Alonso 2018?

[Scott]

Ferd has drawn the line.  A win by Sept or Sayanara Mclaren.  Wonder what his options will actually be.  I know any of the midfield teams would tear up a perfectly good race contract to fit him in a car, but would Ferrari, Mclaren or RBR?  Yeah, probably.  It doesn't just put Mclaren on notice, but also puts some pressure on the drivers in the top three teams I think.

https://www.pitpass.com/59261/Alonso-sets-September-deadline

[Dare]

A win by Sept pretty much says he's leaving.

[Andy B]

A win by September! 
That's funny!! 

[Scott]

And who will be the lucky recipient of a well bred, heavily eyebrowed spaniard?  My guess is RBR, but that would require a bit of a shakeup at the top three. 

I predict - Kimi retires, DR to either Merc (meaning Lewis to Ferrari) or DR directly to Ferrari, Alonso to RBR.  I know there are signed contracts for 2018, but I think throwing Ferd in the mix will make a couple teams happy to shred some paper and pay a bit of 'On Yer Way Pay' to make room for him. 

I don't think Alonso will return to Ferrari or want to go to Merc.  I think DR is tired of Marko only smiling when MV is ahead, so if he has an exit, he'll take it.  Ferrari need a change, whether it is Vettel or Kimi, I think Vettel will win that one.  Lewis is showing the same signs he did the last year at Mclaren and Toto is similarly losing the praise Lewis script, so everyone at Merc is ready for a change.  All my opinions, so take it as you like.

[Jericoke]

And who will be the lucky recipient of a well bred, heavily eyebrowed spaniard?  My guess is RBR, but that would require a bit of a shakeup at the top three. 

I predict - Kimi retires, DR to either Merc (meaning Lewis to Ferrari) or DR directly to Ferrari, Alonso to RBR.  I know there are signed contracts for 2018, but I think throwing Ferd in the mix will make a couple teams happy to shred some paper and pay a bit of 'On Yer Way Pay' to make room for him. 

I don't think Alonso will return to Ferrari or want to go to Merc.  I think DR is tired of Marko only smiling when MV is ahead, so if he has an exit, he'll take it.  Ferrari need a change, whether it is Vettel or Kimi, I think Vettel will win that one.  Lewis is showing the same signs he did the last year at Mclaren and Toto is similarly losing the praise Lewis script, so everyone at Merc is ready for a change.  All my opinions, so take it as you like.

I'd hate to see Kimi go... but DR at Ferrari would be great.  F1's biggest smile behind F1's biggest nameplate?Liberty would probably pay his salary to make it happen.
HOWEVER, does Vettel want the one driver who's shown him up as a teammate again?

If we're just going to spin the wheel though, maybe Vettel will go to Mercedes, having Ricciardo and Hamilton at Ferrari.  That would be a fun pairing, I think.

I do think Alonso at RBR is his best fit.  I don't see him fitting in at Mercedes, and I think RBR is more likely to indulge Alonso moonlighting in other series.

[cosworth151]

I see one problem with Alonso going to RBR. How long would it take until he & Max V are at each other's throat?

[Scott]

I see one problem with Alonso going to RBR. How long would it take until he & Max V are at each other's throat?

I like to think Max would be permanent 2nd driver simply by pace.

[Irisado]

I can't see Alonso going to any of the top three teams.  I also do not see any changes among the top three, unless Raikkonen decides to retire.  Alonso's only option, in my view, is Renault, but I cannot see how they would be able to afford to pay him.  This leaves McLaren, which may become a more attractive prospect if the team decides to replace Honda with Merecedes.

[John S]

I predict - Kimi retires, DR to either Merc (meaning Lewis to Ferrari) or DR directly to Ferrari, Alonso to RBR.  I know there are signed contracts for 2018, but I think throwing Ferd in the mix will make a couple teams happy to shred some paper and pay a bit of 'On Yer Way Pay' to make room for him. 

Shredding contracts may prove more difficult than you think Scott. If, and It's still a big if, Ferrari don't keep Kimi then I believe Perez is next in line to be Vettel's teammate.

Two reasons to believe this, (1) Seb won't allow a perceived challenger like 'Honey Badger' or Lewis into the 2nd Ferrari. (2) Perez has massive financial clout from his Mexican backers, can Ferrari ignore this? 

I feel Alonso will either stay at McLaren or move on to another series, lets face it which top team wants him because of his wages & baggage? 

 

[Scott]

Does Seb actually have veto power in his contract though?  If not, he might not have a choice.  I think MS was the only Ferrari driver to actually have veto power over teammates, and I would be surprised if Ferrari ever agrees to that again.

Ferrari has massive financial clout themselves with PM and Shell along with Fiat ownership, so they aren't really scrambling for sponsors and wouldn't shed talent for money IMO.  As long as the car continues to look like a pack of Marlboro's, Ferrari doesn't need to worry about sponsorship.

Finally, I think Alonso realizes he needs to go into his next contract negotiations with more emphasis on a team capable of winning rather than a team capable of his salary. 

I could be wrong on all accounts of course, but that's why it's called a prediction.

[cosworth151]

Yet another option - IndyCar CEO Mark Miles put out this statement: “Zak Brown and McLaren hope to be back at Indianapolis next year and are analyzing possibilities for full-season participation.”

I wonder if they have a Spanish driver in mind.

[lkjohnson1950]

I'm sure Michael Andretti would leap at the chance to partner with McLaren/Alonso.

[Scott]

Maybe there will be an opening at RBR for Alonso after all.  I doubt Dieter, Horner and Marko will put up with too much of this kid for too long when he starts harping directly on the team.

https://greenflagf1.com/2017/06/12/max-verstappen-im-tired-of-red-bulls-constant-reliability-failures/

[Alianora La Canta]

The only time Fernando has looked happy all year has been in Indycars. I think he'll go there, with McLaren support, next year - in an attempt to get the Indy 500 part of the Triple Crown. Once he has it, he may then review whether McLaren's in a good enough state to hop back into F1, find a Le Mans-friendly team who'll allow him to skip a race or two to get the other part of the Triple Crown or whether he wishes to leave F1 altogether for Le Mans.

[Scott]

The boys at the Judge13 are quoting a Spanish paper supposedly saying Ferrari had made an offer to Alonso for 2018.  I went to that paper and translated the couple of articles about Alonso, but didn't find anything but open speculation, and nothing to suggest Ferrari actually made an offer.  Anyhow, here is the link to the J13 story.

https://thejudge13.com/2017/07/05/i-will-win-in-2018-fernando-back-to-ferrari/