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Sports / Motor Racing
Hamilton win puts focus on Alonso's future
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-08-07 10:24
As if they did not already have enough to worry about, Formula One
leaders McLaren could face the real risk of Fernando Alonso walking out
at the end of the season.
With the double world champion seemingly no longer on speaking terms with
22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton after a turbulent Hungarian
Grand Prix weekend, the speculation was rife.
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"One thing's for sure, Alonso won't be at McLaren next year," a senior
figure at another team told Reuters at the Hungaroring.
While nothing is certain in Formula One, other than that there will
always be intrigue and speculation, the sentiment was strong enough for
team boss Ron Dennis to face questions about the Spaniard's future.
"There is an inevitability that these things are rumoured and discussed
in other teams," he told reporters after a race that saw Alonso stripped
of pole position and demoted five places on the starting grid.
Hamilton, elevated to pole, led every lap and celebrated his third win in
11 races to go seven points clear of his disgruntled team mate.
He said afterwards that Alonso, who finished fourth, had not spoken to
him since Saturday.
"We have two drivers who are contracted for several years into the
future," said Dennis, who pulled off a coup in signing Alonso from
Renault at the end of 2005, with the Spaniard joining a year later.
"We will respect our part of that bargain and that part of the situation.
We hope that the drivers respect theirs because that's what a contract is
about."
MCLAREN SAVIOUR
Hamilton's astonishing debut has unsettled the champion, who had hoped to
arrive at McLaren as the saviour after a 2006 season without any wins for
the Mercedes-powered team.
If he had hoped for number one status, he was sadly deceived. McLaren are
big on parity between their drivers with no exceptions.
"It is a challenging situation to manage and I fully recognise that,"
said Dennis, who has been fighting fires within and without after a
spying controversy over leaked Ferrari information broke out last month.
"But that goes with my job. I have to take any decisions that are in the
interests of the team.
"We are most definitely going to maintain a very firm commitment to our
principle of equality."
Alonso complained early in the season that he had yet to feel fully
comfortable within the team and reports since then have suggested that
the situation has deteriorated.
A Spanish flag in the crowd on Sunday summed up the feelings of many
Spanish fans about their hero's position -- "McLaren=Traidor (Traitor)".
If Alonso were to leave, the rumour-mill suggests that a return to
struggling champions Renault would be the most likely option, although a
sabbatical could be another.
Renault have yet to confirm their 2008 line-up and team boss Flavio
Briatore made clear at the weekend that he was in no hurry to do so.
"I know nothing about that. We have never had any discussions about
that," Briatore said on Sunday when asked about the rumours.
"This is a McLaren problem, not mine."
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