Fernando Alonso fighting to revive faded Ferrari glory

A STROLL along Melbourne's Lygon Street yesterday highlighted a decline - almost into irrelevance - of a sporting legend in recent times.

A STROLL along Melbourne's Lygon Street yesterday highlighted a decline - almost into irrelevance - of a sporting legend in recent times, at least locally.

At the turn of the century it seemed every second shopfront sported an image of the Prancing Horse year round, not just come grand prix weekend. Few restaurants could afford not to proclaim an allegiance for fear of losing business.

Back then, Michael Schumacher's Ferrari seemed jet-propelled, so swiftly did he zip around Albert Park en route to three straight titles.

After each Australian Grand Prix win, the Carlton strip held a verve as spicy as the sauces of some of the better restaurants as Ferrari fans crossed town from South Melbourne to celebrate. A Ferrari triumph thickened the wallets of business owners in Melbourne's inner-north.

However, few fans want to associate with failure.

It is now six years since Kimi Raikkonen steered his Ferrari to victory in Melbourne, and five seasons since Scuderia Ferrari, the most successful car constructor in F1 history, claimed its 16th manufacturer's championship. Red Bull is currently the one to beat.

And it shows in Carlton. Forza Italia, an apparel store, is emblazoned with an image of the black stallion and a cardboard cut-out of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, but you would expect that, given its targeted consumers. The restaurant Mercadante sported a banner of the Prancing Horse and of Schumacher following his victory in 2000, but there was precious little elsewhere.

The only indication along Lygon Street that the GP was actually on this weekend came via a small poster of Mark Webber.

But any place other than the top of the podium is one all at Ferrari are uncomfortable with. According to Alonso and teammate Felipe Massa, who did the promotional rounds in Melbourne yesterday, the motivation to return Ferrari to the top is a driving factor this season.

"I feel privileged to have fought for the world championship two times in the last three years," Alonso said.

"Not many people have that opportunity. We lost two times in the last three years and we want to fight again this year. Hopefully we can change that final result ... it gives us extra motivation."

While Alonso feels his car is better than last season's, he is only cautiously optimistic, such is the uncertainty surrounding the year's first race.

"This year I expect the top five teams to have a little bit of an advantage and not many surprises in the first few races," he said.

While signs of F1 action may have been sparse on Lygon Street, according to organisers almost 70,000 people took advantage of free entry to the track yesterday to celebrate 60 years since the first Australian Grand Prix.