Alonso Threatens to Leave McLaren

From Road & Track

There's probably no one more miserable in F1 than Fernando Alonso right now. He's one of the best drivers on the grid, but he's stuck with Honda's unreliable, underpowered power unit in his McLaren, effectively rendering him noncompetitive. That's why he skipped F1's most glamorous race, the Monaco GP, for the Indy 500, where he had an actual shot at winning. Now, after his IndyCar dalliance, Alonso has issued an ultimatum.

At today's Canadian Grand Prix press conference, Alonso said he'll leave McLaren at the end of this season unless it can start winning races by September, and he'll quit F1 altogether if it moves to a 25-race calendar. Currently, F1 runs 20 Grands Prix in a season with a winter break between December and March.

Alonso has given Honda a very short timeframe to fix its numerous engine issues. Currently, McLaren is dead last in the Constructor's Championship and at least one of its cars has had a DNF or a DNS in each race this season. Honda also promised McLaren an engine upgrade for this weekend's Canadian GP, but now, that's been delayed indefinitely.

Given these circumstances, a miracle turnaround by McLaren and Honda seems unlikely at best, so don't be surprised to see Alonso head elsewhere. Or he could perhaps stay with McLaren, but as a full-time IndyCar driver. McLaren has expressed interest in a full IndyCar works program, and Alonso certainly had a good time, and a strong showing at the Indy 500. Perhaps an IndyCar drive is on his mind?

Really, it's amazing that Alonso's patience has lasted this long. He's too good of a driver to be stuck in F1, watching Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel having all the fun. Now, it seems like his departure from McLaren or the series entirely is imminent.

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