WHEN ALONSO SAYS “WE WILL NOT BE 13TH ALL SEASON – OR I WILL NOT BE 13TH ALL SEASON,” WHAT MIGHT HE HAVE IN MIND?
He’ll be 36 this year and while he’s still in his prime, it’s possible, after another season of uncompetitive travail, he might cry ”Enough!” and disappear into the sunset. Such is his rage to win, though, this seems unlikely, so… With Valtteri Bottas on a one-year contract with Mercedes, there’s a chance of a seat alongside Hamilton for 2018. But would Mercedes risk destabilising a complementary pairing, built around a sometimes tempestuous superstar? Alonso-hamilton was explosive at Mclaren; Merc are unlikely to go there, however much fans would love to see it. A red return seems unthinkable after five often brilliant but ultimately fruitless seasons with the Scuderia from 2010-14. But Räikkönen is out of contract at the end of 2017 so, in theory, there’s a vacancy. Vettel-alonso, however, would be almost as incendiary as Alonso-hamilton, and Ferrari are averse to having two bulls in one field. So it’s a long shot. One for the romantics. A giddy return to the team with which he won back-to-back titles in 2005-06 and with whom he enjoyed further success in 2008-9? It’s an option, but one Alonso would likely consider only if Renault start to show front-running pace before the end of this year. Alonso was loosely linked with Williams in 2014, when the rebooted team started to show front-line pace. At the time, tech director Pat Symonds said: “we’re not ready for Alonso” and with Williams still restructuring, that probably hasn’t changed. A non-starter. This team is built around home-grown talent and has no need for a political animal in their ranks. Team boss Christian Horner has dismissed ‘the Alonso option’ publicly and privately in recent years. It’s a stated Alonso ambition, and he’s a big fan of the great race. Only Porsche and Toyota are worthy of his talents, but since they’re committed only to 2018 and ’19 respectively, is this really an option?