The wild rumor of Fernando Alonso’s departure from McLaren
On Saturday in Abu Dhabi, a wild rumor spread through the paddock like wildfire: if the 2016 McLaren wasn't competitive, Fernando Alonso might take a sabbatical year. However, it is unlikely to materialize.
The idea of a possible departure of Fernando Alonso came from an interview given by Ron Dennis, the president of McLaren. Upon his return to the paddock, from which he had been absent since the Japanese Grand Prix, on Honda’s home turf, he made the following remark: “I have an open mind to a lot of things. Some of these ideas included considerations like sabbatical years etc…”
It didn’t take more to ignite the press room, which was already declaring that Fernando Alonso was on his way out since even his president was mentioning the possibility. When the Spaniard suffered a puncture that prevented him from advancing to Q2, it could only be further confirmation of this possibility.
Except that when the Spaniard got out of his single-seater, his response was the opposite: « My intention is to race and I think I will race. We will see how it goes next year, but it’s not in my plans not to race. »
But in order to stir the pot a little, he also stated: « You can never be 100% sure of anything. » That was all it took for the rumor to gain traction again.
In such a context, the traditional “Meet the team” session organized by McLaren on Saturday evening could only attract a large crowd. The topic was obviously not missed. Once again, doubt remained, even when Eric Boullier, the team’s racing director, stated that he had never discussed such a possibility with Ron Dennis…
But in the end, the answer probably came from Jenson Button, who stated: « Even if I were offered this possibility, I would want to build the car around me for the next season. If you take a year off, the other driver will design the car around himself. »
Indeed, how can one imagine that a 34-year-old driver would voluntarily choose not to be involved in the daily development of a single-seater and hope to return a year later like the prodigal son once all the development is done?
The most likely scenario is that the Spanish driver will still be at the wheel of the McLaren next year. However, if this season doesn’t meet his ambitions, it’s very likely that he will then retire for good.
From our special correspondent in Abu Dhabi
