PARIS, France - Fernando Alonso is holding talks over his future with Ferrari, and the team's outgoing president, Luca Di Montezemolo, hopes a suitable decision can be reached.
With Ferrari failing to match either Mercedes or Red Bull for speed in 2014 and last, the Spanish driver has grown frustrated at not being able to challenge for a third title.
Montezemolo told reporters at the 2014 Paris auto show on Thursday (October 2): "Alonso is in Japan discussing his future at Ferrari. If he will stay, yes we will be pleased. If we share with him the decision for him to leave then it would be done in the best way for both parties."
STRUGGLING FERRARI
Ferrari was third in the 2013 Constructors' championship and is now fourth behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams with five races remaining, including the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on October 5.
Alonso is fourth overall but more than 100 points behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who is top of the log ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. Alonso, Drivers' champion in 2005 and 2006, Alonso has managed only two podium visits so far in 2014 and has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish GP.
Ferrari inserted veteran Kimi Raikkonen into its team in 2014 but he's struggled and is down in 11th place.
MONTEZEMOLO TO LEAVE
Montezemolo spent 23 years as Ferrari's president, overseeing Michael Schumacher winning five F1 titles and Raikkonen another. A recent decline, culminating at the 2014 Italian GP in September where Ferrari failed to put a car on the podium in its home race for the first time since 2008, led to his departure.
He will officially leave on October 13 2014 at about the same time as the stock listing of merged parent company Fiat-Chrysler and will be replaced by that company's CEO, Sergio Marchionne. Fiat now has has a 90% controlling stake in Ferrari.