Alonso wants a win within three months or no 2018 deal

2017 F1 season

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Fernando Alonso has issued a clear warning to McLaren that he will not re-sign for 2018 unless he wins a race soon.

The two-times world champion has returned to Formula One this weekend after racing at the Indianapolis 500 two weeks ago.

Canadian GP build-up in pictures
During today’s pre-race press conference Alonso said the team “have to win” again.

“You know, if we are winning before September or something like that I will make a decision and I will stay,” he said.

Alonso has previously indicated he will not make a decision on his future beyond the end of the season until after the summer break in August.

McLaren executive director Zak Brown indicated this week McLaren will sever its relationship with Honda unless the Japanese manufacturer makes immediate improvements to its power unit.

“What Zak commented yesterday and the Honda thing is probably what you will expect Zak to say,” said Alonso. “He wants to win; he wants to put McLaren again on a contender position for the championship.”

“After three years we are not in that position. Things have to change, I guess, for the team. And the same with me. I want to win, and I joined this project because I wanted to be world champion and we are not in that position.”

“So, if you don’t see things changing and you are not in a competitive position, maybe you change projects. That’s the only think that I can say now, until I sit down with myself in September, October or whatever – after the summer as I always said, I cannot say 100 per cent about anything now. The best decision I will take after summer.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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141 comments on “Alonso wants a win within three months or no 2018 deal”

  1. Back to Renault again?

  2. Chris Quintanilla
    8th June 2017, 22:40

    Well I want Alonso in F1 in 2018, should we break out the sprinklers?

    1. I don’t see what Verstappen winning will do for McLaren or Alonso…

  3. Purely speculation, perhaps he wouldn’t be saying this if he hadn’t retired in Indianapolis. That really must’ve taken the biscuit

  4. This is basically another way of saying “I’m out of here”. There’s a greater chance of myself becoming a F1 world champion as a McHonda winning a race this season. Or the next 3 (if there even is a McHonda in the future)

  5. I’m afraid Alonso really doesn’t have any options except try his best to get Kimi’s seat for next year (unlikely as it is). Renault is not ready to win, and won’t be for at least 5 more years. The rest aren’t really options.

    1. 2 seats up for grabs at Mercedes in 2018?

      1. No just one…LH has one seat and FA will have VB’s.

        1. Ah – thought Hamilton’s contract was up at end of 2017. Thanks Robbie.

          1. No problem. I made that mistake earlier at the start of the season in a post and was corrected. I just thought you might have been going along with some suggestions by a few posters that somehow LH would leave Mercedes ahead of his contract, which I don’t buy for a second.

        2. Still a fair chance that LH quits at the end of 2017.
          2 years without a title might do it for him. Especially if (also) beaten or challenged by VB.
          @robbie

          1. @f1-liners Well that would certainly be a shocker to the F1 world wouldn’t it? I simply can’t see it, especially not as a ‘fair chance’ but who knows right? But I doubt VB will truly be beating LH and the math, in the same natural way as Kimi has described, may see them having at some point to have LH ahead of Bottas wherever possible. Not in a malicious way…just a prudent way due to SV’s strength this season. As I see it the only way VB would have a chance to still be in it is if KR starts taking points away from SV, taking a bit of pressure off Merc to favour LH.

  6. So basically Alonso says no 2018 deal to McLaren.

    1. He’s actually saying (read his quotes) the opposite; he guarantees to sign if winning this year.
      A bit like more ‘yes if’ than ‘no unless’.

      But of course that would be as exciting as a headline ;)

      1. Ya. I think Alonso knows McLaren won’t win though

  7. Yeah Nah.
    I think Alonso has his heart set on somewhere else, maybe a Renault seat once again.
    He won’t go to Ferrari if Vettel stays there (he’s already proved he’s not a Raikkonen) and Mercedes will never work if he’s made to work with Hamilton again.
    It looks like his patience ran out at the start of this year – it was probably Honda’s last chance to advance to competitiveness and they spectacularly failed.
    Here’s hoping that Alonso moves to a team where he’s competing for wins – or that McLaren use Vandoorne as a pawn in Singapore somewhere…

    1. Hahaha Alonso already know what to do on that case.

    2. Only an Alonso fan would wish for a repeat of crashgate. But to be fair, it’s probably the only chance Alonso has of ever winning another F1 race…

    3. No refuels now – pawns will not help.

    4. What for? To advance Fernando from 18th to 12th?

      1. Only to retire with a quarter of a race to go…

  8. Alonso to replace Bottas for 2018.

    1. I’m guessing Alonso to replace Lewis for 2018.

      1. @todfo Mercedes won’t sign somebody who black mailed them in the past.

        1. I don’t think they ever black mailed Merc – it was McLaren.

    2. Not a chance. They don’t need him and he has way too much baggage now.

    3. Alonso to Indycar.

  9. So….erm….Button to return in 2018? Or maybe Mclaren will be desparate for a pay driver by then…..

    1. Maldonado!

  10. Renault wont win until 2020. Its the 5 year thing with big F1 investments. Schumacher at Ferrari joined 96 won 2000. RedBull joined 2006 won 2010. Merc started 2010 won 2014. Renault joined 2016 win 2020 1st year of new engine rules? Alonso cannot wait that long. All or nothing v Hamilton for revenge, nothing to lose as if does not go there no chance to win. Ferrari? Doubt it. Or Merc quit and throw weight behind McLaren for 2018 or 2019?

    1. @markp Actually Mercedes won in 2012 and Mercedes won’t sign Alonso, i bet my house on that.

      1. @revelations Yeah, but the first championship titles came in 2014, so that’s when they started winning properly.

    2. “Schumacher at Ferrari joined 96 won 2000.”
      Nah, that’s not what happend. The 1996 was a development season and right away in 1997 their car was equally as good as the dominant Williams and fighting for the championship, and each following year they were a contender as well, despite the fact that the new technical rules introduced in 1998 shuffled the whole field.

      1. There’s no way Ferrari was as good as Williams in 1997. Schumi’s season back then was similar to what Alonso did 2012, or what Prost did in ’86 – he was the only reason Ferrari was in contention til the final race.
        In 1998 and 1999 they couldn’t really measure up to McLaren, although they did close a fair bit by the end of ’99.
        2000 was the first time Schumacher had equal machinery with the McLaren’s.

    3. Ferrari had good shots at the title already in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and won three races in 1996…

      1. I was referencing winning as in titles. The ifs and buts of could of should have won earlier do not matter as the facts were the number of years it took to win titles from the start of the project. So Ferrari in 96 took 5 seasons to win in 2000. Red Bull 2006 to 2010 etc.

        1. Red bull joined in 2005.

          Another one: Renault bought Benetton in 2001 (raced first year as Benetton though) and won titles in 2005

  11. Maybe Alonso thinks he has a decent chance of winning a few Indycar races next year. After all, he was running at the head of the field when the Honda engine failed.

    1. Imho why would he do that when he can be in a win-capable Mercedes next year?

      1. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but seven months ago when Rosberg retired McLaren easily could of used Alonso as a bargaining chip to get Mercedes engines when Mercedes inquired about him. What will get McLaren further up the grid, a Mercedes engine or Fernando Alonso?

        1. When Rosberg retired McLaren didn’t know the Honda engine would be so woefully uncompetitive, so there didn’t exist a question of trading Alonso for the Merc engine l.

          1. @sravan-pe I get that, but did they really expect to overtake Ferrari & Renault engines and beat a Mercedes?

          2. @bamboo
            They probably didn’t. But then McLaren were convinced that Honda would improve from it’s 2016 form just enough to at least compete well inside in the mid-field. They probably weren’t considering Mercedes engines too much before the pre-season tests.

  12. petebaldwin (@)
    8th June 2017, 23:39

    “You know, if we are winning before September or something like that I will make a decision and I will stay.”

    Well we all know McLaren won’t be winning by September so he’s done with McLaren. I think he wants to stay in F1 but if he doesn’t get a competitive seat, he’ll go to Indycar.

    1. @petebaldwin I too think he is definitely not done with F1, and I see no reason whatsoever that he won’t be replacing VB. I can’t see anything else happening and I’m going to hold to that until an official announcement confirms me either right or wrong.

      1. No reason whatsoever? What if Bottas beats Lewis? Or if he even wins the WDC?
        Long shot maybe but plenty of races and R+D to go yet.

      2. BoomBangPeng
        9th June 2017, 10:03

        Zetsche won’t have him back under any circumstances. Mercedes is not going to happen. Toto might make the right noises in public, but thats just how this game works.

  13. I am an Alonso fan but have to admit I don’t get what he is trying to achieve by his statement. He has NOWHERE to go in F1. As I see it:

    Merc – Hamilton is under contract and although Bottas only for this season, he is doing good so far and will most likely be back. And even if he does get dropped, Hamilton wouldn’t accept ALO as a teammate and for good reason – they are like oil and water and would make the HAM/ROS pairing look like a love fest. Highly unlikely.
    Ferrari – Vettel is looking strong and could win the WDC. There is no way in hell Ferrari would bring ALO in. Even if Red says bye bye to Kimi, Vettel will have a say in who he partners with and it won’t be ALO.
    Red Bull – No chance here as both drivers are locked up.
    Renault – I thought this would be his best option but…Prost does not think ALO would be good for Renault as ALO wants to win next year and Renault needs more time. And they have admitted they fancy Perez and want to sign him pronto.. May depend on how much clout Prost has.

    I think he will have to stay with McLaren if he wants to stay in F1. They may divorce Honda and go back to Merc engines unless the former pull off a miracle. This would be his best chance of being competitive but chances of a WDC would be very slim indeed.

    Other than that, he could join the Indy car series which is hard to believe as he wants another WDC.
    It’s sad for F1 except for his critics but his future looks very bleak. But that’s only my opinion – I hope I am wrong.

    1. No, back up a second. Your FA has a great option. Mercedes.

      To your reasons against Mercedes for FA…VB won’t necessarily ‘likely be back’ not when TW can have two WDC’s on the team. Especially if Ferrari wins this season, but even if they don’t. Merc are racers and will feel the need to go up against Ferrari with more than a 1 and a 2. They’d rather have two 1’s to maximize their position and have shown they’re unafraid of a strong pairing. LH won’t have a say in this, and the oil and water part is 10 years ago. This is now. I cannot see TW watching FA go elsewhere.

      For me the only argument anybody has against FA to Mercedes is the tired old concept about FA/LH from 07 at Mac and that is sooooo insignificant relative to what Mercedes will need going forward with a resurgent Ferrari on their hands and LH in his last year of contract with Mercedes. What would TW do if he passed on FA now, and lost LH after next year?

      Furthermore, TW always said of the LH/ NR pairing that as hard as it was sometimes, they are racers at heart and more importantly the fans deserved to see them allowed to race each other, not have things settled in a boardroom with team orders. Sure they play that game a little here and there when it was only prudent as circumstances arose during the odd race, but they would really rather not, and especially not designate a number one from the start of the season. They just don’t roll that way.

      And can you imagine the attention to the team they’ll get starting later this season once they announce FA to Mercedes? Massive. As big news as SV winning the WDC this year instead of a Mercedes.

      1. I hope you are right but I disagree with you concerning the amount of power Hamilton has with Merc. He recently said Alonso coming to Merc won’t happen. I assume he means as long as he is at Merc. And I think he did have a say in the Bottas decision if only by endorsing him publicly – claiming he wouldn’t be a disruptive teammate.
        It would definitely be good for F1 but I don’t think Merc will take the gamble when there are drivers such as Perez available.
        We will know soon.

        1. I think LH has also said he doesn’t care who his teammate is. I think some of the commentary that occurred was before we saw that Merc is no longer run-away dominant. They’re not any more. Things have changed since the season has started and we have seen where they’re at.

          I don’t think LH knew who his new teammate would be until they told him. Any comments he made about VB would have been when he was just one of the options out there, and then after he was officially announced. I don’t think LH has any say in the decision making.

          Simply put…what’s the gamble? TW is afraid to have a driver who many would argue is better than LH? Because of a bit of potential tension? It might make LH uncomfortable? The same LH that threw his team under the bus last year? I suppose if TW was worried at all, it might be that LH would go back to throwing his toys out of his pram, but please…TW would throw away a chance for one of the best drivers in the world because of a few potential hissy fits? Come on. There’s hundreds of millions at stake and there’s pride and there’s Ferrari now. Surely you would agree a bit of tension is the least of their concerns?

          1. Sundar Srinivas Harish
            9th June 2017, 2:20

            That’s incorrect. In a later interview Hamilton stated that he does care who his teammate is.

            “It’s important who we have in the second car,” he said in an interview with Channel 4. “It’s important for the team’s morale. We’ve seen in other teams and times [that] it can be a poisonous effect on a team, the arch-rivalry between drivers.”

            https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-teammate-relationship-needs-to-be-no-worse-than-with-rosberg-859587/

          2. Sundar Srinivas Harish
            9th June 2017, 2:22

            Addendum: It was Rosberg who said that Hamilton did not care who his teammate was. Maybe it was true when they were still friends, but probably not anymore. Just an example of how the relationship has broken down.

          3. I think you have answered your question @robbie

            Assuming that FA is seriously being considered for the second Merc seat, TW’s biggest concern will be “What happens if FA turns up and starts getting the better of LH right from the get go?”.

            I’m not saying this will happen, but its a very possible scenario. In this instance, I cant see past Lewis (providing he doesnt invoke his veto clause which he doesnt have in contract) throwing his toys out the pram. As you say, he hasnt been afraid to throw his team under the bus.

            FA has nothing lose this time around. If he wins, it will reaffirm the fact that he is the best, but if he loses, he is at a point in career where he can say he gave it his best shot and came up short. Judging by FA’s relatively calm demenour over the last couple years, I doubt he will cause any trouble in the team.

            If FA goes to Merc next year, we will be in for the best F1 season of all time!

          4. @jaymenon10 Good stuff!

            @Sundar You can see in the article you’ve referenced that it is LH who tells us he doesn’t care who his teammate is.

            So all LH has is the morale card to play. His only reason for Mercedes not having two WDCs on the team like Ferrari right now, is ‘morale’…yet doesn’t he realize he is half the players on the dance floor? It’s him saying hey I’m not gonna be a problem so I’m telling you FA will be. Really? How does he know that? It takes two to tango.

            This is a hilarious article that has LH saying he’ll race against anyone, but not FA or SV please, his two biggest threats…because there might be….hold on for it….words…or even….a battle on the track…a clash or two…can’t have that. Been there done that with Nico. Lol.

            LH is the last one to talk about morale after last season. Ten years later it sounds like he’d be more the problem than FA.

            And of course he doesn’t want those two drivers against him in, what was the case at the time of this article last December, a dominant sister car to his. Maybe next year they’ll both be fighting Ferraris and won’t have time to fight themselves like LH and Nico did. TW will have his sights set on Ferrari, not LH’s potentially bruised ego.

          5. Miss Quoted
            9th June 2017, 9:02

            Ham doesn’t seem to care who he beats but he seems a little fussy who he loses to.

          6. Sundar Srinivas Harish
            9th June 2017, 10:25

            “Bring Fernando, bring Sebastian, bring whoever you really want. I drove against Fernando in my first year and beat him, so that’s not a worry for me. I’m happy to drive against any of them. But in terms of what’s best for the team – probably not the best idea.

            The way I see it, he’s just sweeping away his feelings under a carpet called “team morale”. The second quote is just a soundbite to make it seem like he’s the nonchalant wonderkid he’s always been, but truth is, Nico shook him up last year like he shook up Alonso in 2007.

            And about that addendum, seems I misread the BBC article. Lewis did say that he “didn’t care” who his teammate was, and that he would out-race them no matter what, but that it would have to be someone who worked well within the team.

          7. No driver throws heir team under the bus more than Fernando!! I love him as a driver but his record is clear for all to see.

          8. Judging by FA’s relatively calm demenour over the last couple years, I doubt he will cause any trouble in the team.

            the outburst against Honda were not considered in that judgement, am I right?

            and please don’t tell it is justifiable, he is still their employee

      2. BoomBangPeng
        9th June 2017, 10:06

        Mercedes won’t take on Alonso under pretty much any circumstances and it has nothing to do with Ham not wanting him or Toto seemingly showing interest in public.

        Zetsche will simply not let it happen. He can probably still feel those 100.000.000€ (!!!) the whole 2007 debacle cost them, on top of the 2 lost titles.

        1. Utter nonsense.

          1. BoomBangPeng
            9th June 2017, 12:36

            I mean you can ignore it, but in the real world this is pretty much the deciding factor in terms of Fernando and Mercedes.

          2. @BoomBangPeng You’ve said it often enough like it is a fact. Where’s your proof then that this is the deciding factor?

  14. If Alonso is serious I don’t see how Mercedes can’t be making a play for him. Mercedes have gone from total domination to 2nd fastest this year. Hamilton has had two shocking weekends so far this year and if he gets beat by Bottas over the season will they really care about his feelings. Hamilton might even welcome an Alonso teammate to try and get back some credibility after being beat by Rosberg and especially if Bottas keeps showing him up. I wouldn’t rule anything out in F1 but right now if I were Mercedes and wanting to get back to domination I’d be pushing to get Alonso in the car even at Hamiltons expense.

    1. FA is serious. He’s not done in F1. I don’t expect VB to best LH over the season. Not whatsoever. But I do expect that TW can’t possibly stand by and watch FA go elsewhere…and where would that even be? TW has not only FA’s career in his hands, but can also help shape the story of F1 for the near future, just as he did by honouring us fans by letting LH and NR race it out on the track when as a dominant team TW could have absolutely decimated the show for those years by favouring LH and making it another MS/ Ferrari borefest.

    2. That is an interesting point. If VB beats LH (unlikely, but not impossible), Mercedes may actually take up Alonso just so that their car performance can be maximised. All teams are here to win after all. If Mercedes fail to do that in 2017, they will keep aside all of Lauda’s apprehensions and take on Alonso.

      1. Interesting yes but who makes way for FA …. dumping VB when and if he beats LH would be terrible PR for Mercs which would be only slightly offset by gaining FA’s signature and I don’t think it would be in Merc’s best intrests to dump LH because VB beat him, Merc will remember that two of his 3 WDC’s were won in their car ….. I think TW (and not Merc) will be between a rock and a hard place at the end of the season. Well that’s my humble
        armchair opinion and stranger things have happened.

        1. oops … sorry about the formatting ….. finger trouble

    3. “Hamilton might even welcome an Alonso teammate to try and get back some credibility after being beat by Rosberg”
      I don’t know man. 2016 was the most bitter pillow a champion – or any driver – could swallow. He was beaten by his team-mate essentially having a better car, not being the better driver. I don’t think not being the clear no. 1 driver at his team would be acceptable for him at this point.

      1. BoomBangPeng
        9th June 2017, 10:10

        He got beat by his teammate because he couldn’t make a decent start if his life depended on it at one point in the 2016 season..

        1. @BoomBangPeng Hamilton only had two bad starts, Japan and Monza. The rest where glitch problems.

          1. Ahh….”glitch problems”! That old chestnut!

      2. I understand your point @damon but Hamilton might not have a choice. If Hamilton underperforms again this year Mercedes will be looking at someone who’s been beat by his teammate two years running and wonder what they are paying so much for. If Mercedes said to Hamilton it’s either you and Alonso or Alonso and Bottas I think Hamilton would take Alonso. Mercedes now know they need the best driver and so far this year Hamilton isn’t proving to be the answer. I mean not even making q3 in monaco when your teammate nearly gets pole is just plain embarrassing.

    4. BoomBangPeng
      9th June 2017, 10:09

      The reason Alonso won’t be going to Mercedes is Dr Zetsche still keenly remembers the whole blackmail story and the consequences from it.

      Toto might be making the right noises in public, but behind closed doors it’s not a realistic option.

      1. But that’s the point. If Mercedes do not win this year, Alonso’s speed and determination become more attractive to Mercedes than his negative qualities. Whatever Mr. Zetsche views about Alonso be, in the end he wants to be a winner in F1. If Hamilton can’t give that victory, then Alonso will be taken.

        1. Again it’s utter nonsense to suggest Zetsche has a grudge against FA.

          1. Yep! Same reason why Ron Dennis and FA buried their hatchet. In the end, they all want to win.

            Zetsche made those comments on Alonso’s attitude when he was winning everything comfortably and had the luxury of turning away one of the world’s best drivers. He is not winning now.

        2. BoomBangPeng
          9th June 2017, 12:39

          No they won’t take Alonso even if they don’t win this season. I mean we can debate this all we want, but Fernando to Mercedes is simply not going to happen. Zetsche DOES have a problem with Alonso and Zetsche is the one that really counts at the end of the day when they sit down and negotiate contracts.

          1. Prove it.

          2. I don’t think we can rule it out. Bottas on a single year deal. Hamilton under performing and the team stripped of their domination. If Mercedes are serious about winning another WDC they need a driver who can compete with other teams to win the Championship. Hamilton helped them dominate but hes also been terrible at times and you just can’t afford to do that when your car isn’t dominant.

          3. Just because you hold a grudge against Alonso doesn’t mean Zetsche still does. I mean, we can debate this all we want, but I know for a fact that you do not represent Zetsche or his current opinions.

    5. It will be interesting to see what happens if Mercedes don’t win either title. You just have to see how they react to losing to know there could well be consequences.

      Although I don’t see it happening, that feeling of disappointment could lead to a rethink of their driver line-up.

      1. Sort of makes Merc think doesn’t it. They should have signed Alonso, Max or Ricciardo and not Bottas. Guess who would be leading the championship..

  15. Do we really know if Ferrari are no go zone for Alonso with Vettel being there? I think Alonso will still be there, but Honda won’t.

    1. Yep. He has done his time there. He lost two championships to Vettel by not overtaking one more car in the seasons he lost. 2010, 2012 all he needed was one place higher in any of the tracks raced. And he complained alot about the cars. I highly doubt they want him back.

      1. Except Ferrari screwed him out of the 2010 title with bad strategy. The car shouldn’t have been there in the first place as it was no where close to the dominating car Red Bull had.
        Of course he complained because Red couldn’t make gains over a period of 5 years. They couldn’t even produce a decent wind tunnel and used Toyota’s . If Vettel wasn’t there I am betting they would take him back in a heartbeat.

        1. Yep. In 2010 he shouldn’t have been there. But thanks to Vettels car problems in the first three races he was. Bad strategy doesn’t last a season and in all those races he just had to finish 1 place higher. Not even a win. He just had to pass one more car in the entire season.

        2. “The car shouldn’t have been there in the first place as it was no where close to the dominating car Red Bull had.”

          People have some funny ideas of what counts as a “dominating car”. Red Bull won 9 of 19 races that season, a season which was one of the most closely competitive in F1 history.

          1. He is correct. First 3 races of 2010 Vettel suffered car problems while leading. And then the was the infamous Turkey incident where RB was leading. So the true tally would have been 13 out of 19. But things turned out the way they did.

          2. So if RB picked up those potential wins the season would have been between Vettel and Webber. But more than likely Vettel with 2 races to go. I personally liked the fact that any of four drivers could have won the championship on the last race.

        3. @Wayne That’s way to easy to blame Ferrari. Alonso only had to do ond overtake on petrov and he failed, it’s that simple. Kubica made three overtakes and Hamilton four overtakes that race so how could Alonso not managed one ?. Don’t forget that Alonso was gifted a win in Germany as well. He only has himself to blame for missing the WDC in 2010 i’m afraid.

          1. @revelations It was because the Ferrari had a shorter top gear than the Renault. Alonso couldn’t pass Pterov as he was running out of revs on the straights which was why he was so frustrated. If I recall he had to pass more than Petrov too, once he got past Petrov he would also have had to pass Kubica and Rosberg to take the championship iirc which was never going to happen in that race.

      2. Well if was not for Grosjean’s Spa bowling FA could be champion that year.

        1. @zukman

          That helped. But the next race in Japan(?) Alonso took himself and Kimi out. A race in which he would not have won but it would have given him more than the four points needed to win the season.

        2. @zukma @F1Junky In 2012 Alonso had (a lucky) lead of 43 points come season half and still managed to loose the WDC.

          1. I still smirk thinking about. 43 points. Shows Vettel wanted it more.

  16. So he either goes to indycar or world endurance championship, in 2018. He made all the wrong career moves in f1 at the wrong times. With more luck he would have another couple WDC but he can be proud to say he not only was able to match the legendary Schumacher in his hay day but even score 2 WDCs against his might. I feel that the triple crown is the last shot Alonso has at being added to motor racing history beyond his f1 career.

    1. Or he goes to Mercedes for 3 or 4 years after which the triple crown will still be available to him.

  17. This is clearly a play at Mercedes: Either a seat at the works team or to force McLaren back to Mercedes engines.

    I don’t buy the case of Hamilton needing to approve a teammate. If Toto and Niki say get Alonso, they will.

  18. I can’t see an option for Fernando at Ferrari, Mercedes or RBR as the current driver lineups there are very strong and very capable of winning both the Constructors title and WDC in the future. I think this season may well be the final chapter of Fernando’s F1 career, it will be a sad day for F1 when and if he goes but a huge bonus to whatever category he switches to.

  19. Personally what I can see happening is Alonso to Mercedes in place of Bottas. Bottas goes to Ferrari in place of Kimi, Kimi out of a ride.

    1. Kimi back to McLaren-Mercedes? 😜

    2. Or Bottas goes back to Williams but it’d be great to see him at Ferrari too. But is Kimi really going anywhere? Not sure on that one.

    3. @sprint Why do you think Mercedes needs to sign Alonso if i may ask ?.

  20. “Alonso has previously indicated he will not make a decision on his future beyond the end of the season until after the summer break in August.”

    He can’t make a decision until drivers at other teams make theirs. Vettel in particular will be key. I think Seb is tired of not having a competitive car for the last three years. if Ferrari are still competing for the 2017 title by Monza, he’ll take a new contract with them. However if Mercedes are walking away with it again he will probably jump to them and drive alongside Lewis next year. Supposedly he has a “pre-contact” with Mercedes already arranged. I’m not sure exactly what that means but I assume it means he gets first crack at the Mercedes seat, ahead of Alonso. So that’s a possible scenario whereby Alonso gets back to Ferrari.

    A less likely possibility is that Vettel stays at Ferrari but Hamilton exits Mercedes. The only way that’s a possibility is if Bottas goes on to beat Hamilton this year, prompting Lewis to pack in racing and switch to music or something else. As I say, unlikely, but possible.

    Red Bull are obviously not an option.

    Would Alonso want to drive for Renault or Williams? I suspect he’d rather switch to Indycar and be winning races than be fighting for sixth or seventh place in F1.

    1. Couldn’t disagree more. SV isn’t leaving Ferrari. FA isn’t going there. LH isn’t leaving F1.

      1. @Robbie I hope you are right, I tend to agree as I can’t see Vettel leaving if Ferrari give him a Championsip contender. My worst nightmare as a Ferrari fan is Vettel leaving and being replaced by Hamilton which is what will happen if Vettel goes to Mercedes.

        1. Yup he’s in a contender as we speak. Why would he leave and where would he go that he would be better off than now and for the foreseeable future?

  21. So in 2018 we will be having a good season. FA in the Mercedes along with LH, McLaren with Mercedes power unit and Sauber with honda engine as a works team.

  22. Is this the kind of comment that pushed Renault to crash gate in 2008 I wonder…

    1. Funny.. because he ended up winning the Japanese Grand Prix as well that year. Maybe Alonso is not the source of all evil?

  23. It would be fun if the other drivers decided to troll him and let him win a race.

    1. Sviatoslav (@)
      9th June 2017, 18:56

      High five!

  24. Hmm, Can we forsee a repeat of the past of bad timing . Alonso leaving McLaren for Renault. Mercedes back to only supply engine and this time to McLaren – McLaren start wining races with the new partnership with Mercedes while Renault still struggles..

  25. The way I see it, Alonso is finished with the McLaren Honda venture. Realistically, he’s weighing up the options between Mclaren Mercedes and Renault for 2018. Zak would probably dump Honda if he knew Alonso would stay with them for 2018, but it’s not guaranteed as well.

    I think a lot of Alonso’s 2018 chances will rely on how the WDC and WCC pans out this year. If Ferrari win the WDC, Mercedes will have to turn their attention towards their driver line up. Bottas might not be WDC material, and Lewis might not have the same amount of motivation levels a Vettel or an Alonso does. If I was Toto, I would be looking at putting my money on a driver really hungry to win, which would definitely put Alonso on the radar. Since Hamilton and Mercedes have made it clear that Alonso-Hamilton would not work at Mercedes, an Alonso-Bottas pairing would seem more likely.

    If Mercedes wins the WDC this year, I doubt they’ll change their line up, but Ferrari would want to get rid of Kimi in favour of a driver who’s a better rear gunner for Vettel. They would look at poaching either of the Red Bull drivers or maybe Perez from Force India. Alonso would more realistically either have the option of staying at McLaren or moving to Renault. He can buy a year there before waiting for his last chance in 2019.

    Either ways, things are not looking great for Fernando. A shabby performance from the Mercedes drivers is his best hope for landing a competitive seat for 2018.

    1. LH may have decided FA wouldn’t work but what makes you so certain Merc has? VB is on a one year for a reason. Do you actually think VB is going to do enough to persuade TW to forgo getting a driver many consider the best in the world, while he is available and has a small number of years left in his career? I don’t.

      1. @robbie

        As I said, it depends on how the WDC race pans out this year. I think Mercedes will like a driver who spends less time with the Kardashians and more time in Brackley with their engineers. They need someone who has the talent, hunger and work ethic to rival Sebastian. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t think Lewis has been giving 101% since he wrapped up his 3rd WDC in late 2015. I don’t know if Mercedes think Alonso’s the man, but it would be foolish to think they’re not considering him at all.

        Bottas might be on a one year contract because he’s a bit of an unknown, but he’s already proved himself to be a great team player and probably the best #2 in the business right now.

        Of course, all of what I’m saying is up for speculation. But I would definitely think an Alonso – Bottas pairing at Mercedes could happen.

        1. BoomBangPeng
          9th June 2017, 10:15

          Dr Zetsche is Alonsos biggest obstacle at Mercedes, why is everyone forgetting that angle?

          1. @BoomBangPeng I don’t know why you keep saying this, Dr Zetsche already said back in 2014 that he thought Alonso was the best driver on the grid! Mercedes didn’t have to pay out anything for the 2007 shenanigans, it was McLaren. In fact I think that it was his displeasure at McLaren in 2007/8 that swayed Mercedes into giving Brawn the engine and ultimately buying the team, to distance themselves from them.

            I disagree also with the comments above that Toto can’t afford to let Alonso go anywhere else. If he doesn’t go to Mercedes, there is no space at Redbull and Ferrari are unlikely to want him back, it doesn’t matter to TW where Alonso goes as he won’t be competing with the Mercs anyway.

          2. @asanator That’s a fair point about FA potentially not being a threat anyway if he can’t land a competitive ride, but I just don’t think TW will want to take that chance, and why wouldn’t he want the best driver(s) available.

    2. @todfod How would any of the Red Bull boys be a rear gunner to Vettel. The other way around would be more likely.

      1. @mashiat If Vettel’s car breaks down most of the time at least.

        1. @david-a Not as if he was ahead of Ricciardo in 2014 even when it was working.

          1. I must have been dreaming during the Singapore and Japanese GP then to name a few.

  26. From reading what was said, I don’t think Alonso just said “I’m leaving if we don’t win within 3 months”. Maybe that is what he meant, but to me, what he effectively said was that if he were to win a race in the next 3 months (seems a bit optimistic), then he would make a decision to stay at that point, but that if this was not the case, no decision would be made during that period; leaving the option of either resigning or leaving at a later time.

  27. I think he’s just saying if they’re winning, of course he’ll sign up again, but if they are not (which is likely) he’ll see what other options there are and may not stay. It’s still ambiguous. He’s not saying he’ll leave if they don’t win, just that he may not stay.

    1. “He’s not saying he’ll leave if they don’t win, just that he may not stay.”

      It’s obvious to everybody he will leave if that’s the case.

  28. Alonso made a serious mistake by leaving Ferarri and finally has the balls to admit it. All the nonsense of ‘everyone will see and it will make sense’. He may be a good driver but he is toxic to teams as he will either leave (for no good reason) or report them to cause trouble when it suits him. And no, he is not too good to cheat when it suits him. I look forward to reading his biography soon to laugh at the Bull it will contain. Happy retiremant. You have had lots of practice at it.

    1. Rubbish.

  29. I really wonder whether Alonso wants to stay in F1 at all.

    1. MG421982 (@)
      9th June 2017, 19:05

      I’m pretty sure he wants to stay… but stay to win, not fill the grid (just to retire). Next month he’ll be 36, so there’s not much time left for him to be really competitive, to win. Even if he gets a winning car, there’s the team-mate problem: the team-mate might be faster enough to take all the laurels! VET and RAI, ROS and SCHUMACHER are solid cases when even if the car is a winning one… only one of the drivers gets all the wins. Plus, he had his share of “nightmare” already with HAM in 2007 regarding the strong opposition from the team-mate. So, I understand his impatience. Maybe it’s better to try something else, like going to Renault. Don’t see Ferrari hiring him back while VET still there and I don’t think it’s a smart move anymore to replace VET with ALO. The situation doesn’t look promising at all for him in F1.

  30. Alonso is a joker…

    He’s finished for F1.

    Go West!…

  31. I’ll just leave this here, for what it’s worth it, for eventual future reference.
    Regarding Honda: I noticed that in the final stages of the Spanish GP Alonso was let free to push somewhat harder on his engine, and started recovering and actually overtaking people (2 at least, 3/4 maybe). It was probably the last 15 laps or so. In Monaco McLarens were easily at the lower end of the top 10, wich doesn’t say much, being Monaco not engine-demanding. But nevertheless, after Montreal with its big straights (wich should be quite bad as usual), I feel some optimism in seeing an unspoken recovery-ish thing on this could be justifiable. The fact that nobody at McL/Honda talked about this is clearly because silence would be the best way anyway, in case this was true.
    I don’t know, I would wait another 3/4 races before counting them definitively out.

    1. @alfa145 That’s fair comment. It will be interesting to see how they do in the next 3 or 4 races, and certainly that’s FA’s plan too. He will be seeing the season through with McHonda as per his contract. It would be quite a turnaround of epic proportions if they can do enough for the rest of this season to give confidence to FA that he should stay put.

      1. @alfa145 @robbie the problem with leaving it 3/4 races is that those races are Canada, Baku and Austria. All races where engine power is important.

        1. Yeah for sure. But anyway FA will see the season through and it’s not written in stone when FA will make his next statement or an announcement of some sort. He has said 3 months so maybe that represents approximately the first race back after the August break to see if the McHonda is competitive by then. Ie. FA hasn’t put exact dates or races to this…just a general implication of what he is looking for from the team in the middle third of the season.

  32. MG421982 (@)
    9th June 2017, 18:43

    At least he’s warning them… Fair enough.

  33. I still think it’s gotta be WEC, for the same reason as the Indy foray.

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