As a shareholder, Mercedes no longer wants Alonso

The outcome of the Alonso saga now seems inevitable regarding the departure of the Spaniard from McLaren after the Brazilian Grand Prix. The information is reported by the German newspaper Bild-Zeitung, which claims that the executive board of the majority shareholder Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart has decided that the Spaniard should not represent their brand in 2008.

At 26, Alonso is currently under contract for another year with the British team, but following the rather tumultuous events of this season, there are rumors of a possible sabbatical or a possible transfer to another team might be in store for the Spaniard.

Kai Ebel, a presenter specializing in F1 for the German television RTL, stated that Alonso has little chance of winning the title and there are very high chances that the driver will leave the team: « Victory or not, he will leave his position anyway, » he predicted.

In an interview for the Hamburg magazine ‘Stern’, Norbert Haug, the vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, does not deny the possibility of the beginning of a rift with Alonso.

« If someone expresses an absolute desire not to pursue something, then there are ways to manage this situation and find common ground, » said the German.

« We have a contract, and after the last race of the season, we will see what the situation will be, » added Haug.

He dismissed the speculation that McLaren might impose a sabbatical year on Alonso for 2008: « That’s not our style, » Haug insisted.