Heard something today that suggested he's going in to McLaren via the back door. Something about Honda doing the deal with him rather than big Ron. Probably all BS, but I can't see Ron being happy if that's the case.
Same, i've read that he's going to be driving a McLaren for Honda, not for McLaren, and Honda will be paying his wages. Looks like Ron's on his way out then.
Heard something similar too. Along the lines of, there will only be 1 "McLaren" driver next year and one "Honda" Driver, with Ron moving upstairs again and another man coming in to work alongside Boullier (Brawn?).
Its like a game of guess who. http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/13/motor-racing-prix-alonso-idINKCN0I20CZ20141013?rpc=401 So Its not a mercedes powered car... Whats more obvious? Mclaren or Ferrari?
Alonso on twitter: "I appreciate your curiosity, whatever rumours you hear.. you know priority is on the track now. Enjoy, trust #theBestIsYetToCome."
Just came across this in The Guardian. It's no great surprise really and, as we don't as yet have a 2016 line-ups thread, I thought I'd post it here:
Yes, it is - let's start a conspiracy! Seriously though, I don't know the details but did Nico's previous contract run out at the end of this season? Also, I think it's wiser not to add extra pressure as the championship reaches its conclusion. The energy between Lewis and Nico seems more positive again now.
Alonso will be at McLaren and that is a fact. The rumours about Ron Dennis are neither here nor there. The idea that he 'moves' upstairs is nonsense. His role now is an 'upstairs' one, but he will still be around. The fact is, Dennis and Alonso will bury the hatchet because they have a common goal. Remember that pre-Hamilton, Dennis wanted this guy because he was awesome, and he wanted McLaren as he thought they could be a title winning car. We are back to square one, except this time without an unknown super talent to get in the way. Alonso handled it poorly last time but he has now humbled, respects Hamiltons speed, and knows that Ron Dennis is the one team leader who will be agressive in reaching the performance deadlines that Ferrari cannot. Vettel will build a good Ferrari around hm, but it takes time, which he has. Alonso has not. McLarens rebuild has been underway now for 18 months. They will be very, very clear in their strategy with Honda.
There's not really a rush to put pen to paper right now for either side. If they both intend to carry on working together, it can be negotiated over winter. If not, another year to get a new drive/driver sorted out.
Was Rosberg in the lead of the championship when he won that new contract? If he was then that was a *really* bad time for Mercedes to try and negotiate with him. Like, it gave him way too much negotiating power.
Upstairs as in "he runs/owns the company but doesn't have any control over the racing team" was what i heard, an experienced man stepping in to his shoes in between him and Boullier and that man will be the one running the Formula 1 arm. Ron was just there to get the ball rolling. But i agree that i think he'll want to see it through. I think Alonso has been holding off though waiting for assurances about the Honda engine. The biggest clue to this actually came from Ron Dennis himself when he started pretty much overselling the engine in public to the point it could never really match what he is claiming "A piece of jewellery who's performance is not in doubt" . That's a hell of a claim for an engine that hasn't seen the back of an F1 car yet, let alone moved in one. Even if it does have the power, does it have the driveability, reliability, fuel consumption etc required as a whole power unit package? nobody will know for sure until it is in a car. I'm sure Renault and Ferrari thought their engines were brilliant at some stage too, even hearing the Merc one was good i'm sure they didn't think it would be that far ahead of their creations. Of course McLaren know what the Mercedes engine does, but it's also well known that Mercedes are guarding a hell of a lot of info from McLaren bar the bare minimum they need to make it run, so it's debatable just how much they know to run comparisons.
I'm pretty sure Nico will have a pay rise clause that comes in if becomes champion, it'd be a hell of an oversight if he didn't!
Benson really gets on my nerves, when he has nothing to say he just rehashes what rumors start on TV to make it sound like he has a scoop of some sorts http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29604437 How the hell did he get the job as BBC's F1 writer?
I think its pretty clear Alonso has a contract for next year. there is no way he would take a year off. The delay in announcing it is due to the respect for the Ferrari team and fans.
Yeah, it gets on my nerves too sometimes but you've answered your own question: it's his job to do that, to cobble 'news' together whether or not there is any fresh story; plus, he not just writing for committed fans but for more casual followers for whom this may constitute news.
