Alonso focuses on another F1 title before leaving Renault
What if a driver provided a year’s notice of his departure and then won the title with the team he was fleeing?
NASCAR missed its chance to find out last season when Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray negotiated early releases from their contracts rather than spend awkward final seasons with Nextel Cup teams that knew their drivers wanted out.
But a lame-duck champion is likely in Formula One.
Fernando Alonso enters Sunday’s United States Grand Prix with a commanding points lead and the certainty he will be leaving the Renault team after the season even if he wins his second consecutive championship.
The papers already were signed last December — Alonso said there is no chance he will renege on a three-year deal with McLaren Mercedes starting in 2007 — but the statistics suggest the divorce might be occurring too early.
In nine races, Alonso has scored six victories and three runner-up finishes to tally a record 84 points halfway through the 18-race schedule. Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher is a distant second with 59 points — meaning Alonso could skip two races and still keep his lead.
Not that he’d want to miss a chance to turn a lap for Renault. Unlike in NASCAR, where news of a driver leaving often is followed by backbiting, Alonso’s farewell season has been devoid of drama and dissension.
“The team has been very nice with me; there is no difference,” the 24-year-old said. “We are working in the same direction to be world champion again this year. I’ve had a fantastic relationship with the team for six years, and it’s time to finish this part of my career in the best way possible.”
Alonso has no worries about switching to McLaren, which hasn’t won a championship since 1999 or a race since 2005.
“All teams will build a new car next year, and I have to believe McLaren will be competitive,” he said. “Honestly, I think in 2007, 2008 and 2009, McLaren will be the best team.”
Alonso hasn’t won — or even finished - in four starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But he was all smiles Thursday at the 2.5-mile oval as F1 trotted out several stars to sign autographs and mend fences with fans who booed non-stop during last year’s race.
The event became a debacle after 14 cars boycotted because of safety concerns about Michelin tires. Schumacher finished first among the six drivers who started, and F1’s image took a hit with a finicky U.S. fan base that hasn’t embraced the international series.
Jackie Stewart, a series champ in 1969, ‘71 and ‘73, said F1 needs to make amends. He’s an ambassador for Royal Bank of Scotland, one of several F1 sponsors that covets a U.S. showcase for its products. Ferrari, which owns Schumacher’s team, sells a third of its cars in America, its biggest market.
“We’ve got a lot of ground to make up, because we did shoot ourselves in the foot,” Stewart said. “I feel very strongly that Formula One needs the United States. It’s the most sophisticated marketplace in the world. The major manufacturers associated with F1 — Honda, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Ferrari — America is very important to them.”
The series’ sixth trip to Indy still could be its last. Speedway officials say they’ve been pleasantly surprised by brisk ticket sales, but there is no contract for 2007, and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was quoted in the Times of London last week as saying his sport didn’t need a United States Grand Prix. Stewart believes Ecclestone was posturing as a negotiating ploy.
“I can assure you that’s not the opinion of the paddock,” Stewart said. “There is a place for F1 in America. I don’t think it’ll ever be a big sport. Until you get an American driver who starts to lead the world, then you will wake up.”
Americans will have a rooting interest Sunday in Scott Speed, the first U.S. driver in F1 since 1993.
Alonso said fans also can expect a competitive race as Michelin has promised no tire problems.
“The fans are really enthusiastic after what happened last year,” Alonso said. “We will put on a good show for them.”
