Lowe: Not ruling Alonso in or ruling him out

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe is not giving much away when quizzed about mounting speculation that is linking double Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso to the Grove outfit.

Alonso's discontent with the McLaren-Honda project is well documented, with Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and most recently Renault closing the door on him Williams remain his best option to remain on the Formula 1 grid.

Talk in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock suggested that a deal for 2018 has already been inked and is merely awaiting signatures from both parties.

When asked by Sky Sports if Alonso was part of Williams' plans beyond 2018, Lowe responded, "We haven't announced who's driving for us next year. It's something we're still working on. I'm not going to rule him in or rule him out."

"There are lots of great drivers out there and we will always try to get the best ones we can," he added, without elaborating on who these 'great drivers out there' actually are.

For 2018, well financed rookie Lance Stroll is sure to remain with the team, while Felipe Massa is also itching to prolong his career for yet another year, but for now Williams are not committing to the Brazilian just yet.

Alonso's desire to move to a team with a winning car won't happen, and although Williams are enduring a well below par season they do have championship winning pedigree.

They also have re-energised leadership in the form of Lowe, coupled to proper infra-structure to develop the team into a force once again. But perhaps most importantly from Alonso's perspective is that they have Mercedes engines which he craves.

Lowe acknowledged, "You need great drivers and great cars to win races. You have to build a car that attracts a great driver and vice versa. The better the car you have, the better the drivers you can attract."

Lowe has worked with some great drivers in his years with McLaren and Mercedes, thus knows the dynamics required to be successful, "I've seen how important the driver is in a team. A good team needs a good driver as much as a good driver needs a good team - they lift each other."

"With a greater driver in the team, everybody is motivated to work that bit harder for performance because they know it's going to be exploited and deliver great results. But it can go the other way if you have drivers that are not performing," added Lowe.