http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41226

There we are, its now offical.
Alonso has terminated his contract, but he has yet to decide where to join next year.

One word: OMG

I know it looked unlikely he would stay there, but bloody hell I thought he might stay so there we go, but now it's been confirmed. Still surprising. The news of the season so far I reckon, joint with the spy scandal.

Wow.......mutual consent eh, kinda obvious he would go that way, McLaren wanted him out, and he wanted him out.

It's the biggest waste in F1 history, he goes there, leaves a team he has won two successive world championships with, to an alien team.

I guess he will go back to Renault if he wants any chance of winning a third world title. The big money deal from Honda sounds interesting, an Alonso/Button dream team would be very very interesting indeed.

Ho hum, ding dong the witch is dead, for now anyway.

Bets for where he's going now?

What the hell?!?!?!

I thought he would stay...


I hope he goes to Honda :D

I though he would leave.
But it still comes as a huge surprise that he is actually leaving.
My guess is that he will go to Renault next year.

But that leaves a McLaren seat free. So whos going to take it.
I honestly have no idea. Theres been alot of young drviers tipped for it, but it just seems odd to have 2 rookies in one team.

Ralf is experienced, who knows, maybe he will get a seat at McLaren

YES!

Get in!

I am surprised hes left, i thought even with everything thats happened he would have stayed another season. But im glad, i didnt like how he acted with McLaren, the way he behaved just didnt sit right with me. Oh well, hes going now, which makes me wonder, who will be Hammy's teammate next year? Button, Button, Button!! Please Ron, get on the phone to Jenson! You know it makes sense! But there are a few drivers who could fill the seat, Kovi, looks likely if Alonso goes back to Renault. Nico would be perfect but i doubt Williams will let him go. I dont see Ralf getting the spot, imo there are better, younger drivers in the field. Maybe Heidfeld or Kubica if BMW let them go. I like how no one had mentioned De la Rosa getting the seat! Imo he would be good, he knows the car, the team and is a good driver. But whoever gets the place, it will be interesting to see how Hammy performs alongside them.

Personally, i would love Alonso to go to Spyker, try and get them up the field more. And i would LOVE (as im sure Benny would) for Button to get into that silver car next year. :D

YES!

Get in!

I am surprised hes left, i thought even with everything thats happened he would have stayed another season. But im glad, i didnt like how he acted with McLaren, the way he behaved just didnt sit right with me. Oh well, hes going now, which makes me wonder, who will be Hammy's teammate next year? Button, Button, Button!! Please Ron, get on the phone to Jenson! You know it makes sense! But there are a few drivers who could fill the seat, Kovi, looks likely if Alonso goes back to Renault. Nico would be perfect but i doubt Williams will let him go. I dont see Ralf getting the spot, imo there are better, younger drivers in the field. Maybe Heidfeld or Kubica if BMW let them go. I like how no one had mentioned De la Rosa getting the seat! Imo he would be good, he knows the car, the team and is a good driver. But whoever gets the place, it will be interesting to see how Hammy performs alongside them.

Personally, i would love Alonso to go to Spyker, try and get them up the field more. And i would LOVE (as im sure Benny would) for Button to get into that silver car next year. :D

If Button got into one of the 'Silver Arrows' cars Nigel Mansell could finally shut his mouth for critizing him. I'm refering to Nigel Mansell's comment of "If Jenson wants to win he needs to get a serious car that could take him to the championship." <It's not exactly what he said, but it shows the point of the statement.

Alonso must be going to Williams

Think about it. He left Renault for a new challenge, so no point really going back there. Plus he said Renault wasn't his first choice. Another comment was that he wan't to drive for McLaren because that was a team he grew up supporting, so i'm sure williams was up there in his want to drive for list to.
Plus, Williams are due a return to race winning form, and Alonso's experience of being at 2 championship winning teams could be a massive help, and i'm sure he knows that to.

I read that he could be going to Ferrari for about 40 millions,is that true????

^I highly doubt that. Both Kimi and Massa are under contract for a few years.
It would be interesting to see who gets the empty Mclaren. My tip would be either another rookie or De Le Rosa. I seem to remember him doing fairly well back in 2006.

I thought most people's reaction would be one of "no sh(i)t Sherlock". I think it was pretty clear that neither Alonso or his team could stand one another. It goes to show how wrong I can be about things from time to time.

As, for where he (Alonso) will be going for next season, my guess would be back to Renault, although who knows what will happen, barring the fact he was going which I thought was blatantly obvious to everyone, and I was obviously wrong on that one. I thought the first people to respond where being sarcastic. "Alonso is leaving McLaren? Wow, that hit me like a bolt from the blue" etc.

As for who is to get his seat at McLaren, I would probably agree with lambo or holden and say that McLaren will probably go for a rookie, or someone who is not going to be hugely expensive. Although, who knows who they will pick.

If Button got into one of the 'Silver Arrows' cars Nigel Mansell could finally shut his mouth for critizing him. I'm refering to Nigel Mansell's comment of "If Jenson wants to win he needs to get a serious car that could take him to the championship." <It's not exactly what he said, but it shows the point of the statement.

If Nigel Mansell has said what you claim he has said, or words to that effect, then he is not criticising Jenson, he is criticisng his choice of cars. Perhaps Jenson is stuck with the team he is currently racing for. I do remember there was a big fuss about Button joining another team at one stage, but he was contractually obliged to stay with Honda. If Nigel Mansell said "Button is a talentless waste of space" or words to that effect then it is different to saying the Hondas aren't quick enough to win races.

I personally hate Alonso, I think his attitute stinks and that's still being too kind! He is a good driver but I really don't care where he lands up.
That incident when he intentionally blocked Hamilton in the pits showed the world his true colours! When you're earning the amount of money that he does, professionalism is kind of expected... he needs to learn to stop throwing his toys out the cot, he's like a selfish child who goes mad when he dosen't get what he wants!

Heidfeld and Kubica, is also on contract whit BMW, for a few years forward!... I'm NOT a bit surprised Alonso's leave!... he had it coming!... but my best gues would be: Renault!... he know Braitore Adores him!.. and that he will get the best equiptment in the team!.... BUT Williams, could be interesting!... maybe a switch, Alonso for Nico Rosberg?.... Rosberg got a talent!... no doubt!... and Mclaren, will be ready whit the drivers, when the Traction Control gets banned next year!! (both Hamilton and Rosberg has tried high powered single seat'ers whitout Tc! in Gp2!)

First of all I would like to congratulate Alonso for getting the heck out of McLaren at the right time because well that team is turning into the 'Hamilton F1 Team'.

DON'T DO IT HEIKKI, NICO, ADRIAN, JENSON OR ANY OTHER DRIVER FOR THAT MATTER, DON'T DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!

Secondly my bet is Toyota because its simple Alonso could basically have that Toyota team built around him like Schumacher did at Ferrari because after all we all know Toyota deserve to be a top team and with the knowledge, experience and championships from Alonso the Toyota team would be pretty damn good I think !

hell yeah Nemphis. GOOOOO TOYOTA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm, now rumours are facts, Alonso not in Mclaren. Ralf might be joining the team then.

I thought most people's reaction would be one of "no sh(i)t Sherlock". I think it was pretty clear that neither Alonso or his team could stand one another. It goes to show how wrong I can be about things from time to time.

As, for where he (Alonso) will be going for next season, my guess would be back to Renault, although who knows what will happen, barring the fact he was going which I thought was blatantly obvious to everyone, and I was obviously wrong on that one. I thought the first people to respond where being sarcastic. "Alonso is leaving McLaren? Wow, that hit me like a bolt from the blue" etc.

As for who is to get his seat at McLaren, I would probably agree with lambo or holden and say that McLaren will probably go for a rookie, or someone who is not going to be hugely expensive. Although, who knows who they will pick.



If Nigel Mansell has said what you claim he has said, or words to that effect, then he is not criticising Jenson, he is criticisng his choice of cars. Perhaps Jenson is stuck with the team he is currently racing for. I do remember there was a big fuss about Button joining another team at one stage, but he was contractually obliged to stay with Honda. If Nigel Mansell said "Button is a talentless waste of space" or words to that effect then it is different to saying the Hondas aren't quick enough to win races.

Scarecrow here is a link to that article I was refering to

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/motorsport.html?in_article_id=474104&in_page_id=1771&ito=1490

You'll see that Nigel is being critical of Jenson a bit more than his car.

Hmm, now rumours are facts, Alonso not in Mclaren. Ralf might be joining the team then.
I'm pretty sure Ralfie is not headed to McLaren, de le Rosa will probably be back in the seat for next year. Now that Alonso is gone, Hamilton will be the main priority, and they are going to need another Barrichello/Massa/Fisichella to block cars behind him.

It's very interesting to see Alonso leave the team, but I suppose it is in his best mental interest. Driving alongside Hamilton for a few more years would probably make him lose his desire to race. For next year, I would say Renault, at least, that's what I hope.

I'm hoping Rosberg, Kovaleinen, or any other young driver doesn't go to that open seat, because they will never have any chance.

Well, I figure it would happen eventually. I didn't have much faith in the two parties staying together for another season, it would have simply been a repeat of this season, more or less.

Where to now, though? It will be the most talked about thing from n ow on in, and nothing will be certain (or close to it) until it happens, such are the multitude of options he has.

Renault? Possibly. The Renault team have made no secret of how they would welcome him back, but Alonso has said before that Renault wasn't where he was looking at immediately. Alonso will obviously be looking for a championship winning team, and Renault do not have the late start problems they endured last season when they started working on the R27. Therefore, the car should be a good one. Whether he goes to Renault would probably depend on whether he wants another new challenge.

Williams? Maybe. The position is available, there's no doubt about that, but are Williams willing to let him into the team? The attention Alonso's actions got from the media this season has made teams wary of being associated with him, and Williams' pride in their work and how the operate may just be too much for Alonso to be considered. Still, Williams are a team who are desperately looking for wins again, and the only way is up for them, and Rosberg may not be there after next season, so having Alonso there to continue on their winning ways may just be the key to another lengthy winning streak.

Red Bull? Interestingly possible. Of course, Red Bull have two contracted drivers in Mark and David, however, the kicker is that not only does Flavio manage Mark, but also Fernando. So what happens? Replace Mark with Fernando, and slot Mark into Renault with whoever else. The Red Bull team have the people to be highly successful, and they probably will be soon enough.

Toyota? Possible. Certainly have the money to succeed, but their past results have possibly made drivers think twice about going there. Are a definite option, but do they have the necessities to succeed?

I think the Red Bull deal is a serious option, personally. Going to Williams would see him again paired up against a young, fast driver, and I can see the same rumours of one-sided-ness popping up again.

Or, best case scenario: Renault dumps both drivers, then hires Alonso and Webber. The Renault is probably the most reliable car in the field, and it's speed is decent, so Mark should start winning races regularly. And Alonso would have his old engineers, no settling in period. And he wouldn't complain about a younger team-mate. Renault wins constructors championship, and both drivers challenge for the overall win.

Straight swap Heikki to McLaren, Alonso to Renault.

That would make most sense. Alonso loves Renault, and they say they are sorting themselves out. Heikki is a great driver, and in the right car he could go far, it would be wicked to see him battling it out with Hammy. I mean, Heikki beat Schumi in the race of champions.

Alonso didn't 'leave', Dennis called him in and tore up his contract. I wonder what Santander will do, they were only with Mc-Merc because of Alonso. I can also say the Spaniards will hate Mc-Merc :p

This rules Rosberg out for McLaren
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41236

Also, i keep hearing about, swaping Hekki.
Alonso has left McLaren, so McLaren now have nothing on Alonso at all, plus right now Kovy is a free agent. He only had a one year contract with Renault, so hes free to do what the hell he wants.

Swapping Kovy seems like the most straightforward and simple solution to both teams, but does Alonso want to go to Renault?

Im starting to think that Kovy will go to McLaren, Webber replaces Kovy at Renault and Alonso fills Webbers empty seat at RBR. That would be the best solution imo. Webber needs a good car to prove how talented he is and break his unlucky streak, Kovy needs a drive and he is friends with Hammy and a great driver, Alonso wants a challenge, he may be looking for just a 1 year deal untill he can secure a longer deal with Ferrari (alegedly) and there may be a clause into Alonso's release contract forbiding him from joining one of the manufacturer teams like Renault or Ferrari for one year. If those things are true, him being at RBR makes the best sense.

But, if you want a wild, mad, crazy idea: Alonso goes to Renault, Fisi retires leaving a Kovy and Alonso partnership and.....Shui comes back out of retirement to drive alonside Hammy in the McLaren! xD Imagine that!! The young incredible protoge going head to head against possibly the greatest driver the sport has ever seen!

Who ever goes is only gonna face the same problem as Alonso did - TOTAL FAVOURITISM TO 'THE WONDER KID' !!!

I advise any driver to not even think about after all 'the wonder kid' is so great he can win the championship all by his own without no team strategy :rolleyes: !!!

i think this is really good news. now the team can settle down and re-focus on whats important, not all the tension between the 2 drivers and the whole ferrari scandal... Hamilton mentioned that, in his opinion Kubica is his biggest rival. maybe give Kubica a seat and see what they can do as team-mates...

I'm pretty sure Ralfie is not headed to McLaren, de le Rosa will probably be back in the seat for next year. Now that Alonso is gone, Hamilton will be the main priority, and they are going to need another Barrichello/Massa/Fisichella to block cars behind him.

It's very interesting to see Alonso leave the team, but I suppose it is in his best mental interest. Driving alongside Hamilton for a few more years would probably make him lose his desire to race. For next year, I would say Renault, at least, that's what I hope.

I'm hoping Rosberg, Kovaleinen, or any other young driver doesn't go to that open seat, because they will never have any chance.
True, that is quite possible and I suppose their test driver would most likely be Gary Paffet.

The Winner of Gp2 this year?...
Can't remeber who it was, but could be interesting to see!

True, that is quite possible and I suppose their test driver would most likely be Gary Paffet.

I would like to see Paffet in an F1 car racing.

but apparently McLaren are sketcy on having 2 british drivers, since they have so many multi-national sponsers.



The new news is that McLaren have been approached by many drivers, but are only talking to the ones that can guarantee they can drive next year. Which means that they have no contract.

So that rules out one driver we all forgot about, Jenson. Theres so little chance Honda would let him go, but they have some new Gp2 talent testing, and they still have Barrichellos experience.
I think theres no harm in letting Jenson go.

Nico is confirmed out of the running now by Williams, so hes staying where he is. Along with Sutil most likely. Poor Sutil is contracted to have another year fighting at the back.

That leaves Kovy, who we know has no contract for Renault, since it was a 1 year deal.
Plus Ralf, Fisi, paffet and delaRosa.

So who could get it.

Ralf..big no no...he's never gonna be his brother, Fisi is a Renault boy at heart, Kovy would make so much sense! de la Rosa, however is Spanish and they do have a lot of Spanish Sponsors, so you know...

I wouldn't take Ralf or Fisi either.
Ralf finds it to hard to drive on the new bridgestones ad suffers too badly.
I think he will be like Mika and go to DTM for the next few years.

Fisi might become test driver for someone.

To be honest, i'm going to guess to will be Kovy. Hes free, fast, and young.

But do McLaren really want to risk going without an experienced driver.

I reckon Alonso will go to wherever he's paid most and then he'll be in a Ferrari by 2009...

I just found a driver, who has an extremly good looking profile
Paul Di Resta

Hes another British driver, he was in F3 for 2 years. The 2nd year he beat Vettel to the title in the same car, and we all know how fast Vettel is.

Then this year in DTM, driving a 2 year old car, hes currently 5th overall. Thats damn impressive

Personally, i would love Alonso to go to Spyker, try and get them up the field more. And i would LOVE (as im sure Benny would) for Button to get into that silver car next year. :D

Personally Jenson in a competitive car, a British one at that, would be absolutely amazing. If Jenson hadn't signed himself for Honda for 2008 then he would be in serious contention for the McLaren drive at the moment. Honda need to get their act together and produce a quick car. They are capable of doing that, they just need to tie a few loose ends together.

If Button got into one of the 'Silver Arrows' cars Nigel Mansell could finally shut his mouth for critizing him. I'm refering to Nigel Mansell's comment of "If Jenson wants to win he needs to get a serious car that could take him to the championship." <It's not exactly what he said, but it shows the point of the statement.

I 100% agree. I know Mansell has won a world title but who is he to criticise a fellow British driver? He said stuff like Jenson partied too much and never took his racing seriously but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'd like to see Mansell drive a Honda RA107 for a season against 21 other drivers and then we'll see who takes their racing seriously and maturely.

I thought most people's reaction would be one of "no sh(i)t Sherlock". I think it was pretty clear that neither Alonso or his team could stand one another. It goes to show how wrong I can be about things from time to time.

It was on the cards, but something as serious as this, was still quite a surprise to me anyway.

I really want to see Jenson get a go at McLaren for at least a year.
he deserves a shot at a few wins, and at least one shot at the title.

Plus it would be interesting to see how he compares to Lewis, and maybe therefore to Alonso.
If he was really that good, we could all point out to Flavio, he made the wrong choice replacing Button with Alonso

^Yeah that sucks that he got replaced. :( Shame it was, Button would have a few more wins under his belt...but none more spectacular than HUNGARY 2006!!!

The best race ever, people? :p

I would like to see Paffet in an F1 car racing.

but apparently McLaren are sketcy on having 2 british drivers, since they have so many multi-national sponsers.



The new news is that McLaren have been approached by many drivers, but are only talking to the ones that can guarantee they can drive next year. Which means that they have no contract.

So that rules out one driver we all forgot about, Jenson. Theres so little chance Honda would let him go, but they have some new Gp2 talent testing, and they still have Barrichellos experience.
I think theres no harm in letting Jenson go.

Nico is confirmed out of the running now by Williams, so hes staying where he is. Along with Sutil most likely. Poor Sutil is contracted to have another year fighting at the back.

That leaves Kovy, who we know has no contract for Renault, since it was a 1 year deal.
Plus Ralf, Fisi, paffet and delaRosa.

So who could get it.
Gary Paffet was Mclaren's Test Driver when Montoya left for NASCAR as De La Rosa took the seat.

I 100% agree. I know Mansell has won a world title but who is he to criticise a fellow British driver? He said stuff like Jenson partied too much and never took his racing seriously but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'd like to see Mansell drive a Honda RA107 for a season against 21 other drivers and then we'll see who takes their racing seriously and maturely.

I respect what Mansell was able to accomplish but IMO he has no room at all to criticize Button. It took Mansell...what twelve seasons to secure a world title?