Horner’s comments appeared to be backed up by Montezemolo, who told RAI radio
in Italy yesterday that he did not generally like to have “two roosters in
the same hen-house”, meaning two No 1 drivers.
“Today the problem is not with drivers,” Montezemolo said ahead of his meeting
with Massa.
“Two thousand and thirteen is still to come but I don’t want to have two
roosters in the same hen-house, rather two drivers who race for Ferrari and
not for themselves. I don’t want problems and rivalries, which we didn’t
have between Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, between Schumacher and
Rubens Barrichello, between Fernando Alonso and Massa or Massa and Schumi or
Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.”
The timing of the latest speculation could be seen as an attempt to unsettle
Red Bull or Vettel at a crucial moment in the season. The German has won the
last three grands prix to establish a six-point lead over Alonso in the
drivers’ championship with four races remaining.
Equally, though, the number of sources in Italy and elsewhere claiming the
existence of an agreement between Vettel and Ferrari would suggest there is
no smoke without fire. Vettel may be looking ahead to the change in
regulations in 2014 and hedging his bets.
Vettel, whose Red Bull contract runs until the end of 2014, is believed to
have performance clauses in his contract allowing him to leave Milton Keynes
should Red Bull drop below the lofty standards they have set in recent
years. Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko — the right-hand man of
team owner Dietrich Mateschitz — has said in the past that Red Bull could
not force Vettel to stay.
It seems unlikely, however, that the 25 year-old would be in any great rush to
leave a dominant Red Bull team where he has generally had the beating of
Webber, and where he looks to be on course for a third successive world
title, to go up against Alonso on the Spaniard’s turf. Alonso’s contract
with Ferrari runs until the end of 2016.
NBC has agreed a four-year deal with Bernie Ecclestone to broadcast Formula
One in the United States from the start of the 2013 season, replacing cable
network Speed.