Former-Ferrari driver Alain Prost is expecting trouble at his former team next season following the announcement that Fernando Alonso will partner Kimi Raikkonen.
Alonso has only ever partnered a ‘top’ driver once before during his 12-year Formula 1 career and that was during the 2007 season when he went up against rookie Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.
The relationship was frought with tension and ended with the Spaniard leaving the team before his contract had expired.
It’s unclear exactly what the reason for the trouble was, but many believe it was the result of going up against a rookie and not being favoured by McLaren’s management.
Prost is hopeful that history won’t repeat itself and says the idea of two ‘number one’ drivers in the same team is a positive for Ferrari.
“Speaking as a fan I would say it is good to have two number ones together,” he said.
“I think it’s a choice born from a certain tension between Fernando and the Scuderia that has been clearly evident during the year.”
However, the pairing could potentially sour if Ferrari’s management fails to manage it well, which is something Prost fears Stefano Domenicali may struggle with.
“Now he [Alonso] will no longer be the undisputed number one, at least not initially, and I’m not sure Stefano Domenicali has the ability of a Jean Todt or a Ross Brawn to handle a situation like this.
“In Italy the press applies a lot of pressure, so I presume that sooner or later there will be trouble,” he added.
