Marchionne not entertaining prospect of a Maranello comeback for Alonso; Ferrari join Mercedes, Red Bull in shutting door on Fernando
Thursday 3 August 2017 20:55, UK
Ferrari have ruled out Fernando Alonso rejoining the team for 2018.
Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari's president, told Sky Sports in Italy that any interest Alonso had in a return to the team he left in 2014 would not be replicated.
"Maybe he might have some interest for us, not us for him," said Marchionne at the Austrian GP.
The Ferrari president's comments mean the top three teams on the grid have all now effectively shut the door on signing the former world champion when his McLaren contract expires at the end of the season.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has repeatedly played down the prospect of pairing Alonso with Lewis Hamilton, while Red Bull have Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen under firm contracts for 2018.
Ferrari are the one leading team with neither of their current drivers signed up for next year but Marchionne also made clear in Austria that the option to remain was there for championship leader Vettel.
So where will Alonso go?
Alonso has made clear in recent weeks that he is intent on securing a race-winning drive for 2018 in F1 and claimed the recent Azerbaijan GP weekend, when his management were pictured in discussions with Mercedes and Renault, had been "positive" for him in regards to his future.
However, the 35-year-old still appears to be locked out of at seat at the only three teams that have won races since F1's hybrid engine era began in 2014.
The last team other than Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull to win a Grand Prix was the then-Lotus team, now Renault, at the 2013 Australian GP.
After three years of mounting frustration at McLaren amid their struggle for competitiveness with Honda engines, Alonso had been thought likely to walk away from the Woking team at the end of the year.
Father: Verstappen staying at Red Bull
However, with the prospect of landing a near-guaranteed race-winning drive appearing to have receded, Alonso could yet do another deal with McLaren - particularly if, as is widely mooted, they split with Honda and return to a customer supply of Mercedes engines for 2018.
Vettel and... who at Ferrari next year?
Despite being in contention for their first world titles in nearly a decade, Ferrari are yet to strike deals with either Vettel or team-mate Kimi Raikkonen for 2018.
Vettel, who leads Hamilton by 20 points in the title race, is expected to agree a new contract, although the length of the deal remains the subject of speculation.
Marchionne told Sky F1 on Sunday: "I've made it very clear if Sebastian wants to stay, he has the option."
However, Raikkonen's future again appears far less certain.
The 37-year-old has finished on the podium just twice in the last 21 races and, although Marchionne said 'we will continue discussing with Kimi', he was also quoted as describing Raikkonen as a "laggard" for his inconsistent form.
While Marchionne also ruled out a move for Max Verstappen, Ferrari have been linked with Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz should the Scuderia call time on Raikkonen's career at Maranello for a second time.
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