Alonso doesn't deny a possible 2018 switch to Mercedes

Fernando Alonso has denied rumours that he is set to split from McLaren and walk away from his contract. There have been allegations that due to the uncompetitiveness of the MCL32, the Spaniard could leave the team mid-season.

Former Williams and Red Bull driver Mark Webber spoke about him following the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago, stating how he fails to see how Alonso will see out the season.

However, Alonso has since come out and said that he has no intention of walking away from the team, despite admitting that he is currently frustrated.

"This is simply not true," he said. "I have read it not only in Spain but also from MotoGP riders asked if Alonso is going and everyone has their opinion. Apparently, they all know that I am depressed!

"Clearly the situation is frustrating because I am better prepared than ever. But I think the team now expects extra effort from me, like in Melbourne when the simulations said that we would be last and we were fighting for tenth place. Forecasts for China show we are last as well so I hope it is the same as Melbourne."

Another rumour that has been circling is that Alonso would support McLaren in a decision to split from Honda, as it appears McLaren are losing most of their times on the straights due to the lack of power from the Japanese engine.

"I don't know exactly how much power we lack compared to our opponents, but my feeling says 'a lot'. I notice how fast I am in the corners and how much I lose on the straights. As drivers, we are having to work around the engine problems and we also need to save more fuel than ever before, which doesn't help."

Alonso's name has been thrown into contention for a 2018 Mercedes seat alongside Lewis Hamilton and says that he can not rule anything out when it comes to the driver market: "When talking about the future, you should never exclude anything in life. The problems I had in the past were due to the management of McLaren and never with Lewis."

Fergal Walsh