Should Fernando Alonso take a year off and return in 2017?
Largely thanks to the social media juggernaut that was #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe, questions about his motivation have been foremost in the media for the final round of the season.
Almost every interview with Alonso this weekend featured a variation of the question regarding the possibility of putting the feet up throughout 2016 and taking a sabbatical.
Every response I heard was a variation of ‘no’, yet the prospect was brought up by a rare one-hour media appearance held by Ron Dennis on Saturday morning.
It’s not really surprising that Dennis would be looking to deflect attention away from himself. McLaren slipped from fifth to ninth in the championship which means considerably less prize money, and after losing their title sponsor Vodafone two seasons ago they have now lost a number of other commercial partners.
It’s no secret that Formula One has transformed into a financial death-match in recent times. McLaren and Honda can’t bail water as fast as they are taking it on, and having orchestrated the technical partnership while also luring one of the sport’s hottest properties to the team at great expense (it’s believed Alonso takes home around €50 million per year). Dennis has dug quite a hole for himself.
It’s no wonder Dennis hasn’t shown his face in the paddock since Singapore, the same race where Alonso compared the BPH of the Honda power unit to a “GP2 engine”. It’s also not surprising that his press conference quickly turned to the possibility of Alonso taking a sabbatical.
To be honest, the last time I heard the word sabbatical and Formula One was when Mika Häkkinen took one, which most rational thinking people understood was actually his retirement from the sport without the hassle of being pestered by the media.
It might seem like an extreme measure, but the Formula One media can get a little cray when pursuing a story.
In 2013, reporters caught whiff of a story that Fernando was not happy and looking for a move, possibly to McLaren. The spotlight fell on Sergio Perez for underperforming and not being Jenson Button enough before he was peppered with questions about his future in Woking. Some called them the ‘gutter press’, but really they were just doing their job, and it turned out they were right!
As repetitive as it might be to hear Alonso refute the sabbatical claim, the press are only doing their job. If nothing else it forced Dennis to walk back on his claim by explaining, “I said anything’s feasible; we talk about it being one of the options but the same journalist forgets that I said at the end of it ‘but Fernando and Jenson are driving next year’.
This would seem to suggest that: 1. McLaren have poured over every word in his contract looking for a way to force Alonso into taking 2016 off; 2. In the end, they can’t force him to do something he doesn’t want to do.
And why should Fernando want to take a year off? What exactly would he do? I mean, sunning yourself on a folding chair is great for a little while, but it’s no life for a Samurai.
Alonso has two more years on his contract with McLaren, and despite their best efforts I can’t see a Honda-powered car challenging for the constructors’ title, or even race wins in that time. It must have been clear that their engine was a dud before the season had even begun, and there’s no doubt he’s had a season to forget, but he did score some points here and there and even passed some cars on rare occasions.
Now Alonso is faced with the prospect of moving to another team (but where?) or making the most of whatever McLaren can offer him. I think, for better or worse, he should pull his visor down, forget the championship even exists, watch his mirrors, try to catch the guy in front and find a way to enjoy racing again.
If he does success will follow, however he defines it.
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