Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Racing

We know, we know. The pace set on track tests doesn’t necessarily indicate how a given team, car or driver will perform in an actual race, let alone across a whole season. But it’s hard not to read too much into it when we’ve been waiting for a sign since the end of last season, when the winningest team in all of motorsports - which has been working on this car since the middle of a dismal last season - with its veteran driver recovered from injury, and with a two-time World Champion taking the helm for the first time, when all these elements come together and the team absolutely dominates.

Half of the F1 teams that’ll be competing for honors this season descended on Valencia for three days of official testing. And when all was said and done, Ferrari had dominated the time sheets on each of the three days. The first two days saw Felipe Massa run the new car, setting the fastest times on both days. Then Alonso took his turn on Day 3, beating Massa’s time and everyone else’s in the process - including returning seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher in the new Mercedes and reigning champion Jenson Button in the new McLaren.

For his part, Alonso was quick to quell speculation. Reliability, fuel loads, yadda yadda yadda. But when this is the first and only indication we have of how the season is shaping up, we can’t help but sit back and stroke our five o’clock shadows in contemplation. We invite you to do the same while viewing the mega gallery of on-track images below.

[Source: Ferrari]

Pics Aplenty: Alonso, Massa dominate Valencia testing in new Ferrari F10 originally appeared on Ferrari News on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From his brief tenure at McLaren, we know that Fernando Alonso has a bit of trouble getting along with his teammates. Especially when he doesn’t get the clear preferential treatment as the team’s #1 driver. After all, as has often been said, a driver’s teammate is his chief rival. So after Ferrari confirmed that Alonso and Felipe Massa would be put on equal footing, we smelled some trouble a-brewin’. But we didn’t expect it to start at least until the beginning of next season. Turns out, that was a bit premature, as some cracks in the relationship between the two teammates-to-be have already started to show.

Speaking with a group of journalists in his native Brazil where the F1 circus is preparing for this weekend’s grand prix, Felipe Massa said with “absolute certainty” that Alonso knew about the plan to have wingman Nelson Piquet crash to hand him the controversial victory. That’s a pretty hefty charge levied by his future teammate, and Ferrari naturally scrambled to issue a clarification (which you can read after the jump) but you can’t take back what’s already been said.

Massa was suitably - and vocally - upset when the Crashgate story broke, because without Alonso’s ill-earned victory, Massa would have won the championship last year, instead of losing to Lewis Hamilton by one point at the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the season. Better luck next year, gents.

In a deal that seems to have been years in the making, Ferrari has finally made an official announcement: Fernando Alonso will be driving for the Prancing Horse in 2010. Rumors of Alonso going to the team from Maranello started back during the Spaniard’s first stint with Renault, but circumstances with driver lineups didn’t allow for it. Instead, Alonso went to McLaren for one very unhappy season before returning to France.

Since then, Alonso’s fortunes have been mixed and stories of the Italian job have persisted. According to official statements from Ferrari today, an agreement had been reached earlier in the summer for Alonso to move to the Italian team in 2011. However, recent circumstances with the so-called Crashgate fiasco and the departure of team boss Flavio Briatore and sponsor ING have caused the date to be moved ahead a year. Alonso’s Ferrari deal runs for three years.

As expected, current driver Kimi Raikkonen will be departing a year before the end of his contract, although his future remains uncertain. Recent rumors have had him returning to McLaren, although earlier this year it was thought he might switch to the World Rally Championship.