Michael Schumacher made history during his Ferrari stint, by winning five world championships to his name, adding to the two he already won with Benetton. However, the story could’ve been very different, had a certain Fernando Alonso not betrayed then-Ferrari boss Jean Todt.
Rubens Barrichello was Schumacher’s teammate between 2000 to 2005, but the Brazilian mainly spent his time in the shadows of his legendary teammate. In 2001, however, things could have changed forever at Ferrari, if Alonso was signed.
The book Michael Schumacher: The Edge of Greatness, talks about how Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso were in contention for the Ferrari seat when Schumacher‘s end was near. Despite Alonso coming with more racing pedigree and better stability, Todt decided to go for Raikkonen. This was because of the betrayal he faced at the hands of Alonso back in 2001.
Fernando Alonso lied to Jean Todt about Ferrari’s contract
Alonso was one of the biggest talents in the world back in 2001. He was the new kid on the block and was deemed a future world champion which is why Ferrari wanted the Oviedo-born driver to be Schumacher’s teammate.
The book written by James Allen exposes how Alonso betrayed Todt at the last moment. “It was all done,” Todt is quoted saying. “He was to have become our test driver. We were writing up the contract. Then I found out that he had signed with someone else.”
Of course, that someone else was Renault, led by Flavio Briatore. Todt was hurt about how Alonso didn’t go ahead with his word, especially because they had finalized everything with Alonso and his manager Adrian Campos at the garden of his house.
How Alonso could’ve stopped Schumacher’s success
Alonso was just a young talent when Ferrari wanted to sign him. In fact, they only wanted him to be test driver for the time being, whereas Schumacher was in his peak, winning races consistently. However, knowing Alonso and his talent today, it was very likely that he would have made it to the team as Barrichello’s replacement in no time at all.
Alonso’s talent behind the wheel when he was Schumacher’s teammate could have led to very different outcomes for the German driver. Alonso won the 2005 and 2006 world championships with Renault, keeping Schumacher at bay with a different- some say slower- car.
Had he driven the same car as Schumacher in those dominant Ferrari years, the Spaniard could have had more titles to his name, and limited Schumacher’s success. Unfortunately, the move didn’t materialize, and Alonso ended up driving for Renault.
Nine years after his failed Ferrari negotiations, Schumacher joined the Maranello-based outfit in 2010. He was widely tipped to be the driver to bring title glory back to Maranello after Raikkonen’s win in 2007, but in his five seasons with the Scuderia, he failed to do so.
