Alonso has Seemingly Given Up on McLaren and F1

Fernando Alonso had a disastrous French Grand Prix weekend as he retired on lap 50 after an issue with his McLaren. He had to also undergo the embarrassment of letting his teammate past during the race.

But his comments before the race and his radio conversation with the team during it will be the one bugging fans. Alonso had won the Le Mans just a week ago with Toyota but came crashing down to earth after being eliminated in Q1 yesterday.

In the post-qualifying press conference, Alonso said, “I feel nothing, just normality. On the personal side, I’m trying to do everything possible. I believe I’m the only one right now who is 8-0 against a GP3 and GP2 champion [his teammate Vandoorne].”

“But this is Formula 1. You need the right package and the right place. These last races have not been as good for us, but amid all this we are seventh in the championship.”

But all the positivity evaporated during the race. The French Grand Prix was the third time in a row that Alonso had to retire after Monaco and Canada. And he exploded on the team radio.

“No brakes, no tyres, we are out of the points and trying to do whatever but I don’t care too much”, he yelled, visibly fed up with the lack of reliability from his car.

This follows the other comments he made post-qualifying. He clearly did not believe in his McLaren car as he sought help from the front-runners so as to enable them to catch up.

Alonso has long been patient with the team and had even declared that they are on the right track. But a champion like him could never survive in a midfield car and it is a miracle that he has remained put for so long.

He is never one to give up and always looks to push boundaries, even with the limited capability of the equipment at his disposal but it seems like he may finally bid adieu.