Mercedes is considering Alonso if Hamilton doesn’t extend his contract
The Mercedes team, awaiting the resumption of negotiations with Lewis Hamilton, is keeping an eye on Fernando Alonso in case the Brit does not continue after 2015.
After taking an unexpected turn at the Japanese Grand Prix, the F1 transfer season continues to be in full swing for 2015 as well as for 2016. Thus, Mercedes might closely consider Fernando Alonso, but only if discussions with Lewis Hamilton fail.
The Briton has a contract that runs until the end of the 2015 season. Discussions regarding his extension have been recently postponed to the end of the current year.
At the same time, Fernando Alonso is expected to leave Scuderia Ferrari. The question of his destination remains uncertain: indeed, while McLaren-Honda seems to be in the lead, the British team cannot offer guarantees of immediate competitiveness. Thus, the Spaniard would like to commit to only one season with McLaren, but Woking, on the contrary, wants a two-year contract.
The double world champion would like to avoid closing the doors to certain top teams for 2016 in case his move to McLaren is not successful. However, he knows that a sabbatical year, while keeping him free for the future, could leave him out of the transfer market with the risk of seeing Williams drivers (Valtteri Bottas’s contract expires at the end of 2015) or Mercedes all extend their contracts.
For its part, the Mercedes team does not wish to change its driver duo, despite tensions that have arisen throughout the season, fueled by the title race between the two men. Although Lewis Hamilton’s extension has been postponed and both parties want to continue their collaboration, it’s not impossible that it will end at the end of 2015, as the Briton is being courted by other teams.
Autosport reveals, citing sources within the team, that if the 2008 world champion wishes to leave, Mercedes would look to hire the best possible driver. And Fernando Alonso is in a good position. Thus, the star brand considers, unlike Red Bull, that the Spaniard can be easy to manage despite his temperament.
« It is absolutely clear that each team and each driver must optimize and try to be on top of the situation, » said Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes, regarding the developments around Alonso. « For the moment, we are very happy with Nico and Lewis. We have a contract until the end of next season, but there will be a point at which we will start to think about what will happen afterward. »
