Fernando Alonso is arriving at Ferrari because the team needs a race driver in the Michael Schumacher mould. That is the claim of team boss Stefano Domenicali as he contemplates Ferrari’s 2010 season after deciding to replace the rally-bound Kimi Raikkonen with Alonso.

“Ferrari needs someone for the team similar to Schumi,” the Italian is quoted as saying by Germany’s Auto Bild.

Domenicali said Raikkonen was “very fast, but also very closed.

“In a car that is capable of winning, he was and is perfect,” the Maranello-based outfit’s team principal continued. “But if the car needs to be developed and the team fired up, Alonso is better.”

The early signs are that Alonso might clash with fellow Latin and incumbent Felipe Massa, especially in the light of Alonso’s numerous problems at McLaren in 2007.

However, Domenicali said: “I’ve spoken to Fernando about (what happened at) McLaren. He felt betrayed, and also (said) that his relationship with Lewis was not always correct. At Maranello that will not happen. I can guarantee that.”

The Auto Bild report also said Ferrari’s 2010 car will feature distinctive nose bumps, as seen at the front of the Red Bull RB5 challenger this year.