Fernando Alonso not unduly negative despite starting from the back in Baku

24 June 2017 08:33

Fernando Alonso did little to dampen mounting speculation that he will leave McLaren by declaring his weekend in Azerbaijan has been "very positive" despite being on the back of the grid.

Alonso, the 35-year-old Spaniard who is out of contract with the British team at the end of the year, will start tomorrow's race in Baku from last following a 40-place penalty after a series of changes to his Honda engine.

The double world champion also failed to progress from Q1 - the first knockout phase of qualifying - for the first time this season with Honda down on speed.

Alonso's manager Flavio Briatore tweeted a picture following a dinner he had with Mercedes bosses' Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda on Friday night before Luis Garcia, another of Alonso's management team, enjoyed lunch with Renault chiefs Alain Prost and Cyril Abiteboul outside the team's hospitality suite ahead of qualifying.

The very public dates will heighten the British team's concern that their star man will leave come the end of the year and a mischievous Alonso only added fuel to the fire on Saturday night.

"It has been a very positive weekend for me," said Alonso with a telling grin. In contrast, McLaren's racing director Eric Boullier, sitting alongside Alonso, expressed his disappointment of witnessing both McLaren cars prop up the grid.

Alonso's team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne will also be on the final row after he was hit with a 35-place penalty following changes to his Honda engine as well as a new gearbox. "This is the most painful weekend I've ever had," Boullier said.

Alonso, who won the last of this two championships more than a decade ago, will take his decision on his next move during the summer break. But Wolff played down the mouth-watering prospect of Alonso joining Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next season.

"If you have dinner with Flavio it is clear that you talk about Alonso," Wolff said. "But we are very happy with our driver line-up. There is no to question about that, so there was not any talk about Fernando joining the team."

Valtteri Bottas signed only a one-year deal after he replaced defending champion Nico Rosberg, but Wolff insists he is not in a hurry to offer the Finnish driver a new contract.

"At the moment there is no reason why we won't continue with Valtteri, but we just want to give ourselves time to see how the season pans out," Wolff added.

"He is a great addition to the team and every day he is with us that becomes more clear.

"I have been in the sport for eight years and, while sometimes taking your time is not very good for the driver, it is good for the team to understand what is happening. This why we will not be rushing into any decision when it is not necessary."

Source: PA