Supposedly he turned Mercedes down when they approached him after Rosberg left. Why the hell would he have turned them down?
Seconded . The driving over the edges has been taking the pi$$ . Time to stick to the TRACK ! Gravel traps anyone ?
For all Alonso's undoubted skill and determination on the track you have to ask why he hasn't managed to put himself in a position to challenge for a championship for so long, just one near-miss in 11 years. Does he lack the judgement to be in the right team at the right time, or is it his own character flaws that don't help when it comes to helping to motivate a team towards success rather than destabilising it when things go wrong? He wasted the best part of what should have been an amazing career for a man of his talent. I certainly hope it wasn't pride that stopped him going to Mercedes because that would have been stupid.
In relation to him leaving McLaren, Ron was adamant when he announced Alonso that he was on a fixed 3 year deal - no options. If correct, that would fit with why he couldn't/didn't take the Merc seat - his only option is probably a sabbatical and they return to a different team. McLaren's issue if he does that, is who fills the vacant seat, I cant see Button doing it.
They've pretty much done that anyway giving him that PU I think he'll go on sabbatical if they're not authentic Q3 qualifiers by Spa. weird news: Italian authorities say they have foiled an elaborate plan to steal the body of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, who died in 1988. wtf?
You might be right , but surely having the drivers talk of loving driving these cars is a step in the right direction ? even if it is jut a small step . # iprayforrain
Yep sabbatical . I didn't mean he would join MB this year , just he had the contract I his pocket for next year . RE Enzo , Mafia ? not saying he was involved , but weird move !
Yes a distinct possibility , who will stand in ? I had thought Button , but the car is so crap , he won't want to imho . They are ( sadly ) buggered . For how long is anyone's guess .
Toto says it was contractual issues that prevented Alonso moving to Mercedes. So I assume Alonso was keen. http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-311863.html
Vettel must be gutted, if Alonso was at Mercedes it would greatly increase his chances of being wdc this year. That said he's looking in a good position anyway.
This is something I am convinced about and you may remember me saying for some time that this has become a distinct possibility. You have to remember, as the Renault works team grows in stature, they will begin to treat Red Bull like a real customer team and RBR won't stand playing second fiddle. Red Bull damaged that relationship and it won't be forgotten. It's best for both teams that they continue for now so a) Red Bull have a steady power unit and don't have to rush any project with a new supplier (see Honda for reference on rushing in!), and b) Renault can develop their engine with three teams worth of data and put the works team in a strong position going forward. It's surely a certainty that RBR and Toro Rosso sign a deal with Audi sooner rather than later. The bold and most intriguing thing for me is that if Honda continue to **** up like this, will McLaren be able to convince Audi for a second works team and go with Red Bull? (Did McLaren and Williams share Honda in the 80s?) I think it can happen because both need to be winning races and they look unlikely to mount a challenge with Renault (politics) or Honda (useless) and perhaps they have to agree to disagree to put them both back where they belong? It would massively aid development of an Audi PU
Interesting. I can't remember if the rules were changed after Hass but I seem to remember that until the PU manufacturer actually 'enter' F1 they can test their PU in a mule!!!! If VW/AUDI produce a PU then Renault might be down to a single team!! Maybe Renault would like to provide PU to McLaren?