Fernando Alonso believes that next year the full effectiveness of McLaren with Renault power will provide a platform to compare the team’s chassis relative to Red Bull.
Speaking to Sky, Alonso said, “Next year will be a good test. The same engine as Red Bull will be the truth to see whether the chassis is good or not.”
“For the last three years we have been the only team with the Honda engine so it’s been hard to compare. But the engineers do simulations on everything and we believe we have a good car,” explained the Spaniard.
Alonso’s future in Formula 1 remains a hot topic as teams set up camp for the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, he told reporters, “In the next break will be good to make the final decision.”
“Between Malaysia and Japan we will be busy at the track but definitely after Japan will probably be my wish or deadline to make the decision happen. I will choose wherever I feel is the best.”
“I want to be competitive next year. I want to be back on the podiums, I want to be back having victories and fight for the world championship.”
“I still need some more information to make this decision but at the same time, I remain optimistic because McLaren is one of the best teams in the history of Formula 1. I think we have everything to make it happen,” added Alonso.
Reports in Spain claim that the two times F1 world champion is considering an offer from Toyota to spearhead their 2018 WEC campaign, which includes Le Mans, while Indycar options are also on the table for him to consider.
But McLaren are keen to hang on to their star driver, with many believing that Alonso was instrumental in persuading the Woking bosses to ditch Honda and find an alternative engine supplier. This they did by securing a deal with Renault.
Eric Boullier said recently, “Today we know that we have a decent chassis, which would allow us to be in the top three again with an equal level engine.”
And added, “We also need a top driver, so keeping Alonso is important.”
Big Question: Does McLaren need Fernando?