Alonso in severance standoff with Ferrari - report
It is perhaps the burning question in F1 at present ... What is Fernando Alonso going to do next?
Hopeful rookie Carlos Sainz jr, a fellow Spaniard, summed up the mood of the entire paddock when he told AS newspaper on Wednesday: "I have no idea."
In fact, some F1 protagonists believe they know what is going to happen.
Marchionne coming to Austin for a 'double' announcement
Italy's specialist La Gazzetta dello Sport declared on Wednesday that new Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne will travel to Austin this weekend for a double announcement - Alonso's exit and the arrival of Sebastian Vettel.
That may be the case, but the inner workings of Alonso's apparently inevitable departure from the Maranello team are probably more complicated.
Michael Schmidt, the highly respected correspondent for Auto Motor und Sport, thinks he knows the answer, having written it down in two recent articles.
Who will pull the plug?
The crux of the matter is that with German Vettel having apparently already signed for 2015, Ferrari also has valid contracts for next season with Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso.
It is the manner in which Alonso's contract is terminated that is apparently the cause of the current and mysterious delay.
If the 33-year-old is the one who pulls the plug, he can walk off to McLaren-Honda, another team, or a sabbatical.
But if Ferrari is the one that legally calls off the deal, the Italian team will have to compensate Alonso to the tune of tens of millions of euros - just as it had to do at the end of 2009 when Raikkonen was farewelled ahead of time.
"Rumours have it that the Spaniard has a choice: either drive (in 2015) or take the severance," said Schmidt.
"But Ferrari does not want this. Why pay someone who himself wanted to leave the team? He will not drive, because they already have two drivers in Vettel and Raikkonen.
"Mediation talks have brought no breakthrough until now. Both parties want to avoid going to court and instead find a noiseless compromise."
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
David Coulthard explains why Robin Raikkonen's rise resembles Max Verstappen's
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari must learn from Red Bull to improve F1 race strategy
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
Davide Tardozzi on Ducati's Indonesian GP chances: 'Losing 10 or 12 points would not be bad'
Toto Wolff confirms George Russell engine penalty for Singapore GP: "Particularly frustrating"
Mercedes confirms George Russell's grid penalty for F1 Singapore GP
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
How F1 let a golden opportunity slip at Sepang
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
You Ask The Questions: Emerson Fittipaldi
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments