How Long Will Fernando Alonso Realistically Accept Mediocrity at McLaren?
Fernando Alonso scored his first point of the 2015 Formula One season in the British Grand Prix, but far more significant was the point he made after the race.
Despite McLaren-Honda's lack of competitiveness this year, Alonso and team-mate Jenson Button have acted as the team's spokesmen in post-race interviews, channeling positivity and optimism, maintaining confidence and using the company's 2015 buzzword: progress.
But at Silverstone?
Alonso had a face like thunder. Curled lip. Forced smile. He rejected the notion that his first point could be a turning point in McLaren's season, telling Sky Sports' television coverage of the race how he would dedicate the result to the team for "the hard work of many months now."
He later elaborated on his comments to Autosport's Glenn Freeman, stating:
"I'm not happy, but it's the first point of many, I hope.
It's not party time yet because it's only one point...
It's one point. It's not the best result and it's not what we want.
It's just good for the team especially—the point is more for them and to thank them for the job of these months.
"
Alonso, in truth, appeared more content with life when he almost mowed down his pit crew in front of his home crowd in Spain and climbed aboard Kimi Raikkonen's car on the opening lap in Austria.
His reaction to breaking his duck was in stark contrast to Button's joy at getting off the mark in Monaco, where the 2009 world champion told Autosport's Scott Mitchell how his eighth-placed finish was "a great stepping stone to winning in the future."
Alonso's reluctance to view his 10th-place finish as an achievement of any kind felt rehearsed—as, of course, many things are with Fernando—and it sent a strong message to the team.
Even their best, in this season of revised expectations, will not be good enough for a driver as ambitious, proud and talented as Fernando Alonso, and an outfit of McLaren-Honda's heritage should never settle for crumbs of comfort.
The two-time world champion's relatively cheery demeanour for much of this season, despite the limitations of McLaren's MP4-30, has surprised many, with Alonso's Canadian GP radio outburst the only sign of his frustration over the opening nine races.
Yet the longer the team are crippled by their Honda power unit, which remains powerless, thirsty and unreliable, the more Alonso—despite having a three-year contract with no "performance clauses," as McLaren boss Ron Dennis told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson—will try to engineer a way out.
In a separate BBC Sport article, Benson claims it is a "near-certainty" that the Spaniard will be driving a McLaren in 2016.
This, in theory, will put Alonso in a position to capitalise on any improvements Honda make to their engine over the winter, preventing him from making the same mistake he made at Ferrari, which saw him flee the team just as they made a shock return to competitiveness.
Yet the ongoing problems suffered by Renault, whose 2015 powertrain is somehow worse than their 2014 effort, shows this approach carries no guarantees that Honda will make significant developments from this season to next, especially since the Japanese manufacturer's engine is far worse than any of those produced by Renault, Ferrari or Mercedes in the first year of the V6 turbo regulations.
With that in mind, it would be a surprise if Alonso has not already taken tentative steps toward identifying an exit route from McLaren for either 2016 or '17.
Raikkonen's uncertain future at Ferrari means there could soon be vacancies at Red Bull Racing and Williams—whom Alonso should have regarded as a more serious option when devising his 2015 plans—depending on whether the Prancing Horse pick Daniel Ricciardo or Valtteri Bottas to partner Sebastian Vettel.
Either team would be an upgrade on his current employers, yet the seat he—and, indeed, every driver on the grid—truly craves may come available at the end of next year, when, according to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, Nico Rosberg's contract expires at Mercedes, who should remain at the front for 2017 despite the proposed rule changes.
Alonso, who will be approaching his 36th birthday at that point, may be viewed as too old to be regarded a serious option for the Silver Arrows, yet the gamble, in his never-ending quest for a third world title, may be worth taking.
Whether he should persevere with McLaren-Honda or roll the dice one more time should become clear over the next few weeks. The unusually long summer, as a result of the cancellation of this year's German Grand Prix, is a blessing in disguise for Honda, removing them from the burning spotlight of race weekends.
With the current three-week gap between the British and Hungarian GPs, and a further four weeks—notwithstanding the traditional two-week summer shutdown—until the Belgian GP, both team and engine supplier will have plenty of time to resolve their problems.
Should McLaren return to action at Spa-Francorchamps with a significant improvement in form, running firmly inside the top 10 throughout the latter stages of the campaign, it should convince Alonso that the team are indeed on the right track.
If, however, their woes continue and McLaren's world-champion pairing continue to be humiliated, trundling at the rear of the grid before suffering the inevitable engine failure, the Spaniard must rediscover his ruthlessness and give up on the power of dreams.
Alonso is at the stage of his career where he has no time to waste. He needs prizes, not just points.
.png?w=600 "Surprising Landing Spots for Top Potential 2026 NBA Free Agents")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
