Alonso and Mclaren, two of F1’s giants, are at a crossroads

his chapter in F1 comes to an end, he will be remembered as someone who could have won more than his two championships for Renault, but that is a product of the decisions he has made. The sport is not just about personal talent, but the skill of being in the right car at the right time.

If Mclaren’s troubles continue – and Alonso was 19th in practice yesterday – then they will surely turn their attentions to next year’s car. Alonso is part of that jigsaw, but more important for Mclaren is to design a fast racing car. You can have Alonso in your car all day long but if you do not come up with a good machine, then it is not going to make the difference. Mclaren should be qualifying inside the top 10 and finishing on the podium, but they have not been in that position for a long time.

Eric Boullier, the team’s racing director, is under pressure but he does not design the car, he does not build the car, he does not drive the car. People always look to senior management as being responsible for pulling the team together but Mclaren’s issues are bigger than one individual.

In France last weekend, the spotlight was on internal strife and part of that was stimulated by comments from Mclaren’s former team principal, Martin Whitmarsh. Among other points, he said he was “desperately sad” to see his old team’s demise and called for “a big change of approach”.

But what was the stimulus for Whitmarsh to make those comments, given his previous relationship with the team and the owners? Was it just a passionate plea from a former Mclaren