Formula 1 News

Fernando Alonso: “Staying at McLaren my first option” 

Norbert Haug has denied admitting that McLaren-Mercedes is likely to release Fernando Alonso after Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Haug has been quoted recently as hinting that the unhappy Spaniard might not be part of the team in 2008. Asked about some of the criticisms made by drivers this year, Haug told the news agency sid at Interlagos: “What a driver’s contract says about this is usually very precise.”

Alonso has seemed more content than usual at recent races, and he told the Italian broadcaster Sky on Friday: “My first option is to remain with McLaren. I have a contract.” To the Spanish press, Haug flatly denied that he has explicitly suggested that Alonso might leave the team. “I never said anything like that. That is totally untrue,” he said. “I have always maintained that we will not be talking about that until after this race.”