Former Ferrari sports director: 'Never seen anyone read a race like he did'

Massimo Rivola served as sports director at Ferrari for many years. Between 2010 and 2014, he worked with Fernando Alonso, among others, who reached a high level. Rivola can still enjoy that period, he tells Il Foglio.

The Madrid native Alonso experienced his most successful years in 2005 and 2006, winning the world title twice. That did not mean that Alonso was content with that, because in the following seasons the driver did his best to win the world championship for the third time.

After a stint at McLaren and a return to Renault, he decided to join Ferrari in 2010. The Italian stable had not won a world championship since Kimi Raikkonen's victory in 2007 and Alonso wanted to change that soon.

Alonso reached sky-high levels at Ferrari

For Rivola, it was a wonderful period, as he started working with a driver of the highest calibre. "I have never seen anyone read a race like he did," he recalled in the interview with the medium. "At one point he literally made us feel like idiots in the pit lane." After his time at Ferrari, Alonso returned to McLaren and will continue at Alpine in 2022 after his first year back at the team in 2021.