Spaniard has previously insisted he is intent on remaining at Ferrari
Friday 4 October 2013 13:27, UK
McLaren are still trying to sign Fernando Alonso for the 2014 season, Sky Sports F1 has learnt.
That remains the most likely option, although speculation suggests that Alonso, who is currently contracted until the end of 2016, is free to leave because Ferrari have broken the agreed terms by hiring Raikkonen even though the double World Champion has a veto. The logic is that Alonso - a proud man and aware of how his leaving Ferrari now a team-mate rather less malleable than Felipe Massa is coming on board might project to the wider world - will stay put and take on the challenge Raikkonen will provide. Then there's the fact that although next season brings wholesale rule changes, McLaren will be seeing out the final year of their Mercedes contract. Might a move in 2015, when Honda power is on tap, make more sense? By then Alonso may have bettered Raikkonen and with his reputation enhanced further, the chance to embark on a new challenge with his former team and escape the Maranello cauldron might be too tempting to resist. Such a move might appear unlikely but F1 is a world where unlikely things can happen.
