planetf1.com

...McLaren?
heard he is under contract till 2016. this right?

he done very well to be in contention in the final race considering in some circuits the Ferrari wasnt even 3rd best car.

but question is...how long will he put up with them being behind McLaren and Red Bull? due the 2007 farce he had no option but to put up with a much slower Renault for 2 seasons. 6 years since he won the title.
how long until he says - title winning car (or at very least 2nd best car) or im off ?

To answer your title, as long as he can convince people it is a slow car. It was on the podium in the last 8 races.

And yet, both the Red Bulls and McLarens were faster than the Ferrari and the Lotus was very close.

first of all, it is not "slow". It was not McLaren fast, but not slow at all. Second of all, he has no other option. He is the highest paid driver in F1, and has a teammate that would do anything for him. He is going no where and can do NOTHING

ok maybe my title was misleading.

its not a slow car, but its SlowER than McLaren, Red Bull and for alot of the races, Lotus. Even Mercedes very early on.

I think we also need to talk about reliability. Both Kimi and Hamilton (both fighting for third) have something to say about it... reliability beat speed.

Ferrari was bullet proof this year.

^I would say that is precisely the team he wants to be in.

And the Ferrari is certainly not slow. When the new engines come in, they may dominate. I hope next year they produce a car that is level to the bulls and the Macca.

But overall, I think Alonso should be most happy where he is. He enjoys a command of a team the likes that haven't been seen since Schumi, earlier last decade. No, he didn't win the title, but I bet he sleeps well at night given his current situation.

Ok to answer your actual question since the title has been addressed, what other options does he have? Not Red Bull. Lotus could be really off the pace next year or they could improve who knows. Same for Mercedes. The only space that could possibly be available would be Mclaren if Perez drives like he did the end of this year. But would they take Alonso back?

He will stay. He can't leave in the middle of a season because the car is bad. As for the following year, only McLaren and Red Bull have better odds of producing a better car. He has already burnt bridges with McLaren and although Red Bull might want him I'm not sure whether he'd want to go there. As insignificant as it sounds, money does matter and as I know it Vettel's salary is less than half of that of Alonso. Alonso and Ferrari have a lot in common anyway. They are both willing to go to great lengths to succeed. McLaren for example is too politically correct to ever suit Alonso. Red Bull lies somewhere in the middle.

Overall, Ferrari is a solid bet at worst. Prestigious, loyal, rich and competitive (3rd best car at least). What more do you want ? I wouldn't move if I were him.

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When Vettel arrives in 2014 and a seat opens up at Red Bull

(and Antonio Felix da Costa will be hired as a rookie alongside him and finish on the podium in his first 9 races. They will tie on points and both lose the championship by 1 point to... uh... Hulkenberg)

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"I am a believer, but I start each Grand Prix with 195 liters of fuel behind me," he explains. "I don't rely entirely on God, I rely on Prost."

Well, I don't believe the Lotus was faster in general.

And of the big 3 teams, he can't really go to McLaren nor would he want to (I think) given they have history.

Red Bull have Vettel and are much more likely to promote one of their own than have Alonso come in.

And Ferrari is where is currently is.



Alonso will stay with Ferrari until the end, because he has no choice. Unless the status quo changes considerably in the next few years.

Exactly. Lots of podiums means he is right there.

As I said from day 1 and as I kept saying and no one listened, their Race ace car was right there.

Anyway, where else will he go. RBR wont take him, he wont get number 1 status. Mclaren would take him but he wont get number 1 status. He could go Merc like Lewis did but again if Lewis is there he wont get number 1 status.

So where shall he go? He has already made it obvious that he wants number 1 status its become more then clear thats why he fell out with Mclaren.

The Ferrari wasn't slow. Besides, Alonso benefited from having the most reliable and tactically astute team and one of the most reliable cars.

I love this myth that Alonso has 'outdriven' a back-marker car all the way to nearly winning the WDC. Just look at how he's been outpaced by Massa since he got his act together.

Anyone who thinks the Lotus has been faster than the Ferrari is a complete tool.

2nd in the constructors tells me the car isn't exactly slow. At the start of the year Alonso said the car was fast, just inconsistant and (twitchy?) IIRC

I like how you use the word mclaren fast to imply that it is the class car.

Red Bull had far more front row lockouts than McLaren did this season.

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Supporting in 2012:
Mark Webber.
Lewis Hamilton.

Slow? What do you mean?

Well I don't think he has many other options, I doubt McLaren would have him, I doubt Red Bull would have him and I don't think that Mercedes or Lotus are better options than Ferrari right now.

RBR were untouchable in qualifying (well, Vettel), but on race pace, the RBR, McLaren and Ferrari were all very evenly matched.

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PLAY A RECORD KARL COS I'M GUNNA KNOCK YOU OUT!!!

That McLaren is the fastest car out there now ... even over the season ! Lewis has said this on record as well. What else do you want?

Its let down by reliability and pit stop shenanigans otherwise Lewis would easily be the champ this year in that car.

Really? How evenly matched were Alonso and Massa compared to the Red Bull in India & Korea & Japan and compared to the RBR AND MACCA in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and US. These by the way are not the only 6 races these cars had advatange, these are 6 of the 7 last rounds.

What are his options?

Go to Red Bull? > gis a job > No we are happy the way we are.
OK the my only other option is to walk. I cant see him doing that yet.

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I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

Marx (Groucho)

I'll take that! Happily!

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

"Red Bull had far more front row lockouts than McLaren". Right

Front for lockouts:
McLaren: AUSTRALIA, MALAYSIA, MONZA, BRAZIL
Red Bull: JAPAN, KOREA, INDIA

I don't know what parallel universe you are living in but please cut the BS...

McLaren and Red Bull won't fit Alonso, they'll let their 2nd drivers challenge him
Ferrari is his BEST option....... and no other teams are

Alonso failed to win WDC by only 3 or 4 points in 2010 and 2012. Being a consistent runner-up in the Championship race is certainly not what he wants to be the rest of his F1 career, but he's more likely in a better position to get to the top than if he moved to another team.

He gets paid a butload of money, gets to drive an F1 car to earn that money, he is in good health, has a nice girlfriend, and can live in any country he wants to. Life doesn't get much better, looking at the big picture, its not the end of the world if he finishes his career with 'only' 2 WDC.

Maintain the gap Mark.

Not gonna fly, but a nice idea!

Box box box

I find it hard seeing him to go McLaren...he did not leave on the most friendliest of terms...
RB is definitely a possibility yes or Lotus ? if they up their game perhaps...

I'd be amased if FA left Ferarri

Newey's more likely to leave Red Bull

If Ferrari were evenly matched then why did it finish 30 seconds behind in Austin?

Okay, I'll rephrase
McLaren and Red Bull won't fit Alonso, he'll have a strong 2nd driver who keeps challenging him