Fernando Alonso had already decided to leave Ferrari more than a year ago after growing tired of unfulfilled promises made by the Scuderia.

That’s according to Flavio Briatore, who has played a major role in Alonso’s management throughout his Formula One career.

After five years at Maranello, Alonso decided to return to McLaren for 2015 to drive alongside Jenson Button in the team’s new works Honda era.

But according to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, Briatore says that Alonso had already made up his mind to leave Ferrari in 2013.

“It was a gentlemen’s agreement with (Luca di) Montezemolo,” Briatore said. “‘If the (2014) car is not up to it, adios’. All it needed was a handshake.

“Fernando was tired of the usual refrain: ‘You’ll see, the next one will be a winning car’,” Briatore continued.

It was also suggested that Alonso and Briatore had urged Ferrari to use its veto power to stop the move from the old V8 formula to turbo V6s for the 2014 and following seasons.

“The problem in 2013,” Briatore said, “was clearly the aerodynamics, as with regards to the engine we (Ferrari) were right there with the competition.

“So there was this ‘leap in the dark’ taken with the engine.

“He (Alonso) also felt the efforts made in the recruitment of technical staff was insufficient – that Ferrari should be wooing the number 1, not the number 25!” he added.

With Alonso now moving to McLaren, where his 2007 tenure with the team ended in a very unamicable manner, but Briatore said: “Time heals everything.”

Briatore went on to deny that Alonso demanded that his 2015 teammate be Jenson Button as has been rumoured by the media.

“It was an internal matter concerning sponsorships,” Briatore said. “But we are happy because he (Button) is a good guy, smart, clever. He has already worked with Fernando in my team (Renault).”