Briatore: In Formula 1 one should never say never

Alonso left the door open for a return, hinting that if McLaren found the magic bullet he would be back, "My heart is with the team forever. I know they will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy."

Andrea Cremonesi of dello Sport asked Briatore about Alonso's decision, to which the former Renault F1 team chief responded: "I can explain Fernando's decision - it just made no sense to keep on racing for seventh and eighth plus. A driver loses the motivation."

"But I also find it strange that in this Formula 1 era there is apparently no place to be found on the grid for a talented driver such as Fernando."

Red Bull chief Christian Horner said recently that Alonso was a driver who would be difficult to manage, and creates "chaos" wherever he tends to go - which echoes the sentiment of a large portion of the media and knowledgeable F1 fans, but Briatore disagrees.

The 68-year-old Italian entrepreneur and former team manager, who played an instrumental role in the Spaniard's career, said, "I'm friends with Christian, but here Horner is not one to speak. He talks the good talk!"

"If there is a racing team that cannot handle their drivers, then it is Red Bull. That's exactly why Daniel Ricciardo is leaving. Fernando drove for me and he glorified the Renault team, he was an exemplary teammate for the other drivers, a benchmark for the engineers."

As for Alonso's future beyond Formula 1, Briatore said, "Let's see. First, it is time to finish the F1 season and the World Endurance Championship. I could understand it if he takes a break. Anyway, talking about a final farewell is too early. In Formula 1, things change very fast so one should never say never."

Early in the year, around the time of their 'home' grand prix in Bahrain it was clear that McLaren had failed miserably with their 2018 car. Last year they boasted the best chassis but no power unit to measure up against as they were solo with Honda engines.

But this year the team that expected to challenge for wins are struggling to crack it beyond Q1 in qualifying and then scrapping for the minor positions in the races.

Briatore recalled, how shortly after the race in Manama, he had said, "The terrific fourth place of Pierre Gasly in the Toro Rosso-Honda shows that McLaren has no more excuses. McLaren have to sort out their car, it most certainly is not the drivers. "

"Alonso is constantly driving at the highest level, he is at least as strong as Hamilton and drives very consistently. I would like to witness Fernando in a Mercedes or Ferrari," added Briatore.