F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

01 THE POWER OF DREAMS

He is 15th in the championship, has not won a race for four and a half years and it’s hard to see when or even if he might win again. But there Fernando Alonso was on the Thursday before the Italian Grand Prix, underlining his status as one of Formula 1’s biggest box-office draws.

In the McLaren motor home for his regular media briefing, Alonso was swamped by journalists wanting to know the latest twists in a saga that leaves the career of arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of the past decade hanging in the balance. Had he ‘parked’ the car four days before in Belgium? Had he told McLaren that if Honda stayed as their engine supplier, he would leave? Would he go to Renault? For a man who is fundamentally a bit part in the unravelling drama of the 2017 F1 season, there was an awful lot to find out, and an awful lot of interest.

This is how it has been with Alonso for years now. The man is a walking story generator, the potent mix of his talent, charisma and status in the sport demanding attention, forcing people to take notice. And, by extension, giving McLaren and Honda a much bigger role in the narrative than they would otherwise deserve.

Wrapped up in that cocktail is the reason the team are desperate to keep him for 2018, despite the baggage he brings. It seems very likely, for example, that he unilaterally took the decision to retire his car from the Belgian Grand Prix. Lying 12th, having been passed on the straights as if he were standing still after a trademark brilliant start put him seventh on the first lap, he asked whether any rain was forecast. He was told no. A lap later, Alonso said: “Engine problem.” And pulled into the pits.