Alonso won’t rule out taking a year off, which could herald the end
FERNANDO ALONSO placed his Formula One career in doubt again last night by hinting that he could yet walk out on McLaren.
Even as Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg took his sixth consecutive pole for the closing race of the season in Abu Dhabi, intrigue about next year filled the air.
Sitting in the McLaren hospitality area, Alonso refused to come clean about his future after McLaren chairman Ron Dennis’s suggestion earlier in the day that the double world champion could take a ‘sabbatical’ if next year’s car is not up to scratch.
Asked if he would categorically rule out taking a year’s rest, Alonso said: ‘I can never say anything 100 per cent. I cannot say that tomorrow I will not have dinner. I do not know if I will be hungry or not.
‘My intention is to race. I think I will race. We will see how it goes next year. It’s not in my plans not to race.
‘This afternoon I was surprised about Ron’s comments. It something to ask him about.’
The Mail on Sunday first reported in September that Alonso was considering pulling out. Now all eyes will be on Barcelona on February 22, when pre-season testing starts. As his friend and former F1 rival, Mark Webber, argued: ‘He is a ticking bomb. Give him two or three days in testing and if the car is uncompetitive I think he’ll have a year off.’
It is probable that Alonso’s sabbatical would turn into retirement. At 34, he is not expected to seek a new team. Adding to the politicking in the paddock yesterday was news that Ferrari are under investigation by the stewards over whether they are benefiting from extra testing that is being conducted thanks to a loophole in the rules.
Ferrari supply engines to Haas, the American team who are due on the grid next year. And, though wind tunnel and simulation time is limited for existing teams, teams who are not yet competitors have no restrictions placed on them, so Haas can run freely.
Do Ferrari glean unlawful information from this association? That is what Mercedes have asked in a letter to the governing body. The answer is expected to be adjudicated upon before the race.
As for qualifying, Rosberg was four-tenths of a second faster than Lewis Hamilton, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen third.