Thursday, October 18, 2007

ALONSO DROPPED FROM MCLAREN


Mercedes has given the green light to McLaren to drop Spain's two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso from the team for next season, a Spanish sporting daily said Thursday.

Mercedes bosses met in Germany "and reached the conclusion it is in the best interests of the company and the (McLaren-Mercedes) team to let go of the Spaniard at the end of the year," the Marca daily said.

The decision was motivated by the poor personal relations between Alonso and both his British team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren boss Ron Dennis, Marca said, quoting sources close to McLaren-Mercedes.

It was "backed yesterday (Wednesday) by all the partners and the team," including Dennis.

"This situation means that all roads for Alonso lead to Renault," the team with which the Spaniard won world titles in 2005 and 2006, the newspaper said.

Renault "promised him a place with the possibility of winning the title and is currently taking steps to find the funds necessary to sign him on a contract equivalent" to the one he has with McLaren, Marca said.

It noted that Alonso could not join Ferrari, which has Brazilian driver Felipe Massa under contract through 2010 and Finland's Kimi Raikkonen to 2009.

The Spaniard fell out with Dennis and Hamilton over his treatment at the British team since switching from Renault.

As world champion he expected to be treated as number one and became increasingly irritated at what he perceived to be McLaren's favouritism towards Hamilton.

Rookie Hamilton tops the Formula One drivers standings, four points ahead of Alonso with the last race of the season scheduled for Sunday in Brazil. Raikkonen, in third place, also has a chance to take his first ever world title.

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