0
Fernando Alonso has confirmed that he has received several offers to leave McLaren for 2018, although he has not yet decided what his next step will be. This follows a number of rumours this weekend that have linked the Spaniard to a seat at Williams for next season.
Earlier this year, Alonso said that he would continue to drive for McLaren for another season providing that the team was able to win by September, and with this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix being the final race before the all-important month for Alonso, McLaren is far from achieving such a feat.
Alonso Hopes Verstappen Keeps the Title Fight Alive
Alonso Glad the F1 Season Is Almost Over
"I received several offers," said Alonso, responding to a number of reports that linked him to a move to Williams. "To 60 percent of those offers I say no right away, the other 40 percent are still on the table," he stated, remaining firm that he would not be rushed into making a decision regarding his future. "I will wait as long as possible," he added.
Regarding a suggested move to Williams, the team's Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe refused to comment on whether Alonso had been courted by the Grove outfit: "You need great drivers and great cars to win races and there's a bit of a chicken and egg thing. The better the car you have, the better the drivers you can attract," he said.
"With a great driver in the team everybody is motivated to work that bit harder," he added."There are lots of great drivers out there and we'll always try and get the best ones we can."
Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll currently drive for Williams, and collectively have managed to occupy fifth place in the Constructors' Championship. While Williams has delivered a reasonably strong mid-field car in 2017, McLaren has been able to improve in form throughout this season which resulted in Alonso securing a sixth place finish at Hungary last time out.
At Belgium, Alonso qualified in 11th place, with an engine issue preventing him from progressing through to Q3: "Apart from the engine issue, the day was perfect," said Alonso, who is hoping for a wet race on Sunday to maximise his chances of securing another points finish. "We're probably not quick enough to score otherwise," he added.
Chris Soulsby
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
78 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply