General
Alonso adamant about F1 future: 'Doesn't depend on Red Bull or Mercedes'
Fernando Alonso said earlier this year that he would decide in a few weeks whether to stay for another season in Formula 1, but the two-time world champion has backtracked on that. The 42-year-old driver did so ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. In doing so, Alonso made one thing clear: his decision does not depend on developments at Mercedes and Red Bull Racing.
Within now and a few weeks, Alonso was supposed to provide clarity, but that is therefore not going to happen. "When I talked to the TV channels, I said [I will decide during the] summer, and so it can stay like that for a lot of months that I won't have an answer for the same question, but not much has change, and nothing will channge in the upcoming weeks and races," Alonso told MARCA. "On the one hand, I may not want to wait until the summer because I think it would be unfair to me and the team if they have more options or have to look for a replacement, but I also don't want to rush it and make a choice when my head is not at all on it."
The Spaniard states that his focus is entirely on further improving the AMR24. In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the team learned so much about the new car that it will take a lot of time and energy to turn all those areas of improvement into better performance.
Alonso not looking at Red Bull and Mercedes
Alonso's contract expires after next season and that means he could also be looking a door away. At Mercedes, a seat is still up for grabs now that Lewis Hamilton has announced his departure for Ferrari and at Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez is not yet sure of his seat. Moreover, it is not 100 per cent out of the question for Verstappen to stay on after this season because of internal turmoil.
"This decision [continuing or quitting] is completely independent of what happens at Mercedes or what happens at Red Bull," Alonso underlinnes. "This is how I have always been. Sometimes it has brought me things, sometimes it has hurt me to be the master of my destiny. I have always chosen myself when I left a team, when I joined a team and I also decided myself that I wanted to stop [years ago]. I will not follow what others do and let them decide my fate, I will tie the knot myself.... Whether it works out well or not so well, it's how I am."