Although he is contracted for the 2015 season, Fernando Alonso’s future in Formula One has become a rather hot topic in the media. Rumors have been released, speculating that Alonso will be making a team swap for the upcoming season. Of course, I must remind everyone that as of the current time, these are simply speculation and have not been confirmed by anyone in the sport.
For those that see Alonso leaving Ferrari in 2015, most have hinted towards a McLaren move, but there is also the possibility of seeing him back in a Ferrari car. Out of these two options, which is the most probable?
With no drivers currently signed, the McLaren team has the opportunity to pick up Alonso. And with a new Honda engine for the 2015 season, Alonso could be content with a seat. At the age of 33, Alonso’s time in Formula One is reaching its end and if he would like to have a chance at winning a third World Championship title, he knows he needs to get out of Ferrari. This being his fifth season with Ferrari, he surely has to feel let down by the team’s lack of performance this year, as well as their failure to provide him with a winning car in the previous seasons. With Jenson Button being older than Alonso, it is reasonable to expect that his career is coming to a close, making it quite possible for Alonso to replace Button.
However, it is important to remember that Alonso has already spent a season in a McLaren car, way back in 2007. This venture was short lived after team chairman, Ron Dennis, and Alonso had a dramatic falling out. This eventually led to the termination of his contract with the team at the end of the 2007 season. With this much past history, the chances of Alonso getting into another McLaren car have lowered.
Alonso’s Ferrari contract does not end until the end of the 2015 season, meaning that he is still required to stay with Ferrari, unless someone compensates the team. This means that it would cost a team more money to take Alonso from Ferrari, therefore making a team move seem really unlikely. It is possible that Alonso will live out his Ferrari contract before moving teams.
However, the new team principal, Marco Mattiacci, and Alonso have reportedly been in the middle of a falling out in the recent weeks. Could this turn into a repeat of his 2007 season?
Personally, I think that we will see Alonso back in a Ferrari next season. Leaving Ferrari just doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the current time; however, I can almost guarantee a team swap after the 2015 season. If I had to pick the team that we will see Alonso join in 2016, I would have to go with the new Haas F1 Team. Team founder, Gene Haas, has already stated that he would love to have a driver with a lot of Formula One experience in the team to help guide them. In addition, with the Haas and Ferrari partnership, this could become much more likely.
I can’t wait to see where he goes both next season and for 2016. Will he be in McLaren or Ferrari or another team? For now, we can only guess and wait to see how things pan out in the seasons to come.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
