McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown has ruled out any chances of Fernando Alonso returning to the team. The ace driver has done two stints at Mclaren, first in 2007 and second from 2015 to 2018. The two-times F1 world championship titleholder has stated that he was keeping his options open for a comeback to F1 in 2021.
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Brown is determined that he would not risk McLaren‘s ongoing resurgence. He accepted that the team’s recent performance is credited to new youthful drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.
When asked if they look at Fernando Alonso as a future alternative Brown said, “No. We are in a different place now”.
He added, “That’s not a reflection on him, we have two great young drivers who are really fast that are working well together. The fans like them and we have a rhythm now and would not want to disturb that. It’s where we are. I am happy with our racing team.”
However, he didn’t expel the opportunity of the Spaniard driving for McLaren again in this year’s Indy 500.
He said on McLaren’s Indy project, “Alonso wasn’t previously on our list, but now he is. He’s obviously a megastar and an immense talent that has already done one Indy 500.”
Fernando Alonso at Mclaren F1
The Spaniard’s first stint at Mclaren was in 2007. He was a frontrunner for the driver’s title and finished 3rd overall. Because of his deteriorating relationships with his teammate Lewis Hamilton and team management he left the team after just 1 season.
His second stint with Mclaren was a big disappointment. As the Honda-Mclaren partnership produces mediocre results with the car woefully off the pace and unreliable. Alonso was very vocal about the engine manufacturer’s shortcomings and stepped away from Formula 1 at the end of 2018. He remained with McLaren as an ambassador for 2019 to aid and advise its engineers and drivers. Alonso also drove in select test sessions to develop the 2019 car. He drove the MCL34 during a two-day in-season post-race Bahrain test in April 2019 for Pirelli.
What Lies Ahead For Alonso in Formula 1
There are only a handful of competitive seats left for the 2021 season. Ferrari has already committed to Charles Leclerc and Red Bull to Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel are out of contract at the end of 2020. But Mercedes intends to retaining their six-time world champion and Ferrari’s talks with Vettel have also begun.
As the driver turns 39 this year it is highly unlikely for any of the big three teams to take a chance on Alonso.