Motorsport

World champ Fernando Alonso could be on the verge of quitting McLaren. The 26-year-old Spaniard is said to feel disillusioned that the squad isn’t giving him more support in his battle with rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the 2007 drivers’ title.

After the Hungarian Grand Prix – where he finished fourth, with Hamil­ton taking his third win of the season – Alonso said he wasn’t certain of seeing out his three-year McLaren contract. He explained: “I do not know about the future. I have never been in a situ­ation with a team like this before.”

He later added: “Right now, I am thinking: me or Hamilton? But I know nothing will change. I get the feeling that some people at McLaren do not even know that I speak English.”

Aussie Mark Webber, a good friend of Alonso’s after they worked together at Renault, said: “I can’t imagine that both Fernando and Lewis will still be at McLaren next year.”

Two other top teams have now put their driver negotiations on hold in case Alonso becomes free. BMW was on the verge of re-signing Nick Heid­feld to partner Robert Kubica next year, while Alonso’s former employer, Ren­ault, was believed to be close to a deal to retain current stars Gian­carlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen. However, Alonso’s manager, Luis Garcia Abad, claimed McLaren was desperate to keep his man, who is second in this year’s world championship.

“I talked to (McLaren boss) Ron Dennis and his intention is that the contract is fulfilled,” he said. “To us, which team Fernando drives for isn’t a matter of money. If it were for the money, we’d be in another team.

“We are in McLaren to win races and the third title. That’s our goal. And at the moment, there aren’t many options; only McLaren and Ferrari.”