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Alonso shoots right back at F1 after podcast promo tweet

He may no longer be on the grid, but Fernando Alonso is always just one tweet away from Formula 1 whenever his name is mentioned.

On Tuesday, the two-time world champion who ambitions to join the great Graham Hill as a recipient of motorsport's Triple Crown, popped up on Twitter to counter a headline quote from his former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo.

The Italian's comment was lifted by Formula1.com from its latest 'Beyond the Grid' podcast and bitingly used to promote the episode that will be released on Wednesday.

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Referring to Alonso's time at the House of Maranello, di Montezemolo said: "When he wins, he's happy. When he doesn't win, it's the problem of the team..."

The Spaniard retaliated with a sarcastic tweet, blending laughing emojis with a 'set the record straight' reply.

While the headline brandished by @F1 was indeed a tad inflammatory, the rest of di Montezemolo's comments on Alonso appeared rightly balanced and outright praiseful.

"He was Alonso, not Alonso-Ferrari. When he wins, he's happy. When he doesn't win, it's the problem of the team, he's unhappy," was the full quote from the former Ferrari boss.

"In other words, he's less close to the team than Michael [Schumacher] and Niki [Lauda], particularly in the difficult moments. To be close to the team in the good moments is easy.

"In terms of performance, Fernando was very good. For me, Alonso is with [Lewis] Hamilton and [Sebastian] Vettel and in the race, he's very close to Michael. In the race, Alonso was and is a fantastic driver. He lost the championship [in 2010 and 2012] not for his mistakes.

"If he won one championship, today we are talking about something different. We are talking that Alonso, despite many years he didn't have the best car, he was able to win the championship. Alonso is very strong."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.