Montezemolo said Alonso, Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were clearly a cut above
the rest in Formula One and he preferred the Red Bull driver to the Briton
“because he’s younger and hasn’t been around so many teams”.
Vettel was also strongly recommended by seven times world champion Michael
Schumacher, who won five titles in a row with Ferrari.
Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, will be racing for Mercedes next year after
six years with McLaren. He will be 28 in January.
Double world champion Alonso, 31, has a contract with Ferrari until at least
the end of 2016.
“I’m immensely pleased with Alonso. He’s more than a driver, he’s a key
figure. He fits into the way the team work perfectly,” said Montezemolo of
the Spaniard who finished runner-up to Vettel this year.