Di Montezemolo: Alonso went into crisis when he doubted himself

Alonso began his Ferrari career in spectacular style, winning in his debut for the team at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix launching what appeared to be a match made in heaven, but in the long run turned into an inferno.

But in the end, Alonso in red did not deliver on the promise despite coming desperately close on more than one occasion. In 95 starts for the team, he was runner-up thrice to the might of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel. He scored forty-six podiums of which 10 were wins.

At the time the Reds were led by the charismatic Di Montezemolo who at the end of 2009 paid a bundle to urge Kimi Raikkonen to leave the team to make way for the Spaniard who joined for the next season, partnering Felipe Massa.

Di Montezemolo was team chief in the mid-seventies when, with Niki Lauda, he resurrected the team. In 1991 he became Ferrari president with the Scuderia always close to his heart.

It all ended in 2014 in a coup d'equipe led by the late Sergio Marchionne which led to the ousting of Di Montezemolo who, in a revealing interview with BBC, gave interesting insights into the Alonso years with the world's most famous team.

The former Ferrari boss revealed that 2014, his final year at the helm, was the worst season of his career in F1 when it dawned on him and his team how badly they had messed up with the turbo hybrid engines.

Di Montezemolo recalled how Kimi Raikkonen drove the Ferrari F14T during testing for the first time in Jerez that year, "He told me: There is no power in the engine. The third day was Fernando and he told me exactly the same. And I understood that the season was over because it was impossible to work on the engine because under the rules it was frozen."

"I think that was the moment Fernando said [to himself]: If I continue to stay at Ferrari, I will never again win a championship. Because it was really a shocking moment."

Meanwhile, Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel, a four times world champion at the start of 2014, were in contact at around this point in time as Di Montezemolo revealed, "He came to my home with a very nice box of Swiss chocolates because he lives in Switzerland. It was before the start of the season."

"To make the story short, he told me: Listen, if this season, as I suspect, I do not win the championship, I want to come to drive for Ferrari."

Amid this sideshow was internal turmoil within Maranello which saw longtime team principal Stefano Domenicali ousted and replaced by Marco Mattiacci who was cool on Alonso and with Spaniard baulking, Vettel became the target.

Montezemolo explained, "Fernando at the beginning said yes, and then said no, and then said: I don't want to renew. Mattiacci was very in favour to [end] the relationship with Alonso, without even doing deep negotiations to find a way to renew. I was not so convinced."

"If Alonso had come to me and said: Listen, I believe. I want to stay because I think Ferrari is Ferrari and I am sure next year we can improve, I would have signed in 30 seconds. My concern was that in my conversations with Fernando, I always remember him very doubtful, very critical, a person who didn't really believe in the possibility that Ferrari can be competitive in 2015."

"Mattiacci decided if we can have Vettel, it is better for both of us to change. For [Alonso] because if he stayed it will be with a lot of doubts in his mind; for us because we don't have a very motivated driver. Vettel wants to push, he loves Ferrari. Michael [Schumacher] was the best supporter of Vettel to me."

"So in the end, I said: I agree. If the situation with Fernando is still that he doesn't want to take a final decision, he wants to wait, he is not happy, he complains, it is better to let him go. Maybe he can find an opportunity outside and, for us, fresh air."

Then Fiat president Sergio Marchionne entered the as Di Montezemolo recalled, "Until a certain moment, I did everything that was possible to have Alonso convinced and motivated for the future."

"Then, two elements: I was sure to leave Ferrari. So I didn't want to push Fernando too much because I was not able to keep my word with him. It was not correct for me to convince Fernando to stay and then leave. Fernando: Listen, why did you not tell me you were going to leave?"

"And second because what I have seen of Fernando did not convince. For me, the mind of the driver is the most important. I never discussed money with Alonso before he decided to leave," he continued. "Money was not on the table, at least in my discussions with him. Never."

"In other words, he did not decide to leave Ferrari for money, and we did not decide not to try to do our biggest effort to keep him because of money."

"He was not motivated, he was not sure, with a lot of doubts. And the father of Fernando had also a big influence on him. His father said: No, it is time for you to change."

Finally, it was decided to end Alonso's contract with protocol dictating the driver and Mattiacci meet to do the deed, "I remember one thing very well. It was the beginning of September, before Monza. So, 5/6 September."

"Marchionne was in my office, and I said: Listen, because you will come in my position, I want you to talk with Vettel. At that time, he had not signed formally yet. But everything was decided, confirmed between Mattiacci and Vettel."

"It was just a few days before Marchionne arrived to replace [me]. So my position was to be correct, to put Marchionne at least in touch with Vettel on the telephone."

"Marchionne was in my office, him and me together, Vettel in his home, and Vettel said: I am very happy. And Marchionne said: I am very happy. I know from Luca you will be our driver, so I am looking forward to see your signature. And he said: It is just a question of the lawyers getting together."

Di Montezemolo suspected that McLaren and Alonso were hatching a deal, "What is for sure is that Alonso decided to leave Ferrari at the end of August - already decided. When he went to Sakura, it was the last push. I don't remember if he decided [to join McLaren] before, but it was the last push."

Alonso (supposedly) drives his final Grand Prix when he lines up on the grid on Sunday at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit, an occasion when many will reflect on a legendary career on the top flight.

Love him or not Alonso's presence will be sorely missed, and for Di Montezemolo those missed opportunities still pain him, "I will always look back with sadness that the partnership between Ferrari and Alonso didn't work. He is still one of the best drivers on the grid now."

"Despite not having the best car, the team did a fantastic job. This was a shame because, despite everything that happened in 2010 and 2012, we could have won the championship."

"Fernando has always been a very stable guy but he went into a crisis with himself from 2013. He began to doubt himself," reckoned Di Montezemolo.