Rumours at Magny-Cours on Sunday that Fernando Alonso is trying to negotiate his way out of his McLaren contract in order to remain at Renault in 2007 are understood to be wide of the mark.
The Spaniard signed for McLaren at the end of 2005, on the back of a season in which the Woking team often had the fastest car and was tipped to dislodge Renault at the top of the Formula 1 pecking order.
But high-level sources at McLaren say there is no substance in the rumour that Alonso is having second thoughts and insist that they have an iron-clad contract with the world champion.
So, McLaren deny it but I think there may be some truth behind it personally, if I was Alonso I'd deffinatley be rethinking.. Blundell says its just a little niggle from Flavio Briatore trying to put pressure on perhaps Kimi to sign for his team:
At this moment I believe thats a little bit of a destabilising tactic, maybe from [Renault boss] Flavio Briatore, just having a little dig at McLaren, Blundell surmised following Sundays French Grand Prix.
And also just maybe to say to Kimi Raikkonen and his management, Ok boys, lets get a move on, I need to fill this seat, and maybe the world champion will come back and stay with the team for next season.
McLaren is never down for long. They'll be back at the top, and when they are, Alonso will want to be there. In the meantime, he can use his paycheck to a buy a tropical island. That should keep him content for a while.
Technical talent is NEVER spread thin in F1. There are times when you have an exceptional designer like Colin Chapman, Gordon Murray or Adrian Newey, but even without these designers the talent is still very much there. The 'normal' designers may not be as skilled as the above (if they were then we couldn't call them exceptional), but even their level of talent is very high.
I doubt Alonso will stay at Renault and I really hope he doesn't. He made his bed, let him sleep in it. This is the same situation as Button, a driver makes a decision then sees later on that it might not be the best one. Well, you've signed the contract already, so tough. Live with it. You should have waited to see how things played out.
Yeah, I'd turn down a deal with McLaren. What have they ever accomplished?
This is really Renault's fault. They were very coy about any sort of commitment to the sport (or lack thereof). I can't imagine why they would keep Alonso in the dark, but obviously they did. So, when Ron Dennis came by with a big bag of money, and promise of a ride, Alonso would have been crazy not to take it.
I think that it's symptomatic of a malaise in F1 generally. Because it's always looking to the future, people are trying always to find the next big thing. There should be more of a concentration on what's happening now. A few drivers getting burned for making the wrong choices should help the driver market settle down again.
You know, i never understood this. Why can't Fernado and Kimi both drive for Mclaren? Why must Kimi go to some other team? All i hear is oh, Alonso i comming, Kimi must go. I have never read or heard anywhere as to why this is.
Common sense tells me it's a money issue. But it doesn't make sense in Team McLaren Mercedes's case, they got plenty.
You know, i never understood this. Why can't Fernado and Kimi both drive for Mclaren? Why must Kimi go to some other team? All i hear is oh, Alonso i comming, Kimi must go. I have never read or heard anywhere as to why this is.
Common sense tells me it's a money issue. But it doesn't make sense in Team McLaren Mercedes's case, they got plenty.
Putting together a "dream team" might sound like the greatest idea, but it's sure to backfire. There will be nothing but tension within the team, with both drivers fighting to be the team leader. Neither of those two will want to settle with being "McLaren Mercedes' #2 Driver."
Edit: They do look sooo cute together though. Aww!
