Fernando Alonso is no longer ruling out quitting F1 at the end of the year. Earlier, the Spaniard said that despite the difficulty of his last three seasons with McLaren-Honda, he was fully committed to trying to win a third title beyond 2017.
But that was before he obviously enjoyed the experience of skipping Monaco and being competitive in the fabled Indy 500. So when asked if he might switch full-time to the Indycar series for 2018, he said on Sunday: "Why not? I'm very open to anything. I would be lying if I said I know what will happen next year."
Marc Surer, a former F1 driver and now a commentator for German television Sky, said he thinks a full Indy switch is actually a probable outcome for Alonso.
"Basically, there are only three ways for Fernando," he said. "He either stays at McLaren-Honda, he returns to Renault, or he does a full season in Indycar. On the normal (Indy) tracks he would beat his opponents, and he has shown at Indianapolis that he can learn about the ovals. Alonso wants to win races again and he can most likely do that in Indycar."
Fergal Walsh
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Replies (5)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
I hope he sticks around, it would be a shame to lose him
Kevin
Posts: 5,341
I'd rather see him compete for wins in another class, than wasting his talent in F1.
ZUKMAN
Posts: 40
He'll quit McLaren and won't be back at Ferrari that's for sure. Red Bull can't take him, only Mercedes can if they ditch Bottas or Hamilton.
RogerF1
Posts: 501
Without prospect of a winning F1 drive for 2018 Indy looks a good option
renaultFanF1
Posts: 80
He will not return to Renault for sure. They cannot give him a winning car next year, and Alonso is not interested in running in the middle of the pack. He's also a man who requires the entire team on his side, and he's not interested in competing with a teammate.
Renault already has a top driver who is doing a great job, they just need someone to at least match him to bring in more points (*cough*get rid of Palmer*cough*)