“I’m very happy for Fernando” – McLaren boss Zak Brown still maintains friendly relations with Fernando Alonso despite the Alpine switch.
Fernando Alonso has had multiple stints with McLaren, both in Formula 1 and Indy. His first stint with McLaren in 2007 was pretty decent, as he finished third overall. It was still a demotion considering he was a two-time defending champion with Renault before making the switch to McLaren.
Fernando Alonso test with McLaren at December 2006 🇪🇸 Jerez.#McLarenTeam pic.twitter.com/XKxsgT5FXB
— McLaren Team (@McLarenTeamFan) December 26, 2020
After a gap of 8 years, Alonso returned to McLaren with big hopes, but if I have to describe those 4 years for him and McLaren, it would be ‘terrible’. He finished P17, P10, P15, and P11 from 2015 to 2018, with the relationship at an all-time low.
Despite this, the Spaniard has partnered with the British team’s Indy segment thrice already, albeit without much success. And McLaren boss Zak Brown has confirmed relations with Alonso – personal and professional – are good. For the record, the latter is returning to F1 next season with Alpine, Renault’s new avatar in the sport.
“I’m very happy for Fernando.”
“I consider Fernando to be a friend of McLaren and a very good personal friend of mine. I wish we would have had more success on the track together because he’s a great racer.”
Fernando Alonso was last on the podium in 2014
Oft regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, Alonso struggled in F1 last decade, with his last podium coming 6 years ago with Ferrari. And a podium is exactly what he is looking to achieve next season with Alpine, and hopes for Mercedes slip-ups to achieve that.
Zak Brown gave a fitting tribute to Alonso, calling him a “worthy opponent” for McLaren. It would be fascinating to see how he does against the McLaren boys Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the latter moving out of Renault to make away for the two-time F1 champion.
