Ferrari to decide whether to keep Raikkonen or hire Alonso

FLORENCE, Italy -- Ferrari will decide within a few weeks whether to keep Kimi Raikkonen or hire Fernando Alonso for next season.

Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo spoke Wednesday at an academic ceremony.

According to the Apcom news agency, Montezemolo said, "What's for sure is that we will have a Brazilian driver who deserves another chance, seeing as that, thank God, he's OK. Beyond that we're reflecting on the best choice."

Brazilian driver Felipe Massa is recovering from an accident at the Hungarian GP. Ferrari recently hired Giancarlo Fisichella to replace Massa until the end of this season.

Montezemolo added that Ferrari's 2010 car is already "halfway through testing."

Montezemolo said he was "very sorry" about the indefinite ban for Flavio Briatore from Formula One after Renault ordered former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash at last year's Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Alonso win.

"Briatore was one of the protagonists of Formula One in the last 20 years," Montezemolo told the ANSA news agency. "We're talking about a serious and delicate matter, but I hope and wish that the penalty he received is reduced very soon."