McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown has hinted at a deal to keep Fernando Alonso at the team for 2018 at least could be agreed and announced this weekend at the United States Grand Prix.
The Spaniard had targeted the two-week break between Japan and Austin as the time he would make his final decision on where he will drive next season but has sounded increasingly positive since it was confirmed the British team would be switching to Renault engines next season, ending their difficult partnership with Honda.
Alonso has also made it clear F1 is where he wants to be racing and challenging for a third world title, therefore, with all his alternatives seemingly elsewhere, Brown believes it is only a matter of when not if he signs on the dotted line.
“We wanted to get the Asian swing out of the way and our new power unit partner in place which is now done,” he commented. “I expect we’ll have a positive conclusion to our plans with Fernando here in not too long.”
The American even offered what could be a subtle hint, adding: “He’s in the FIA Press Conference on Thursday. We have to get a deal done before anything is announced.”
It would appear the end of the Honda association was a key moment in deciding Alonso’s future, as the F1 chief at the Japanese manufacturer revealed a tricky relationship with the 36-year-old.
“Alonso always came to put pressure on me,” Yusuke Hasegawa told El Confidencial. “If the car was bad, he had no qualms about telling me he was not happy. He is a good person and he probably felt very bad about having to scold me but he had to because he wanted everything to be right.”
While Hasegawa accepted and understood his frustration, he admitted not everyone at Honda was quite so able to take in the constant barbs.
“There are people at Honda who were not happy with Alonso’s attitude, but for me, it was not a problem,” he explained. “[But] because he was not happy, it is very difficult to establish a good working relationship, though, of course, it was not personal.
“Alonso did his job, as he was a good professional, but drivers are very emotional guys and you have to understand when they behave like that. If he had the best car, would he be happy? Yes, and that is why we cannot complain.”
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As for his future with McLaren, after his appearance earlier this year at the Indianapolis 500, it is thought the 36-year-old is considering more one-off races next season with Daytona and Le Mans two events mentioned.
“Fernando has a desire to win the Triple Crown as we all know. He’s a pure racer who would like to race every weekend and has a desire to race other races,” Brown said.
“It’s something we’re certainly open to doing with him when and where appropriate. We’re also open-minded to allow him to compete in other races on a very limited basis if the scenario is complementary to his F1 efforts and not detrimental to his F1 program.
“What we wouldn’t allow is to run in multiple racing series. But like Indy, if there’s the occasional one-off, on a case-by-case basis we’ll allow him to do that.”
