The new boss of McLaren’s Formula 1 team, Jost Capito, is resolved to hold Fernando Alonso past 2017. Two-time title holder Alonso is under contract until the end of next season. Notwithstanding, the Spaniard, 35, has said he needs to perceive how the new 2017 cars act before settling on his future.
“If the car and the engine are good, and he enjoys the new rules, there is no reason why he shouldn’t stay,” said Capito, who became McLaren Racing CEO in September.
“Fernando is a great asset for the team and we should do everything to keep him.” F1 is presenting decides that will make the cars up to five seconds a lap quicker, while Pirelli has been entrusted with giving tires on which drivers can stretch as far as possible all through races, which has not been conceivable since the Italian organization presented delicate elastic six years back. Capito, talking in his first meeting since joining McLaren, said his companionship with two-time Spanish world rally champion Carlos Sainz, who drove for the German in his past part as head of Volkswagen Motorsport, had helped him frame a relation with Alonso.
“I expect improvement on the car from McLaren and a big step from Honda on the engine,” he said. “It takes always a certain time to form a team with a new partner like this.
“McLaren and Honda were partners before [from 1988-92] but it was a long time ago”.
He said: “Carlos has a good relationship with Fernando and I have a good relationship with Carlos – that helped quite a lot to create very quickly a very good and close relationship with Fernando.”
Dennis reported his choice to employ Capito in January, yet the German needed to hold up until his obligations at VW had been released before joining McLaren on 1 September. Dennis has now been put on ‘planting leave’ pending the end of his agreement as administrator and CEO, and didn’t really runs the organization. Capito said: “Ron employed everyone here because he was the guy in charge – but I came to join McLaren and that’s it.”
