Ex-Ferrari Technical Chief Forghieri Blames Alonso for Team's Troubles
Mauro Forghieri, Ferrari’s influential former technical director, has criticised Fernando Alonso for failing to drive development during his tenure, arguing the Spaniard shares responsibility for the team’s lack of titles.
Mauro Forghieri, the engineer behind Ferrari’s Formula One successes in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, has publicly criticised Fernando Alonso’s role in the team’s lack of championships during the Spaniard’s five-year spell at Maranello. Forghieri argued that Alonso, who left Ferrari at the end of 2014, must accept some responsibility for the continued technical shortcomings that kept the team from adding to his two world titles.
Speaking to Italian media, Forghieri said that when a team’s car suffers the same weaknesses for several seasons, the driver’s input becomes a factor. He suggested Alonso did not provide the technical feedback needed to steer development in a more competitive direction, stating that a champion must help the team improve rather than simply highlight problems once the season is underway.
Forghieri’s Critique of Alonso’s Approach
Forghieri described Alonso as a great race driver but questioned his value as a test driver. According to Forghieri, Alonso would initially praise the car during pre-season, only to criticise it months later when results fell short. The former technical chief contrasted this with Michael Schumacher’s approach, crediting Schumacher’s relentless involvement in development and team management as key to Ferrari’s early-2000s dominance.
Alonso’s five seasons at Ferrari yielded 11 wins but no titles, with the team often coming close but unable to match Red Bull’s pace. Forghieri’s remarks suggest that while Ferrari’s technical team carried obvious responsibility, the driver’s role in shaping car development was also decisive. According to Forghieri, Alonso’s inability to manage the team’s direction set him apart from Schumacher, who built a close partnership with engineers and drove change from within.
Alonso’s Move to McLaren and Team Dynamics
Alonso left Ferrari at the end of 2014, returning to McLaren for 2015, despite a turbulent relationship with the British team during his first stint in 2007. McLaren’s leadership, including acting CEO Jonathan Neale, publicly backed Alonso’s return, seeking to put past disagreements behind them. The team’s support contrasted with Forghieri’s scepticism about Alonso’s ability to integrate and lead within a team environment.
Forghieri’s comments add to the ongoing debate about the influence a driver has over a team’s technical fortunes. While Alonso is widely respected for his racecraft, his Ferrari years continue to divide opinion over whether he extracted the maximum from the machinery or failed to drive the team forward in the way Schumacher had a decade earlier.
Comparisons with Schumacher’s Ferrari Era
Forghieri’s remarks highlight the high expectations placed on Ferrari drivers to shape the team’s direction. Schumacher’s era is often cited as the benchmark, with his detailed feedback and leadership style credited for transforming Ferrari’s fortunes. By contrast, Forghieri argued that Ferrari’s recent struggles stemmed in part from not having a driver of Schumacher’s calibre in both racing and team management.
Alonso’s career after Ferrari continued to attract scrutiny, especially as he rejoined McLaren and faced new challenges. The debate over his legacy at Maranello remains unresolved, with Forghieri’s intervention ensuring that the discussion over driver influence at Ferrari is far from settled.
