Alonso's future

[N4D13]

A post in some other thread got me thinking and since I think this might deserve a thread of its own, I'm asking you guys here: what do you think are Alonso's options for 2018? It's not like the prospect of staying at McLaren seems particularly enticing (even if they get Merc engines, they'll never get the same as the works team), and I don't see Merc or Ferrari letting any of their drivers go for 2018. As talented a driver as he is, he's not known for his teambuilding skills and I reckon that puts off the big names.

Will Alonso remain at Macca for 2018, or will we see him trying to land a 2018 seat in any other series? Mind you, there's not only IndyCar, but also WEC!

[Big Ben]

He doesn't seem to have too many options. He might stay at McLaren Mercedes even if chances are close to none to actually win much, them being a Mercedes B team and all that, but at least he wouldn't be in this situation where one point seems to be a great achievement (even finishing a race is a success for them nowadays). One more year and if no opportunities arrive, then bye bye. I could see that happening but I really have no idea. He seems at times quite fed up with the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if he just retired.

If McLaren stays with Honda then he should probably move to something else. Anything (another team, series or just retirement) would be better than this. I hoped Honda will sort things out with their engines but it's time to admit the truth. They are grossly incompetent. And not only are they incompetent, the way they try to deal with this away from F1, all by themselves, even when it's obvious there's no progress, and it's quite obvious they don't know what they are doing, is unbelievable. How could they actually get so much worse than last year, when they were quite bad already? I thing it is a thing of pride, and there's a saying over here that says the stupid is not stupid enough if he's not proud too. Seems to be so true. Honda's latest adventure in F1 just completes the image they left in their previous attempt. When I think of the earth painted Honda, I wonder why did I actually expect something good to come out of this.

[The Black Knight]

There are only two things that might happen which will allow Alonso to win a championship again and I can't see either of them happening.

1) Bottas is dropped by Mercedes and, given Bottas current form and the apparent harmony within the team at the moment, I don't see why Mercedes would do that.
2) Raikkonen is dropped by Ferrari, Alonsos and Ferraris differences reconciled and he returns there. I think Vettel would have a very difficult time against him. Unlikely this will happen either.

Given that neither of these options are likely to happen, I'm going to throw it out there that, in all likelihood, Alonso may very well retire from F1 at the end of this season.

If he stays, he may win a race or two with a McLaren Mercedes but he won't be winning a championship. He has made it clear that this only goal is to be winning a WDC and I doubt that will happen. Renault aren't going to provide him with this option either and neither will Williams or Force India.

His best and most likely option is Indycar next year. It'd be a shame to see one of the all time greats retired with only two titles to his belt but it's his own career decisions have ultimately cost him. Time waits for no man and Alonso is running out of it.

[Starter]

I think you are over looking an important point. It is said that the McLaren chassis is excellent and that all of the issues are with the Honda motor. With a really good car and even a hand me down Merc power unit the team could be competitive again with him driving. This is always a possibility.

I'd still like to see him in IndyCar though. It could use the promotional boost.

[airshifter]

At this point I tend to think that Fred is on his way out of F1, and wouldn't be surprised at all to see him end up in Indycar.

I doubt he will wait to see if Mclaren can sort out the car with a new engine package. He's burned some bridges with both Ferrari and Mclaren in the past, so I doubt Ferrari will dump Kimi to bring him in, even if watching him and Seb battle might be good for the team if both drivers could contain the egos and not assume either would be the team #1.

I'm sure Renault and the history could be an option, but the car isn't up to his driving.



It's a shame too. Despite some of his antics and history, he seems to still be way up top on drivers skill. I don't think anyone in the current field can apply pressure the way he can when in a decent car.

[Bagwan]

Nobody seems to have Honda having any chance at all of fixing the problems .

But , with Sauber now signed , it's a sign that they aren't going away , and a new mule to test and improve the power train .
They aren't running from the failure of the earth car this time , evidently , and will , if they keep the Macs on board , rather , double-down , in a way .


So , it complicates things a little for both Mac and Alonso .

Taking a Merc unit means giving up the first position , which doesn't look so bad from the back row .
Keeping the potential of a first , with a factory entry can still have allure when the second place finisher so often sports a "first loser" lack of smile on the podium .


Also not inconsequential aspect of this that hasn't been mentioned is that the new management of F1 will be working as hard as they can to keep Honda , and changing aspects of the game to make constructing these machines more enticing for more manufacturers .

So , Honda believes in the game because they are committed .
They see it getting better , obviously .




And nobody else does .

Whaddaya do ?

[Zico]

I can't see McLaren winning again even with a Merc engine, so Fernando is still likely to leave regardless... but can Mac really afford to drop Honda and the millions they provide if Alonso is likely to leave either way?
Mac couldn't afford any where near his current salary and they would also be paying for Merc customer engines which makes me think that Alonso leaves (possibly to Indycar).. and Mac stay with Honda and hope that they come good by next year...

[Starter]

One other thing to consider is that the top teams in IndyCar, even if he came over, don't have a budget to pay him anywhere close to what he gets now. He'd take a MAJOR pay cut to do this series.

[N4D13]

One other thing to consider is that the top teams in IndyCar, even if he came over, don't have a budget to pay him anywhere close to what he gets now. He'd take a MAJOR pay cut to do this series.
Fair point, but you could expect him to be drawing quite a few sponsorship deals, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had a record salary for IndyCar.

Anyway, he is a racer, probably filthy rich by now and probably as hungry as ever, so I don't think that the $$$ will be the problem here.

[AndyL]

Fair point, but you could expect him to be drawing quite a few sponsorship deals, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had a record salary for IndyCar.

Anyway, he is a racer, probably filthy rich by now and probably as hungry as ever, so I don't think that the $$$ will be the problem here.

Yes you would have to think that glory would be more of a motivation than money at this stage, after so many years of big money but no silverware.

[Nitrodaze]

I wonder if Mclaren Mercedes partnership is likely to happen. If it does, then it would be wiser for Alonso to stay at Mclaren. I doubt Mercedes would drop any of their two very capable drivers for Alonso. While Vettel is at Ferrari, l doubt Ferrari would consider Alonso for Kimi's seat. They have a very capable multiple champion, it is hard to see why they would need Alonso. They would more likely need a very capable number two driver to work alongside Vettel.

But alot depends on what Vettels does in 2018. As Vettel has not signed his contract with Ferrari yet, there is the possibility for a 2018 crazy musical chairs movement of drivers. Judging by the great friendship between Vettel and Hamilton, the pairing of those two at Mercedes is not unimaginable. This may open the way for an Alonso return to Ferrari.

Alonso is shaking the tree to see what falls out. I doubt it would be a Mercedes or Ferrari but anything is possible in F1.

[zako85]

I think you are over looking an important point. It is said that the McLaren chassis is excellent and that all of the issues are with the Honda motor. With a really good car and even a hand me down Merc power unit the team could be competitive again with him driving.


Yeah, let's recall the success of the McLaren-Mercedes chassis of 2014, which was losing even to Williams-Mercedes. The excuse we have heard then was that Mercedes was not sharing any technical data with them. How is it going to be different this time? Mercedes will provide an engine and support that's at best good enough to be the best of the rest. But I guess having a second-class Mercedes engine is still a lot better than having an engine that can't even finish a race.

[Koz]

Technical data was shared, but shared late in 2013, hindering development because Honda. That's the rumour I have read about. I assume they will contract for equal engines anyway.

Apart from that, and a few races in late 2015, Mercedes provided equal engines to their customers. Seeing as there won't be major changes over the next few years, lack of technical guidance shouldn't be as much of an issue issue - after all Brawn strapped one in place of Honda and it played out well, same thing now that the formula is somewhat mature.

[Bagwan]

Latest rumours have Williams taking up the Honda works status and the Macs taking a Merc next year .

[Rollo]

Latest rumours have Williams taking up the Honda works status and the Macs taking a Merc next year .

That's a suicide note for Williams then.

[zako85]

Technical data was shared, but shared late in 2013, hindering development because Honda. That's the rumour I have read about.

I don't recall the rumors, but I recall articles in the press claiming that Mercedes people brought the engines before the race weekend, and then took them away from McLaren after the weekend. True story?

[Nitrodaze]

Technical data was shared, but shared late in 2013, hindering development because Honda. That's the rumour I have read about. I assume they will contract for equal engines anyway.

Apart from that, and a few races in late 2015, Mercedes provided equal engines to their customers. Seeing as there won't be major changes over the next few years, lack of technical guidance shouldn't be as much of an issue issue - after all Brawn strapped one in place of Honda and it played out well, same thing now that the formula is somewhat mature.

Makes one wonder why the other Mercedes shod cars like Williams and Force India are not as competitive as Mercedes. Or at least faster than the Redbull with Renault engines. There is one thing having the powerful engine of Mercedes, there is the other challenge of making the chassis to mesh with the engine optimally. Mercedes builds their car as one whole unit, chassis and engine. Mclaren would build the chassis and try to make it work with the lump of the engine given to them by Mercedes. It does not take a genius to see that there is no way they can better the Mercedes car as there would always be some level of gulf of information that Mclaren has to overcome to get as competitive as Mercedes.

Regrettably, the Mclaren-Honda partnership seem to have this inherent problem. I suppose it does not make a difference if they use Mercedes engine or Honda engines. Championship wins is looking like a far cry for Mclaren at the moment.

[Nitrodaze]

That's a suicide note for Williams then.

Probably not, most can see that the Honda engine, even with its problem is show inherent pace. What can it do if they shed the reliability gremlin? The smart money is on Honda even though it looks woeful at the moment.

[emporer_k]

I don't think Alonso will have any appealing options in F1. I can't see him getting an offer from Mercedes (preferring a low maintenance driver pairing), Ferrari (Burned bridges) or Red Bull (successful history of promoting from Torro Rosso), and I'm not sure anywhere else that isn't competing for victories would interest him.

I also think that his recent adventure at Indianapolis has opened his eyes to a fresh challenge away from F1 at the Indy 500 and possibly Le Mans too, which offers something fresher, more attainable and still prestigious.

[Tazio]

I think Fred should start his own team. He could be owner, team principal, and #1 pilot. He could bring back Slash as the #2. They could simply brand it Six-Tenths. Get a hold of Some Merc PUs and take it from there. No problem!

[Starter]

I think Fred should start his own team. He could be owner, team principal, and #1 pilot. He could bring back Slash as the #2. They could simply brand it Six-Tenths. Get a hold of Some Merc PUs and take it from there. No problem!
Sorry, it's the Honda motors that are the PUs. :D

[Koz]

I don't recall the rumors, but I recall articles in the press claiming that Mercedes people brought the engines before the race weekend, and then took them away from McLaren after the weekend. True story?

That's pretty extreme. Anyone got a source on this?

[emporer_k]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41947568

It looks like Alonso is going to Le Mans next year with Toyota.

[zako85]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41947568

It looks like Alonso is going to Le Mans next year with Toyota.

Sadly, WEC will become less cool next season. There will be only one factory team in prototypes, Toyota. The Toyota prototypes will be racing among themselves.