McLaren ‘trying to lure Alonso back for 2014’

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In the round-up: Rumours persist McLaren are trying to prise Fernando Alonso out of his Ferrari contract for next year.

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McLaren still want Alonso (Sky)

Mark Hughes: “I am told by a credible source that their efforts are very much continuing to get him in the car for 2014.”

‘Vettel brings the boos on himself’ (The Telegraph)

Sebastian Vettel: “Whilst there’s a lot of people hanging their balls in the pool on Fridays, we’re still working very hard and pushing very hard so that we have a strong race.”

F1 weight limit unlikely to change – Whitmarsh (BBC)

“Self interest will prevail. Teams that think it’s OK will block any change.”

Pirelli say F1 deal is for five years (Reuters)

“[Pirelli motorsport director Paul] Hembery told reporters at the Korean Grand Prix that ‘we are working on five years’.”

Lotus to stick with long wheelbase car (Autosport)

Romain Grosjean: “To be honest, I don’t feel any difference so we should be alright. It is on paper supposed to be more stable on high speed and the entry of slow speed – but it is hard to say when you get in the car and drive it.”

Red Bull design chief Newey opens up on Senna and Vettel (James Allen on F1)

“[Vettel’s] a bright lad who makes mistakes like all of us – and always learns from them. He very rarely makes the same mistake twice. He gives good, concise feedback. I think Sebastian and Mark, while they have unfortunately had their differences, they have been from an engineering point of view very good team-mates because they both contribute in different ways.”

2013 Korean Grand Prix (FIA)

Force India sporting director Andy Stevenson on McLaren being forbidden from conducting a test for Pirelli at the Circuit of the Americas three weeks before the United States Grand Prix: “We had absolutely nothing to do with it. I believe it was an FIA decision. The first I knew that it wasn’t going to happen was when McLaren told us that the FIA had notified them that they weren’t happy with the test.”

Lewis Hamilton prepares to tackle his Everest… by climbing the real thing once he has retired (The Independent)

“I’ll do Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji, Mont Blanc and probably one in the States. I think Alaska is probably a bit too dangerous.”

I was there when… 2010 Korean GP (MotorSport)

“Some foundations had been laid for what, we were told, would soon be a thriving city through which the track would run. And over there, behind the media office, was a lagoon that was ripe for conversion into a bustling marina. Should be ready by 2011, we were promised.”

MotorSportsTalk’s predictions: Korean GP (NBC)

“Race winner: Max Chilton. Just so I could pick someone other than Sebastian Vettel.”

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More thoughts on Codemasters’ F1 2013 from @TroyLongstaff:

I actually thought that the cars felt a little bit heavier in the steering than last year’s edition. I found that the graphics were a marked improvement on last year – simple yet effective, especially the on-screen graphics when driving a Classic car and the intermittent sparks which can come from any car over a bump.

As maligned as they are by some, Codemasters deserve a pat on the back for how they went about the Classics mode. It could have been a cheap knock-off of rFactor or something like that, but they wanted to appeal to the hardcore fans. I don’t know about the other Fanatics, but they’ve done enough for me to think its the best F1 game Codemasters has released!
@TroyLongstaff

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63 comments on “McLaren ‘trying to lure Alonso back for 2014’”

  1. Button’s comments in retaliation to Vettel seem pretty reasonable and raise a valid point, but Rosberg has taken a tongue-in-cheek comment far too seriously.

    Also, the headline for that article is a touch inflammatory: I’m 99% sure Vettel has said these comments as a result of the booing purely, so how he could be “bringing it on himself” doesn’t really make sense.

    1. Mercedes have understood much better than Rosberg ;)

    2. Yeah, either Rosberg has shown comprehensive mental weakness, thinks too much of his balls, or he really has spent too much time int he pool. Or maybe all three. :P

      1. @david-a Typical Vettel fan response here. He’s never ever wrong. A saint really. Moving on

        1. @montreal95

          Typical Vettel fan response here.

          That works both ways. We could argue that it’s a far more typical from Vettel’s detractor to twist and complain about everything he and his team do, or to blow things out of proportion.

          If you want to complain about people not being impartial or objective enough, it’s adviceable that you do the same thing first. And making a big deal out of this is not exactly that.

          1. @silence Not complaining about anything. Everyone’s entitled to his/her opinion. Just pointing it out that’s all. Was it blown out of proportion? Maybe it was. Was it a proper comment by Vettel? I happen to think the same as Rosberg and Button that it was not. Now it seemed to me that the comment by @david-a was a “whiter than white” defense of Vettel(it was in fact a bit tongue-in-cheek). So I retorted in the same way. No where did I claim impartiality nor did I ask for impartiality from anyone. hope this makes it clear

        2. Don’t know why my comment got deleted, but I fail to see what you’re on about @montreal95 . My comment was slightly tongue-in-cheek, as the smiley indicated. It was never implied that Vettel is a “saint”, or “never wrong”. Maybe you ought to find a sense of humour.

          1. @david-a I also don’t know why your and mine responses were deleted. I just pointed out that this humor seems a lot similar to the comment by SV(which was also mayne supposed to be with a “:P”. Seeing that I made a joke in the tone of: “I hope you have many successes in your life kust don’t celebrate them with THE FINGER”! ;)

          2. “maybe” and “just”. Damn typos

        3. @montreal95

          Button’s comments in retaliation to Vettel seem pretty reasonable and raise a valid point

    3. I saw the interview with Nico and he never said anything like this. Just like Vettel’s comments also his were twisted and blown out of proportion.

      1. @tmf42 i am little bit confused about the timelines.

        Did Mercedes send out the tweet after Vettel made his comments ? or
        Did Vettel make these comments in response to the Mercedes Tweet ?

        Sometimes without these timelines and sequence of events the context gets even more twisted.

        I thought Vettel and Rosberg get along well !!!!

    4. Did you read what Rosberg said in German? To me it seemed to be a perfectly normal and a bit cheeky comment in reaction to being asked about Vettels commment. Lets not forget these guys don’t go to a journalist to tell them their view on things, but get asked questions about what their rivals said @vettel1.

      1. @bascb it probably was less vicious in its original form, but sadly (as much as I wish I could) I can’t interpret or read German!

        1. I guess translate doesn’t give it much of a chance either @vettel1 :-)

  2. I’ve always enjoyed Vettel’s cocksure, somewhat off-color remarks. It’s all very blue collar and sarcastic. I can relate to it. Much more fun than the usual dull, passive aggressive drivel most others think they are so smart in making.

    1. That’s all right. In my opinion what I didn’t like in Vettel was the lack of integrity, transparency and honesty he showed when he said what he said in Malaysia and what he told the media afterwards in China, those attitudes are a primal issue of society, the lack of values, the utmost will to succeed. I would say he ain’t the only driver to have had some episode of delusional vision from time to time, it’s the sort of thing we have seen in some Brazilian drivers and in Michael Schumacher that said I’m surprised to see how well he has reacted to the booing, he has already mastered the tracks, and Vettel seems to be a fast learner not only of the tracks. Finally I wouldn’t boo him anyhow, if you’re team doesn’t win at least choose to rip the chairs of the stadium rather than kick the opponents.

      1. @peartree So when Jensen passed Lewis under team orders in Turkey 2010, did anyone question Jensen’s integrity and hold court against him? Or Mark attempting to sabotage Vettel in Brazil? Oh, I forgot we’re talking about integrity in the middle of a knife fight.

        People can Boo him all they want, he really doesn’t care.

        1. Did Jenson then say oh I’m so sorry for what happened, I even went to the factory and apologied to every team member, only to come back the following week and say he does not regret what he did and would do it again?

          Sebastian ‘apologising’ without meaning it is what makes me question his integrity, not the act itself.

          1. You are wholly missing the point.

        2. @alebelly74 I’m not going to argue further but I do not recall hearing both Webber and Jenson say what Vettel said onboard and then show another face for the press. All things considered I commend his reaction, nevertheless one question its meaning exactly and that’s why I question Vettel’s integrity.

  3. Mclaren trying to lure Alonso… I don’t know if there is any truth in the rumors… if they are really trying to secure his services then it does seem rather odd that they are going back to a driver who they blamed was solely responsible for all the issues they had in 2007…

    Personally I would like to see him staying in Ferrari for at least one more year so that we get to see a Kimi Vs Alonso battle.. and if he does go to Mclaren I hope that’s in 2015 and also it would be funny to hear what Ron Dennis has to say about that..

    1. maarten.f1 (@)
      5th October 2013, 5:37

      Why would it be hard to believe? Any time will want to sign Alonso, I’m sure. McLaren is no different from that. Perhaps Ron won’t like it, but if McLaren can get a driver of Alonso’s calibre they should go for it! Just don’t think it’ll happen for the 2014 season, maybe 2015…

      And to blame Alonso for everything that happened to McLaren is a bit short sighted. A lot of people made mistakes that year and Alonso did have his part in it, but to say he’s solely responsible for everything that happened is nonsense.

      1. @maarten-f1

        I did not say Alonso alone was responsible for what happened in 2007… rather i was saying Mclaren portrayed Alonso as the root of all their problems in 2007 (which I dont think is true)…even though I am not 100% sure, I think Ron Dennis had made comments in the past along the lines that he would’nt want Alonso driving for Mclaren again… Now after all that history if he does drive for them again then it’s a testament to his talent..

        1. maarten.f1 (@)
          5th October 2013, 7:28

          @puneethvb I misunderstood you then :) my apologies.

          What’s Dennis’ current role at McLaren anyway? Whitmarsh is team principle, so I would guess he’s the one deciding who drives for McLaren.

          I think anything can happen in Formula 1. See Kimi going back to Ferrari, I never expected that. So Alonso back to McLaren wouldn’t be impossible.

  4. Vettel’s comment were stupid, even if they were half-joking, and meant as a reply to the constant “it has to be TC” going on. I assume it was mostly a response to Hamilton’s (nor particularly smart, either) comments earlier. While I understand the need of a strong reply, he could/should have said it much better.

    With that said, Rosberg’s “response” was even more stupid, especially when considered that Vettel’s comment was most likely not even directed at him. Which is a shame, because I like Rosberg quite a bit, but he handled it terribly.

    1. @silence

      Vettel’s comment were stupid, even if they were half-joking, and meant as a reply to the constant “it has to be TC” going on

      Really? I thought his sarcasm was the best response he could’ve given!

      1. @vettel1

        Snarky comments about your rivals, regardless of how sarcastic you are or how true your comments are, are never the best response. I can understand his annoyance at Hamilton’s comments, but it still does not justify him.

        It’s particularly silly of him in this time, where he’s being constantly booed and pictured (very unfairly) as some kind of caricature villain. Stupid comments at a very bad timing.

        1. Though he was defending his team, and he always talked about how “we work”, so that makes it a bit less bad.

        2. @silence I think the articles on him are genuine though: he really doesn’t care. Hence why he’s fanning the flames.

          More than anything I think his sarcasm is an indirect way of saying “the rumours are a load if rubbish”, without mentioning any names. It’s impersonal and gets the point across – what we call here in Scotland “laughing it off”. It harms no-one and adds a bit of humour ;)

      2. Or perhaps a serious response to a serious claim could be the best…

  5. I wonder who would Ferrari sign should Alonso move to McLaren (not that I think he will, mind you). The Hulk? The now available Perez? Call Massa back? Barrichello? If Sauber admitted it’s considering it… why not Ferrari?

    1. Hulkenberg.

  6. Now I understand why Perez isn’t confirmed yet. I never really thought long and hard on the prospect of McLaren signing Alonso but it must be serious for them to think of switching latinos, in that case Button is safe if that ain’t the case so McLaren should bump Button for something new.

  7. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    5th October 2013, 4:35

    Haha had a good laugh at the Mercedes tweet.

    1. @tophercheese21

      Yeah, that was a good one.
      That’s the way Nico “I don’t have to work as hard as Vettel because I’ve got more talent” Rosberg should have reacted.

  8. i really dont want Alonso to go to McLaren now that we can finally see some real teammate battles when Kimi moves to Ferrari

  9. I find very strange that Mclaren are already considering getting rid of Perez, its not easy for a young driver stepping up to a top team like that, especially with the car being difficult to drive and with a champion on the other side of the garage, they should know, even Kimi was outscored by Coulthard 41 to 24 on his first season with the team!

    I think its the Vettel effect, every team wants to find the next young driver that will immediately shine in every situation, but exceptional drivers are very difficult to find and a lot of very good ones are simply discarded in that search.

    1. I think its the Vettel effect

      In all fairness, the craze for amazing, young drivers started with Alonso, and was significantly increased with Hamilton. And then, of course, Vettel.

      With all big teams having vast programs for the search and train of talented young drivers, it’s more like the general trend the F1 has been switching to rather than due to a single driver alone.

  10. That McLaren want Alonso for 2014 is a wonderment. It’s easy to see why they would want his talent but a wonderment that Ron Dennis would sign off on this after one of the worst driver/team splits in the history of Formula 1. Guess it could be said that contracts are made to be broken, but that McLaren would be willing to pay for a buyout of Alonso’s Ferrari contract doesn’t seem likely. Why Alonso would want to leave Ferrari for McLaren at this point in time may be the wildest speculation in this entire rumor. Ferrari is positioning their team with quality people in order to be even more competitive than they already are, especially in comparison to McLaren. What has McLaren done to inspire anyone for next season and beyond other than team with Honda for 2015? Even if Honda comes with a great engine package what good will that do if McLaren keeps their current chassis development performance level?

    Perez is the key piece in this puzzling rumor. I’m sure McLaren is not entirely satisfied with his performance this season in comparison to his teammate even if the car is a slow crate. McLaren is rumored to be even less satisfied with the performance of Perez’s sponsor Mr. Slim. Is this persistent rumor designed to inspire Slim to cough up the cash?

    Strange things have been known to happen in F1. A couple of months ago it was mighty hard to imagine Kimi back with Ferrari. But, this one really is a wonderment.

    1. Out of the track might be hotter than inside the track, mclaren already had made up their mind about the performance of the car before the season, they went for who knows what goal when they decided to run this version, and could not (or would not) improve on it, is it possible the mclaren deal was for a front runner and not for this midfield version? Is the money scarce now? Are they flirting for cash? Diverting attention to something other than the car performance? The silly season is on, But it seems to me Mclaren is really more active than in recent years (Am I wrong?). They are not even showing for Q3 regularly, yet they talk of hiring drivers that would not touch this Mclaren with a 10 foot stick, as if the answer is in the future, Just by switching driver/s, I mean Lotus is doing far better and are not so assertive about their dreams, So what is the real game?

      1. yet they talk of hiring drivers that would not touch this Mclaren with a 10 foot stick

        So true!

      2. McLaren was the team/car to beat in the last races of 2012, and McLaren has often had a history of producing a race winning car every second year. This year has been worse than normal, because they haven’t been able to catch up as they often are, when they start the year bad. But maybe this has been worse this year because they lack a real top performing driver. Last year I couldn’t understand why Hamilton went to Mercedes, and I thought that he was going to be fighting with a tyre eating car in the midfield. And how did that go? I would be surprised if Alonso went to McLaren, but I don’t write the possibility of. But of course McLaren must do something to get the magic back, and neither Button nor Perez will get them all the way to the top. Bring in Hulkenberg instead of either one of them.

    2. If Luca di Montezemolo did allow to hire Kimi again, why would not Ron Dennis follow the “Italian” road to success?

      1. Montezemolo merely had to buy out Kimi’s contract to clear the way for bringing in Alonso. It was a business transaction. When Alonso left McLaren they were more than happy to let Alonso out of his contract to rid themselves of so many layers of bitter acrimony and betrayal stemming from one of the worst F1 scandals ever. Even though some years have passed I cannot imagine why Alonso would want to go near McLaren or their shadow of a competitive team that used to be. I could imagine Alonso being tempted to switch teams at some point in the future. Right now the only team likely to seriously tempt him would seem to be Red Bull. Or, maybe, maybe, Lotus if they can get their finances together and especially if they end up rebranding as Renault.

  11. Alonso to Mclaren. Kimi to Ferrari. Hello 2007!

    1. Oh my, 2007 all again it is! Only that, this time Hamilton and Vettel are the old dogs already and the other two at the tail end of their careers.

  12. Hm, Alonso to McLaren? I think the scenario mentioned in the last paragraph with Alonso going for 2015 is more likely. Interesting bit about Alonso having a getout clause when Ferrari signs another World champion.

    1. I’d be surprised if Alonso didn’t have a get out clause based on car performance as well.

      1. If he was actually to go to McLaren, a contract clause like that would be a very wise idea.

  13. Hearing some speculation that the Lotus line-up for 2014 could be Felipe Massa & Felipe Nasr with some Brazilian backing going with them.

    Da Costa will be announced at STR in the next week & a half, Will probably do some FP1 runs once the WSBR season ends in 2 weeks.

    1. @gt-racer – Must be perplexing for Lotus with none of their rumored financial deals coming to fruition yet. I’ve thought all along that Grosjean was pretty safe in his seat there with his connection Boullier and especially with his performance level rising. But, the longer the financial woes continue for Lotus, the more likely a two pay driver situation becomes. Wonder if the rebranding to Renault is a likely scenario?

      1. Wonder if the rebranding to Renault is a likely scenario?

        Renault are happy been just a supplier, Can’t see them wanting a factory team.

        Should also be remembered that Renault were not exactly providing the team with a large budget when they last owned the team & they were pretty keen to off-load it the final few years.

        What they need is a big title sponsor, They haven’t really had one since ING pulled out in 2009.

        1. Good points. I guess Lotus are the only ones who have been talking about the Renault deal, probably just hoping for something to happen. I hope they can do something to get a big sponsor. Their performance merits sponsorship. Lotus have done more with less resources than a team like McLaren for example. F1 certainly is better with Lotus in it, hope they can get it together.

      2. Rebranding Lotus to Renault has been a rumour. I still think that once they get a title sponsor or major sponsor on-board, they’ll go with Hulkenberg and Grosjean. Massa and Nasr seems unlikely, and it would cause a heck of a lot of confusion!

  14. I really can’t see Alonso going back to McLaren, even if life at Ferrari nog going to be the same anymore with Kimi coming in. What is there to be gained from going back to a team that affectifly hates you and vice versa. Alonso made it verry clear in Singaprore that he is not interested and so these rumors only exsist because, out there in the World Wide Web there is a McLaren fan that is desperate to see him back in McLaren-Silver

  15. Everyone once in a while Vettel abandons his red bull pr coaching to make a statement from the heart.

    I think he mistakes other team’s lack of Adrian Newey as his own hard work, brilliance and sheer awesomeness.

    I’m hoping the red bull is on a level playing field with Merc and Ferrari next year. WOuld love to see what Vettel has to say when his team is apparently ‘hanging their balls in the pool’

    1. +1. Never since 2006 in the aftermath of Monaco have I felt such negative feelings toward a driver wanting him to fail. Very sorry to say that as Seb seems very likeable. Or seemed, before such success meant **** went into his head

      Methinks, the booing ain’t gonna stop anytime soon(unless next year RBR is a dud). Time to learn to enjoy it Seb, without making stupid comments about your rivals

    2. I think he mistakes other team’s lack of Adrian Newey as his own hard work, brilliance and sheer awesomeness.

      While I think that Vettel’s comment wasn’t particularly smart, trying to twist them won’t make you any favors, either.

      He never claimed it was his hard work or his brilliance, he talked (as he very often does) about the whole team’s effort. There is a difference.

      we’re still working very hard and pushing very hard so that we have a strong race

      And, in his deffense, it was a response to the constant implications the RB has TC (one of them from Hamilton).

      Secondly that’s consistant with that some of the media have observed, like Coulthard: “The paddock is a pretty quiet place at 10 o’clock at night, but you can bet Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and Vettel will all still be there at that time.”

      It’s not just something he came out and said because he’s oh no so arrogant, he was defending his (very hard working team) from some clearly unfair accusations.

      As I said, it was stupid from him to say what he did, but in your attempt to discredit him, you made a bigger deal than it actually was, and that’s never a good thing.

    3. +1. Never since 2006 in the aftermath of Monaco have I felt such negative feelings toward a driver wanting him to fail. Very sorry to say that as Seb seems very likeable. Or seemed, before the success went into his head and inflated it

      Methinks, the booing ain’t gonna stop anytime soon(unless next year RBR is a dud). Time to learn to enjoy it Seb, without making stupid comments about your rivals

  16. On Hamilton and mountaineering: Ukyo Katayama got to Everest’s South Summit (a short-ish climb from the main one). As far as I know he’s the only F1 driver to have attempted the climb.

  17. McLaren ‘trying to lure Alonso back for 2014’

    Yes, please! I don’t like Alonso and I’d love to see Hulkenberg at Ferrari. I rekon Alonso is strong but I don’t think he’s crucial to Ferrari.

  18. Thankyou for the COTD @keithcollantine, you do a great job with the website mate, keep it up!

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