Apparently, Fernando Alonso has informed all three current top teams that he is interested in returning to F1. However, the interest of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bullbut for his services rather small.
It’s no secret that Alonso tried at Mercedes after the end of the 2016 season, when Nico Rosberg surprisingly retired. “Everyone knows that Fernando is one of the best racers. No one doubts that, ”said team boss Toto Wolff, confirming that there was a desire for a conversation on the part of Alonso’s management. “He said that himself,” Wolff added.
There are quite a few factors against Alonso's arrival at Mercedes. First, he was never forgiven in Stuttgart for playing an important role in the 100 million-dollar espionage fine against McLaren-Mercedes in 2007 with his instructions to the FIA ombudsmen. Secondly, if Bottas were not good enough, Mercedes would opt for Max Verstappn or Sebastian Vettl rather than Alonso. Verstappen is only 21 years old, Alonso will soon be 38. Thirdly, it should be noted that Alonso has not won any championship titles since 2006 and has not won any races since 2013. Whether he could have achieved championship form in a top team right away, no one knows. And over the years, he has strayed too far from F1 with various trips to other series.
There are no concrete talks with Mercedes in any case, which Wolff also explains. “Fernando understands the situation that we have to make a decision first with our current racers. It's the integrity we have as a team not to negotiate in parallel with others until we make a decision for ourselves. ”
Alonso also knocked on the Ferrari door. But Scuderia has already explained that for 2020, he certainly has no interest in Alonso or Verstappn. “We have two racers with a valid contract and we are very happy with them,” said team boss Mattia Binotto, who added: “Our racing duo for next year is fixed. I don't see any reason to change anything. "
And how is z Red Bullabout? "Alonso is an absolute No-Go for Honda," said Helmut Marko, a Red Bull sports consultant. However, the Austrian confirms that there were direct attempts to make contact. "Alonso's side has expressed interest in the conversation."
If Alonso really wants to return to F1, then his current employer McLaren would not throw logs at his feet. Team boss Andreas Seidl has already explained that he does not plan with Alonso himself. However, if he finds a seat on the other team, he would be easily assigned a discharge. “Fernando is and remains a McLaren national team player,” said McLaren boss Zak Brown. "We have a very good relationship and we are talking to him about different racing programs in the future." These, however, have nothing to do with F1. “If he wants to return to F1, then we are happy for him, but that would be with another team, because we do not have a vacancy. But if he wants to, we will of course support it, ”added Brown.
All indications are that the Spaniard's return to F1 will be difficult, especially in terms of gaining a competitive car. We will definitely not see him in the F1 caravan next year, but what will happen in 2021, at the time of the new rules, is hard to say. In addition to his character, his age will probably be the main obstacle.
