Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo and More
Can Fernando Alonso take any more pain?
That, essentially, was the question facing the two-time world champion at the final round of the 2015 Formula One season, where it emerged that Alonso may decide to take a sabbatical in the 2016 campaign.
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, McLaren-Honda chairman Ron Dennis suggested Alonso, who finished a lowly 17th in the drivers' standings, would seriously consider taking time out if the team were unable to solve their problems over the winter.
But Alonso, despite admitting he was receptive to the idea of a year-long break at the halfway stage of 2015, has insisted he will be back for more next season.
While Alonso reacted to an uncompetitive campaign by considering his future in the sport, Daniel Ricciardo has viewed his own as a valuable learning experience.
Through no fault of his own, the Australian was unable to build upon his strong 2014 performances in 2015 and was forced to settle for just two podium appearances after winning three races the previous season.
But rather than running away from his team's problems, Ricciardo believes he is a much better driver for his difficulties in 2015 and is confident he will reap the rewards for his troubled times in the coming years.
Riccardo's future in F1 was secured when Red Bull Racing agreed to renew their technical partnership with engine suppliers Renault for 2016, safeguarding their place on the grid.
Although Renault's F1 future remains uncertain, the four-time world champions are confident they will be unaffected by whatever happens with the current Lotus team.
When he hasn't been raising question marks over the futures of his current drivers, Dennis has been criticising his former employees. And after speaking of his disappointment with Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Abu Dhabi race, he has dismissed Kevin Magnussen's complaints over his sacking from McLaren.
Closing this week's roundup is Sebastian Vettel, who is certain his Ferrari team can beat Hamilton and Mercedes in 2016.
Fernando Alonso Will Race for McLaren-Honda in 2016 Despite Sabbatical Talk
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Fernando Alonso has insisted he will race for McLaren-Honda in the 2016 season, despite Ron Dennis' suggestion that the two-time world champion could take a sabbatical.
Ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, McLaren chairman Dennis was quoted by Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble as suggesting that the two-time world champion could decide to miss next season if the team failed to make the necessary improvements to their car and engine.
A year-long sabbatical, Noble noted, would see Alonso sit out 2016 as McLaren and Honda continued to resolve their issues before returning to fulfil the remaining two years of his three-year contract in 2017 and '18, when he would potentially be in a stronger position to challenge for race victories and world championships.
After qualifying at the Yas Marina circuit, however, Alonso admitted to Noble in a separate Motorsport.com article that while he had discussed the prospect of a sabbatical—among many other "crazy ideas"—with Dennis at the mid-season stage, he was committed to the team for next year.
Dennis, meanwhile, told Sky Sports' Martin Brundle that his comments had been taken out of context, making it "explicitly clear" that Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, would be partnered by Alonso in 2016.
And after completing a miserable weekend in 17th place, two laps behind race winner Nico Rosberg, Alonso—who admitted that he didn't know what Dennis "means with some of the things" he says—confirmed that a sabbatical was not an option.
"I won't do it," he told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson.
Daniel Ricciardo Content with 2015 Season Despite Limited Success
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Daniel Ricciardo has insisted he is a better driver for his troublesome 2015 season despite his shortage of results across the 19-race campaign.
The Australian was the only non-Mercedes driver to win a race in 2014, claiming victories in Canada, Hungary and Belgium and establishing himself as a future world champion.
However, Red Bull Racing's fall from grace in 2015—as a result of the underpowered Renault engine and their initial struggles in adapting to a new aerodynamic philosophy—prevented him from building upon his 2014 performances, with Ricciardo reaching the podium on only two occasions in Hungary and Singapore.
It is often said that we learn more about leading athletes during the difficult times than in moments of triumph, and Ricciardo believes the old sporting adage is true, claiming he is now a more rounded performer due to his season of struggle.
The 26-year-old, who ultimately finished eighth—three points behind team-mate Daniil Kvyat—in the drivers' standings, told Motorsport.com's Andrew van Leeuwen:
"I’m definitely grateful for this season. I’d be more grateful if I was World Champion, but to be honest I think I’ll look back on it and be grateful for the experiences I’ve had, [and] things I’ve learnt.
It’s definitely made me a more complete driver, I think. It wasn’t always visible on-track, but trust me when you get back and work with the engineers, there’s a lot I’ve learnt, and a lot that I’ve picked up on.
And just learning how to deal with your emotions, frustrations, everything.
Next year, if we’ve got a bit more speed behind us I think I’ll use it well.
"
Ricciardo added that he was also impressed with the way Red Bull, in their first winless campaign since 2008, bounced back from a particularly difficult start to 2015, praising their recovery as "pretty special" after fearing the team would "fall apart" at one stage.
Red Bull Confident Engine Deal Will Not Be Affected by Renault Uncertainty
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Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is confident the team's 2016 engine plans will not be affected by the uncertainty surrounding Renault's future in Formula One.
In September, Renault announced it had signed a letter of intent with a view to purchasing the current Lotus team, but the long-awaited deal is still yet to be completed.
As reported by Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend saw the French manufacturer hold "intense talks" with F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone "to try to resolve remaining differences over a commercial rights package," which could see the agreement to purchase Lotus fall at the final hurdle.
With a decision imminent, Renault—having seemed almost certain to return to the grid as a full-blown factory team—could now withdraw from F1 entirely.
As F1 journalist Ted Kravitz recently told Sky Sports' Pete Gill and James Galloway, Red Bull are set to run an unbranded Renault V6 turbo power unit in 2016, receiving a "basic" engine from the French manufacturer and developing it with the guidance of technical expert Mario Illien.
And Horner believes Renault's predicament will have no impact on Red Bull, who finally have a signed-and-sealed engine deal for 2016, telling Noble:
"We have a contract for an engine, the details of which I hope to be able to announce within a week.
We have got a signed contract.
There has obviously been an awful lot of activity over the past weeks. I am not at liberty to say what that activity is, but it will all come out in the wash.
We are not in a position to announce what our engine is, but the situation is clear: we have an agreement for next year. The unfortunate thing is that I would like to be able to tell you what that is, but unfortunately, today I cannot.
"
Horner added that, despite their late signing of a powertrain contract, the team are on schedule to build next year's RB12 chassis in time for the start of the season, revealing that the four-time world champions had "designed four different variants" of the 2016 car as they searched for an engine supply.
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Ron Dennis Reveals Reasons Behind Kevin Magnussen's McLaren-Honda Exit
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Ron Dennis, the McLaren-Honda chairman, has defended the team's decision to release Kevin Magnussen from his contract, claiming the youngster failed to meet expectations.
After winning the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2013, Magnussen was rewarded with a full-time F1 seat alongside Jenson Button for 2014 and claimed a podium finish in his debut race in Australia.
The Dane, however, was unable to sustain his form and—following one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in recent history—was demoted to a reserve-driver role for 2015 after the team re-signed Fernando Alonso from Ferrari.
Magnussen deputised for the injured Alonso in the season-opening weekend at Albert Park, where he failed to start the race due to technical problems, and spoke of his desire to return to the grid in 2016, telling Autosport's Ben Anderson there was "no way in hell" he would accept another year without racing.
That appeared to put McLaren under pressure to either give Magnussen another chance or allow him to explore alternative opportunities in F1. In the end, however, the team did neither, freeing Magnussen after retaining Button for 2016 at a time most competitive seats for next season had been taken.
Dennis, however, believes the team were right to end the 23-year-old's five-year relationship with McLaren, telling Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy:
"The reality is, we gave him every opportunity to come to terms with [the split].
He was given every opportunity—a season in Formula 1, followed by very clear goals that he had to achieve, and he did not achieve those goals.
Both he and all drivers that come to McLaren and leave McLaren, always get continuous support if they want to receive it. We don't walk away from our drivers.
We are always supportive of our drivers—although some have left under a little bit of a dark cloud so there is an exception to the rule.
We do a great deal. There are other teams that do it—we do a great deal to bring young drivers on, and give them an opportunity.
[...]
People in F1 have come and gone that have had their careers paid for. There is a point at which you have to take difficult decisions.
"
Per the same source, the McLaren boss also criticised Magnussen for revealing—via Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble—that he was told of his sacking through an email from Dennis' personal assistant on his birthday, with Dennis claiming it was "ridiculous" for the Dane to say "that is the first he knew about it."
Magnussen, meanwhile, has taken to restart his racing career in recent weeks, testing Porsche's World Endurance Championship-winning 919 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
As reported by Autosport's Mitchell Adam, he will also test Mercedes' DTM car in the coming days.
Sebastian Vettel Confident Ferrari Can Beat Mercedes in 2016
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Sebastian Vettel believes Ferrari can replace Mercedes as Formula One's benchmark team next season after a strong end to the 2015 campaign in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion recovered from a catastrophic qualifying session, which saw him eliminated in Q1, to utilise an alternative strategy and finish fourth at the Yas Marina circuit, one place behind team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
After his arrival from Red Bull Racing at the beginning of 2015, Vettel has enjoyed an impressive first season as a Ferrari driver, claiming three grand prix victories, 10 further podium finishes and a pole position.
Vettel has witnessed Ferrari's recovery from a winless season in 2014 to emerge as the closest challengers to two-time constructors' champions Mercedes, who have won 32 of the 38 races since the start of 2014.
And the German is confident that his team, should they make further improvements in all areas over the winter, can become an equally formidable force in 2016, telling Motorsport.com's Jamie Klein:
"It's been an upward curve all year long. At the start of the year we were probably something like 1.5 seconds (per lap) behind, and now we're 10-15 seconds behind over a GP distance.
We know there is still an awful lot to do and that Mercedes is very strong, but we can be better than them, they are beatable.
We are very fired up about next year. In the end, we don't want to play chaser any more—we want to turn it around and be the dominant force.
We have to keep our heads down—we know we can improve the car and the power unit, and on the drivers side we can do better. If we put all of this together, we can be very strong.
"
Per Ferrari's official website, Vettel, who has praised 2015 as "a miracle season," acknowledged that "the last step to catch the Mercedes will also be the hardest one."
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