You know Formula 1 is going through a strange phase when drivers aren’t even allowed to speak their minds anymore and are even restricted from posting what they want on their own Twitter accounts – oh, wait; that has been happening for a long time now…

Believe it or not, Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said he’ll ban Scuderia driver Fernando Alonso from posting Ferrari-related topics on his personal Twitter account.

“We will prohibit him from Twitter,” Montezemolo reportedly said during in interview with Italy’s national television Rai Uno this week. “Although Alonso, like anyone else, can write on Twitter what he wants, everything concerning Ferrari will be communicated by Ferrari,” added the boss from Maranello. He failed to say how he will force Alonso to comply, but I guess a Ferrari boss has his means.

If you’re wondering why di Montezemolo has resorted to such an absurd move, it’s because Fernando Alonso has made a series of disparaging remarks earlier this year about the development of Ferrari’s Formula 1 car.

The Spaniard criticized his car after finishing fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, and di Montezemolo was quick to react, saying that “all the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the needs of the team ahead of their own interests” and that Alonso makes no exception.

One thing is for sure: this dispute between Ferrari’s boss and the team’s best driver is counterproductive, especially ahead of a season that brings radical technical changes – not to mention personnel changes as well, with the outspoken Raikkonen replacing the quiet Massa as Alonso’s teammate.

By Dan Mihalascu

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