go - and after investing 5 seasons of energy and not seeing much improvement (actually, the opposite seems to be the case), I'm not sure how motivating to the team he would be. Perhaps a new driver, a future without Alonso, would spark the team in ways that might see them improve. Crucially, I think this is where Stefano just lacked the balls (for lack of a better word) to do what is necessary. I don't think there is any doubt about Alonso's qualities as a driver - but I do put a question mark behind how good he is for the (that) team as a whole. There's only one way to find out.
What looks like suicide at the moment, might just prove to be the step in the right direction for Ferrari.
IMO, these questions only pop up in moments of serious doubt. If that's what going on at Ferrari, they simply don't know what else to do. "Still nothing. Hey you know what we haven't tried? Replacing our best driver." A driver is still a driver. He gives feedback about the car, but generally development of the car is 99% engineering work. Alonso neither engineers or manages the engineering team.
A new driver should be an investment for the future. Alonso explicitly said that he still wants to do several years, so it doesn't look like it's the right time to replace him. In Schumacher's case it did made sense, but simply not in this case.
Maybe we'll get to a decent reason eventually, Ferrari has been keeping this very internally, but with what info there's in the public now, it doesn't make sense.
