President Luca di Montezemolo claims Raikkonen-Alonso pairing 'not desirable'.
Despite widespread rumours suggesting that the double world champion could be on his way to join current title-holder Kimi Raikkonen in a Ferrari 'dream team', Fernando Alonso could yet find himself frozen out by a wary Scuderia.
Much has been made about former McLaren pilot Alonso using Renault as a stopping-off point as he journeys between Formula One's two foremost teams of recent years, fuelled by the Spaniard consistently listing Ferrari among his preferred destinations as he seeks to return to winning way, but the Italian giant may not be quite so willing to go along with the plan.
Speaking to Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport, marque president Luca di Montezemolo appeared to play down the chances of pairing the two men who have captured the past three world titles between them.
"To line up a Raikkonen-Alonso double act would mean wanting to damage yourself," he said, alluding to the acrimonious situation in which Alonso found himself after being challenged on track by rookie Lewis Hamilton in 2007, "I want two equal drivers that work together."
Alonso has denied having an escape clause in his current Renault contract, but has made no secret of the fact that he wants to be winning races in 2009.
Although he insists that he would prefer to be doing so with the regie, Ferrari heads the list of alternative employers that the Spaniard would be happy to join if it meant a return to the success he enjoyed between 2005-07.
"Two years ago, when I won my second world title, [winning more races] wasn't a priority any more," he admitted to Spain's El Pais earlier this week, "Now, however, I have gone back and have the desire. Maybe 99 per cent of the time I think about winning again.
"My first option is to continue with Renault if it can build a winning car, but I do not want to keep fighting to make it into Q3. What I want is to race in a car that can give me victories. There are some teams - Williams, Toyota, BMW and Ferrari - that are always on top, no matter what...."
While Raikkonen is likely to remain a fixture at Maranello for the foreseeable future, team-mate Felipe Massa remains under threat, despite extending his contract through to 2010 late last season. The Brazilian failed to score in either of the opening two races of 2008, before winning comfortably in Bahrain. The next two races are both at circuits that the Brazilian favours, so he could still turn opinion around, but the Scuderia would not be short of replacements should it choose to look.
While it does not currently have a young charger on its books, as it did when Massa was testing, the Italian outfit would surely have its pick of those climbing the ladder, particularly if it could add a second successive title to Raikkonen's 2007 triumph. As Alonso points out, contracts can be made 'flexible', potentially opening the doors of Maranello to the likes of Sebastian Vettel or Robert Kubica.
