Spaniard won Monaco GP twice, made his Indy 500 debut and will compete in a prototype in 2018 Daytona 24 Hours as a stepping stone to Le MansIt has taken the best part of a season but Fernando Alonso may yet throw off the fug that has engulfed him come Formula One’s final round in Abu Dhabi. Certainly closing the curtain on McLaren’s disastrous relationship with Honda will give the Spaniard reason for a sigh of relief but there is a strong likelihood that events even sooner may prove enough for Alonso to revel in racing again.He is expected to undertake a test in Bahrain on Sunday of Toyota’s TS050 Hybrid after the conclusion of the World Endurance Championship, as...
Ending their disastrous relationship with Honda and teaming up with Renault will not make McLaren winners overnight but it may be enough to lay the foundations for the future – especially if Fernando Alonso signs a new dealA return to “normality” in Formula One next season – “to be on the podium and fight for victories” – is Fernando Alonso’s expectation for McLaren after the team formally announced their partnership with Honda would end this year. The relationship has proved to be a very public car crash for the team and the engine manufacturer over the last three years and Alonso has been absolutely clear that he held Honda responsible. His optimism stems from the switch to Renault power units...
Mercedes and Ferrari have identified the last race before the summer break as crucial but there will also be scrutiny for those not caught up in the title battleOnly one race remains before Formula One takes its annual rest for the summer – a break that after the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend may weigh heavier on some shoulders than others. The next few days will be potentially as instructive in the fight for the world championship as any we have seen thus far. Only a sliver separates Lewis Hamilton from Sebastian Vettel at the top of the table but Budapest has more import than just who will hold the lead when racing returns at Spa at the end of...
German’s high-risk style yields benefits; Force India have bout of indecision; Fernando Alonso engine failure brings McLaren divorce from Honda closerThat Sebastian Vettel does not want to lose points to Lewis Hamilton is a given. What was impressive at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was just how committed he is to the task. Damage to the front wing on lap one was a major setback, coming back to finish fourth a huge recovery and the manner he achieved it a statement of intent. Having chased down and overtaken his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, and still looking for a podium place, he saw passing the two Force Indias of Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon as paramount. Ocon was first and Vettel’s lunge down...
Some say the German benefited from fortune but others believe it was favour, while the Indy 500 competitor Fernando Alonso remains popular in F1Kimi Raikkonen gave every impression he believed he had been sacrificed by his team to boost Sebastian Vettel’s world championship chances after Ferrari’s strategy worked in the German’s favour at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton believed it was clear the Scuderia had chosen their No1 driver but Vettel and his team countered by saying it had been accident rather than design. Raikkonen had been losing pace towards the end of his stint on the ultrasoft rubber and the decision to pit him to cover Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen was expected. What was not was the sudden...