Pleased to have signed a new contract with McLaren for 2018, Fernando Alonso can’t wait to get started on the next chapter of his stint with the British team claiming he “wants Australia to arrive already”.
News of the double world champion’s continuation with McLaren was made official just before he appeared at Thursday’s press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin and ended months of speculation amid frustration over the continued problems with Honda.
But now, with Renault taking over as their engine supplier from next season, the Spaniard has an all-new outlook on what he can achieve and even hinted his new deal was more than just a one-year extension.
“We never discuss the contract clauses and we are not going to do it now, but it’s a long-term contract and we’ll see how things go,” Alonso claimed. “I’m very excited for next year, with different expectations and keen to put McLaren back where it deserves to be. I want Australia to arrive already.”
The thought of a multi-year stay, with most ‘long-term’ deals usually lasting three seasons, is an intriguing one, particularly given there is still a lot of work to do before McLaren, even with Renault, can think about challenging the top three teams.
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old expressed faith in the Woking outfit’s abilities as he spoke about his reasons for remaining with the team.
“We weren’t in a hurry, neither of us,” he said, explaining the delay in making his decision. “From the first moment I believed that McLaren’s project – or at least the chassis side – had taken the right step in terms of aerodynamics and in terms of mechanical grip.
“We left all doors open, I talked to everybody who wanted to talk, with all the different projects I had on the table, but the most convincing one was McLaren’s.”
For Fernando, there is also a little nostalgia as he will once again work with the company that helped him to his two F1 titles just over a decade ago but insists the underlying potential of the new partnership was more important.
“It’s very exciting. Driving again for Renault, even though it’s just the engine, is a good feeling,” Alonso admitted.
“[But] Red Bull has been showing this year, with two cars on the podium in Japan and both cars on the podium in Malaysia, so we know what the Renault engine is capable of. Now we have to step up and make it happen.”
It is still likely, however, he will participate elsewhere next year, with speculation of a run both at the Daytona 24 Hours before attempting another leg of motorsport’s Triple Crown, the Le Mans 24 Hours.
“For the Indy 500 it was a nice experience, I felt very competitive but it was a big challenge that I took from zero, from no testing, not any similar race before it,” Alonso commented. “If I want to prepare Le Mans, maybe there are other possibilities to prepare Le Mans a little bit better than I prepared the Indy 500.”
McLaren executive director Zak Brown, who operates the United Autosports endurance racing team, was also open to offering his driver the chance.
“If Fernando wants to do Daytona and we have a seat available, we would put his name on it happily,” he said. “We’ve started joking around about it and we saw where jokes got us last time (referring to the Indy 500).”
