0
Ferrari should have kept Fernando Alonso, according to departed designer Nikolas Tombazis. At the end of last year, in a wide-ranging team shakeup, the fabled Maranello marque ousted not only Tombazis but also the British engineer Pat Fry.
But Tombazis, who claims he is now shaping up to return to F1, told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that the apparent fruit of the revolution - the SF15-T car now raced by Sebastian Vettel - was actually designed by him. "I was working until early December, when it was already in production," he said. "I just wonder what they would have said if it had been a bad car rather than a good one."
But Tombazis says he regrets never giving the similarly-departed Alonso a title-winning Ferrari to race, adding: "In my romantic vision, Ferrari would have done well to keep him. And me." He credits Ferrari's current technical boss, James Allison, with making the good decision to put him in charge of the 2015 project "in a timely manner".
"I regret that in December they (team management) did not have the patience to wait for the results," Tombazis added. "The other (key) aspect was the modernisation of the facilities. Pat Fry changed the situation," he said.
Tombazis said the 2015 car - the only machine on this year's grid that has been able to beat the dominant Mercedes - was the first Ferrari he worked on that benefitted from an "up-to-date wind tunnel". "So I speak now of two people (Allison and Fry) with different outcomes." Asked, therefore, if he thinks himself and Fry were made scapegoats, Tombazis answered: "Partially, yes. I would have expected a different treatment." (GMM)
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
M. Verstappen
C. Sainz jr
C. Leclerc
Bahrain
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
Australia
Albert Park
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
Monaco
Monte Carlo
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Austria
Red Bull Ring
United Kingdom
Silverstone
Hungary
Hungaroring
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Italy
Monza
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Brazil
Interlagos
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
184,416 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
600,587 comments on Mercedes 56 members have this team as their favourite Tweets about Mercedes
Replies (0)
Login to reply