Could this weekend be Fernando Alonso’s last Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1? Well, his comments in Barcelona on Thursday are raising that prospect.
The McLaren driver will reach the unwanted milestone of five years since his last win both in F1 and in Barcelona on Sunday, this just one week after securing victory in his WEC debut with Toyota at the Spa 6 Hours.
Last year, many were asking just how much longer the 36-year-old would continue amid the problems with Honda but he seemed to have high hopes when he re-signed with the British team for 2018.
Now just four races into that contract, his outlook on F1 in general is bleak.
“The biggest thing here is how predictable everything is,” he said in Catalonia on Thursday. “We can put in the paper now what would be the qualifying here on Saturday, what it would be in Monaco, what it would be in Silverstone.
“That’s something you need to take into account for future decisions. This is sad in a way for F1, the direction everything went.”
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Despite his pessimism, the double world champion remains committed to McLaren and is upbeat about their future outlook in the short and long-term.
“I’m happy with the progress we did here at McLaren and the direction things are going so I’m happy here,” Alonso insisted. “I think it’s difficult to say and be precise about how far behind we are.
“I kept the motivation because I’m competitive. It’s difficult to see from the outside but you’re extremely proud and motivated every time you do a one-off performance.
“I think here, and Monaco, maybe we’ll see a different picture of different teams moving around. Hopefully, McLaren is one of those that pick up a bit of pace.”