Dennis: Alonso at McLaren? “Never say never”
The question of Fernando Alonso's return to McLaren has been in the air for several months. It is inevitably linked to the future of McLaren and, as such, Ron Dennis believes that a new collaboration is not impossible.
For several months, rumors have been circulating about the future of Fernando Alonso, fueled by tensions between the Spaniard and his team, led by Luca di Montezemolo, the group’s president, but also by whispers from Woking, the headquarters of McLaren, where desires to bring back the current Ferrari driver have emerged.
Last week, information revealed by the British media Sky suggested that Ron Dennis, chairman of McLaren Group, wanted to buy back part of the company’s shares to regain control, among other things, over McLaren F1. A situation that, if it were to occur, could call into question the arrival of Fernando Alonso. Last September, Alonso stated regarding this: « I have always said there was no problem with anyone, it was just the team’s philosophy, especially of one man in the team who is no longer there. »
When asked about a possible return of Fernando Alonso to McLaren, Ron Dennis, for his part, was pragmatic: « The primary goal of any great team is to win races. Whatever obstacle stands between a team wanting to win and victory, whether it’s engineering, financial, or human issues, you have to solve them. Never say never. »
The relationship between the two men is one of the factors to consider regarding the question of the return. A few days ago, Martin Whitmarsh attended an exhibition organized by Fernando Alonso in Madrid, tracing the career of the Asturian Bull. This visit, as a former director of the Spaniard or rather, since Ron Dennis held that position, as a representative of McLaren, did not go unnoticed, and again, the possibility of contract negotiations was mentioned.
A possibility that does not seem to be the priority of Fernando Alonso, whose contract with Ferrari runs until the end of 2016, and who stated, again last September: “I still have three seasons with Ferrari and I hope even more are to come if we can extend the contract, and that would be my wish.” Statements corroborated by the Spaniard’s agent, Luis Garcia Abad: “You cannot have two contracts signed, because when you sign one, you must notify it for the authorities to check. So, it’s technically impossible. An unsigned agreement is not an agreement.”
