Does Alonso Have Championship Chance Beyond 2017?

It would appear that time is running out for Fernando Alonso if he wants to win another Formula One championship. Yet is it? His options may be limited, but it’s not impossible – especially if he finds the right team.

For the remainder of the current Formula One season, talk of McLaren’s 2017 driver line-up will be firmly situated around Jenson Button and whether or not the former world champion will still be driving for the team.

One thing that is known with almost certainty is that Fernando Alonso will continue to drive for McLaren next year. He is contracted with the team through 2017, per Sky Sports.

Yet Alonso’s continuation into next year with his current employer shouldn’t really be seen as the driver having absolute confidence in the team’s immediate championship chances.

It’s no secret that the Spaniard has felt his fair share of dissatisfaction during his current, and second tenure at McLaren – his frustration born from the team’s lack of competitiveness and the car consistently under-performing.

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The Honda engine unit which has been used solely by McLaren since 2015 is only now showing improvement, yet the power deficit between it and its rivals has been the cause of Alonso’s woes on more than one occasion over the last two years.

It stands to reason that the two time world champion will be looking for the door next year if the team continues to fall short.

His best title shot may be outside McLaren, but where would he land that could let him achieve that goal?

Force India, Toro Rosso, Haas, Sauber, and Manor can be eliminated immediately as the possibility of them winning a championship in the near future are slim, and Alonso would most likely know this.

Though Williams and Renault have more of a chance of winning the championship than the above, Alonso would probably pass up an offer from either team, given their current states.

And Red Bull have their driver line-up locked in for at least the next two seasons, so they can be scratched as well.

This leaves Mercedes and Ferrari, and both may possibly have an opening in 2017.

If Nico Rosberg were to be replaced at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton would possibly try and block any move by Alonso there given his and Alonso’s chequered past, with Alonso just recently referencing Hamilton as “not an easy teammate.”

Yet if Alonso expressed a serious desire to join the Silver Arrows any plea Hamilton might make could be ignored by his bosses, as Alonso is one of the best drivers on the grid.

On the other hand, if Kimi Raikkonen were given his marching orders by Ferrari, it’s doubtful Sebastian Vettel would kick up much of a fuss if Alonso wanted back in. Alonso called the Scuderia team home for five years and it’s not hard to imagine Ferrari welcoming him back with open arms.

Though it’s easy to think that Alonso’s day in the sun has been and gone, it’s actually not at all. It’s abundantly clear that a future championship is still a real possibility – but a change of team may need to happen first.

Do you think Fernando Alonso can win another Formula One championship?

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