With two world championships under his belt, Fernando Alonso is accustomed to winning. But it's been three years since he last landed on the podium, and five since he last won a grand prix outright. So unless McLaren-Honda can up its game significantly before the end of the season, Alonso will be a free agent looking for another ride.
One possibility that's been circling around would have the Spaniard returning to Ferrari – the team with which he scored those last checkered flags and podiums, and which is now challenging Mercedes at the front of the pack. But Ferrari apparently doesn't want Alonso back again.
“Alonso may well have shown the desire to return, but he did not find the right response from our side,” Ferrari chief Sergio Marchionne told Motorsport.com. “We’re not interested.”
Neither of the Scuderia's current drivers – Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, champions both – are believed to have contracts in place with the team beyond the end of this season. Vettel's is believed to be secure, but Raikkonen's is anything but. Rumor has it that Ferrari could show Kimi the door again, and replace him with Max Verstappen.
“As for Verstappen we have not signed anything,” said Marchionne. “Before the end of the year you'll know.”
Just where that will leave Alonso remains to be seen. If McLaren shows it can win, he could stay. Otherwise he'll be looking elsewhere, but may not be inclined to simply take the best offer from the best team who'll have him. At this point in his career, Alonso is likely to remain in F1 only if he can get into a winning car. And these days, that means Mercedes, Ferrari, or Red Bull – none of which have shown much interest. If Fernando doesn't get the right deal, he could very well leave the series to pursue other forms of racing, like IndyCar or Le Mans.
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