Every few years in Formula 1 the silly season goes into overdrive while the teams wait for the biggest driver on the market to make his move.

The word in the F1 paddock in Monte Carlo is that Fernando Alonso has just inked a deal to drive for Ferrari in 2010. No confirmation is expected of one year and may not be the negation of any agreement, since it obviously would be an imitation of serious consequences for other parties in the F1 paddock. Alonso was at Renault this year after splitting with McLaren unexpectedly late last season. It was a temporary solution for the Spanish, but dressed as the big return to the team, he won two world championships. This year, the team's performance was quite disappointing and Fernando has scored just nine points, while Nelson Piquet has failed to score and the team is languishing in seventh place in the constructors championship. Barring a dramatic improvement soon the team will have no hope of finishing the year better than fourth in the championship, and there have been rumors for some time that ING may be looking around at other options. Fernando has made no secret of its intention to consider other offers if they are sensible. It was a trip to fish at Ferrari for some time. It may seem like a movement rather than early, but in these days in F1 deals taking place much earlier than it used to be the case. Trying to Kimi Raikkonen in Ferrari, which started in 2007, was first reported as is the case in October 2005. Alonso 2007 deal with McLaren was announced in December 2005. So now would be the time the offer has been made for 2010.

It's finally out! Fernando Alonso is going to drive for Ferrari! (YouTube)