Much as been said about double world champion Fernando Alonso’s chances of returning to F1 after his exit at the end of 2018 but what is the likelihood of fans seeing him on an F1 grid in the future? The man himself said in a recent F1 Racing magazine article that his F1 story isn’t over and “2021 is a good opportunity”, but by then he will have been out of the sport for two years and you have to wonder whether F1 teams will look at him as a viable option.
Alonso’s reason for citing 2021 as a good time to comeback into the sport is because of the new regulations coming in that he believes will level the playing field and allow more teams to compete at the front of the field. It is hoped by the sports promoters and fans alike that this will be the outcome of the new rules cycle but that in itself does not immediately place Alonso in a prime position to rejoin the grid. Lets us discuss Fernando’s situation and assess his prospects of trying to capture that third world title.
On talent alone no one can argue that Alonso is an asset to any team, he is certainly one of the most talented drivers of his generation and his fighting spirit is unquestionable. And his performances in other categories since his last Grand Prix show both his adaptability and his pure love of driving. However it is not this aspect that is likely to put F1 teams off signing him next season. Fernando has always been a political figure and has frequently polarized teams in the past, we need think no further than the spygate scandal of 2007 as evidence of this. Even during times of success there has been murmurings of discontent from Alonso such as at Renault during his title winning years of 2005-06. It may stem from his insatiable appetite for wining but it surely does not endear him to teams when he is prepared to publicly chastise them in the press.
His second stint at Mclaren from 2015-18 with the Honda partnership during which there were numerous public comments regarding Honda’s power plant (GP2 engine) show how Alonso’s frustrations can boil over and easily lead to a breakdown of a relationship. Honda recently veto’d Alonso’s planned drive for the Indy 500 with Micheal Andretti’s team as a result of the humiliation they suffered during the Mclaren spell so this shows that some people at least may avoid hiring Alonso because of the baggage he carries.The Honda link would also rule him out of a RedBull drive for 2021, although it is diificult to believe that they wouold bring in anyone from outside the RedBull program anyway seeing as they invest in that to provide drivers for the main team.
RedBull aside then what of Alonso’s other opportunities in F1? Mclaren concluded their relationship with him earlier this year but then signed him to for drive them in the Indy 500 in their newly formed partnership with Schmidt Peterson Racing, but its unlikey there would be an F1 seat open for him with the team as they have started their rebuilding process and are looking to move forward with the drivers they have got. In Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris they have a good mix of experience and youth and a good team dynamic. There appears to be no need to change things there.
What then of Mercedes? They maybe could have brought Alonso in after Nico Rosberg’s retirement, and I for one was hoping that they were going to that, but choose not to so as not to have another intra team battle. Im sure that they will go with the same philosophy in future.
Ferrari may or not not be looking for a new driver next year depending on whether or not Sebastion Vettel stays with the team and I’m not sure that Fernando would be a good fit there now. That leaves someone like Racing point, which will become Aston Martin next year or Renault. Sergio Perez has time left on his contract at Racing Point and Laurence Stroll is unlikey to dump his son Lance from the team so that would rule them out.
Renault may offer Fernando his best opportunity, as mentioned above has driven and had title success with them in the past. It would depend on Danial Ricciardo deciding to make a move as Esteban Ocon is there for the next two years. Added to that Renaualt have failed to impress in recent years and unless they come out of the blocks strongly next year it doesnt appear that they would offer Alonso the title challenger he desires. There has also been uncertainly about Renault’s commitment to the sport in the the long term in the past so there are also question marks there.
So there would appear to be limited chances for Alonso to get a seat for next year, certainly a top seat that his talents deserve. My feeling is that he would be better to focus his energies on continuing his quest to find success in multiple forms of racing. A full season in IndyCar would be good to see, a return to the the WEC when the Hypercar rules come into force, and hi first appereance in the Dakar Rally in January suggests that an off-road future may hold some interest for him.
Wherever we see Fernando compete in the coming years I hope that he is in machinery that allows him to compete at the front of the field because a driver of his caliber is wasted picking up the odd point finish.
My F1 talk 