Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari in 2025 will leave his Mercedes seat vacant. Expected to trigger a silly season, the move will see multiple drivers change teams and Fernando Alonso could be one of them. The Spanish driver might drive alongside George Russell thinks Andrew Benson of the BBC. But also at the same time, he talked about their old history that could hinder the move.
Benson sat with Jolyon Palmer and Jennie Gow to discuss Hamilton’s move to Ferrari next year. They debated who could possibly replace the seven-time world champion at Brackley. Among many other drivers, Alonso’s name came out on top as one of the leading ones. However, Benson believes Alonso’s bad blood with Mercedes from his McLaren days might cause the ultimate disruption.
Speaking about this, the BBC journalist said in the latest F1 Chequered Flag podcast, “He’d be on my mind but he’s definitely not gonna be on Mercedes’ mind. No chance. Too much history there.” Following this, he further emphasized how Mercedes does not see Alonso very well following the controversial Spygate incident.
On this, the British F1 journalist added, “Just to go back, Alonso is the obvious guy, but there’s too much history there with Spygate and the $100 million fine at the end of 2007, for which Mercedes still blames Alonso for and now a new Chief Executive in charge of Mercedes and on a corporate level I can’t see them overlooking that.”
The Spygate incident referred to the set of accusations against Ferrari and McLaren in 2007. The controversy began pertained to allegations over the theft of technical information. This involved a Ferrari engineer allegedly passing over a dossier of confidential information to McLaren. The Woking team denied it and even the FIA did not find substantial evidence initially.
After a series of hearings, the governing law body slapped a $100 million fine on McLaren after finding compelling evidence that showed the theft of information. With this, the FIA stripped McLaren of all the points they acquired in the 2007 F1 Constructors’ Championship. During this period, Alonso drove for McLaren, who used Mercedes engines. However, amid his own internal tussle, the Spaniard left the team after 2007.
What’s next for Fernando Alonso?
Fernando Alonso joined Aston Martin from Alpine at the end of the 2022 F1 season. He spent the 2023 season with the British team and it was undoubtedly one of the best years he’s ever had in Formula 1. The two-time world champion raked in eight podiums by driving against young guns that too being 42 years old.
The Spanish driver signed a two-year deal with Lawrence Stroll’s team. Going by this, his contract would expire at the end of this season. However, Aston Martin confirmed that they are keen to hold on to their star driver. They replaced Sebastian Vettel with him, and are not ready to let him go as the team continues to improve.
However, Aston Martin’s performance in 2024 will play a crucial role before he thinks about an extension. The Silverstone-based team started the 2023 season as the second fastest team, but as the season ended, they slumped and slowed down comparatively to finish in P5 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Therefore, Aston Martin’s ability to provide him with a race-winning car in 2024 will prompt him to stay at Silverstone. Otherwise, he might jump alongside Russell by forgetting all the differences, or move to Red Bull by replacing Sergio Perez, who knows.
