Raptor22 wrote:Kimi's availability was not the issue. It was tempting but Ferrari knew they wanted Alonso already and they wanted to open that door. Alonso was not going to go to Ferrari whileit was Schumacher's team.
th eimmediate plot was that Montezemolo really wanted to reassert himself as the dominant figure in the team and that meant moving the old guard out. Kimi being available was the perfect tool needed to help Schumacher retire. Often you will see a quote from Schumacher on being tired of the politics. He is no refering just to F1 but also closer to home within Ferrari.
Marlboro was leaving, Santander was knockin on thr door and they had their driver with them. Monte needed to make this happen.
Was it the right decision? Was it the right way to go about the change? Maybe and No.
A couple of things, though: Alonso signed with McLaren at the end of
2005, long before there was any outward indication that Schumacher was on the way out. And by all appearances, the Alonso/McLaren relationship seemed to be long-term, because one of the reasons he signed and publicly announced it so early is because he said it was his life-long dream to drive for McLaren. So, I really don't think his status played a role in Schumacher's departure in any way.
Also, despite all appearances to the contrary, Philip Morris is
still the title sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari to this day. Even with the loss of Vodafone, there was little need to go out and court additional sponsorship.
However, when it comes to the
old guard, I think you're absolutely right. "Dream Team" or not, nothing lasts forever, and it was incumbent upon Montezemolo to bring in fresh blood. But, don't forget that he hired Todt, Brawn, Schumacher, et al; he didn't have to assert his control any further than that.
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