Ferrari have revealed that team President Luca Di Montezemelo phoned Fernando Alonso to give him a dressing down for criticising the car.

The Hungarian Grand Prix ended in disappointment for Ferrari and Alonso with the Spaniard finishing fifth and team-mate Felipe Massa down in eighth.

After the race, when asked by reporters about what he wanted for his birthday, Alonso said that he wanted a new car.

Yesterday happened to be his 32nd birthday and Di Montezemelo rang him to wish him well but also to rebuke him for his comments.

He said: "All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own. This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.”

Alonso was the latest driver linked with a move to Red Bull, although current Red Bull team leader Sebastian Vettel vetoed this idea publicly at the weekend.