Fernando Alonso is pushing ahead with his plans to set up a world-class professional cycling team.
Recently, the Spaniard announced he was buying the embattled Spanish team Euskaltel-Euskadi, but the advanced negotiations broke down late last month. The Ferrari driver, however, said he would set up his own team for 2015 instead. Alonso’s manager, Luis Garcia Abad, has now told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport that the 32-year-old’s plans are already well advanced.
He said “some agreements with sponsors are already signed”, while the launch date for the 2015 project is already set: “The first rest day of the next Tour (de France),” Abad announced. “Fernando has said he wants to bring the best of formula one to cycling, and vice versa,” he added. “This means technology, research, marketing, promotion, new tools such as telemetry, a medical centre. “The intention is to do something new and avoid the problem of doping,” Abad explained.
He also said the sponsors of Alonso’s team will be new to cycling, but denied speculation the Ferrari sponsor Banco Santander is one of them. “It’s better to keep the business of F1 and cycling separate,” said Abad.
Info: GMM, Image: Ferrari
