Alonso denies orchestrating Fry recruitment

Fernando Alonso has denied asking Ferrari to poach Pat Fry from McLaren.

Ferrari signed the former McLaren designer last year, while Alonso - who worked with Fry during his ill-fated single season with the British team in 2007 - was racing his first year with the famous Maranello based marque.

"When he arrived, he (Fry) brought new ideas, another way of working, fresh air," Spaniard Alonso said during an interview with El Pais newspaper.

For 2011, Fry has taken over the chief engineering post formerly occupied by Chris Dyer, who took the blame for the championship-losing bungled strategy decision in Abu Dhabi.

Alonso said that, in contrast, "When making a decision, there was nothing that caught him (Fry) by surprise. It’s what we needed," he insisted.

But when asked if he played a role in Fry’s recruitment, the two-time champion said: "No. I was told about it the day before it was announced."