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Formula 1: Top 5 storylines to follow over the summer break

By Asher Fair

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes WO9 and Valtteri Bottas driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes WO9 (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes WO9 and Valtteri Bottas driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes WO9 (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – JULY 27: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) McLaren F1 Team MCL33 Renault (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – JULY 27: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) McLaren F1 Team MCL33 Renault (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Fernando Alonso’s contract situation

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is in his fourth season driving for McLaren since he returned to the team back in 2015, and it may very well be his last, as he is in the final season of his contract and his future is uncertain.

It is not a secret that Alonso is not happy driving for McLaren. Even after they switched from Honda engines to Renault engines this season, the 37-year-old Spaniard has not had the success that he had previously been accustomed to having as the driver who sits in sixth place on the all-time Formula 1 wins list with 32 victories.

Alonso has not finished a race in higher than fifth place since he returned to McLaren in the 2015 seasons. He has one fifth place finish this season, with that coming in the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, and he currently sits in ninth in the driver standings.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Alonso will be leaving McLaren and Formula 1 altogether after the 2018 season comes to an end. Many people that he will drive in the Indianapolis 500 in attempt to become just the second driver to win all three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, as the two-time Monaco Grand Prix winner won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in his career this past June.

Other people believe that Alonso will drive full-time in IndyCar next season and that he will do so driving for McLaren. Now there is even a rumor that he might leave McLaren but stay in Formula 1 as a teammate to Sebastian Vettel at Scuderia Ferrari.

Hopefully some of the many questions surrounding Alonso’s extremely uncertain future will be answered over the summer break.

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