Fernando Alonso will begin discussions with McLaren over a new contract in the early part of the 2017 season, CEO Zak Brown has revealed.
Alonso penned a three-year deal with Woking outfit ahead of the 2015 season, but the team has since fallen dramatically short of its lofty expectations upon its reunion with Honda.
The Spaniard, arguably the sport’s most highly-rated driver, was linked the vacant seat at the Mercedes following Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement but opted to stay put and see out his contract.
With Mercedes offering Valtteri Bottas only a one-year deal, however, the door could be open for Alonso in 2018 as he eyes a final shot at that elusive third world title.
While Brown concedes there will be inevitably interest in his signature, he reaffirmed the team’s determination to keep hold of the 35-year old.
“He’s definitely committed to the project, but his contract is up and he’s in high demand as you can imagine,” he told NBC Sports.
“Vettel is out of a contract next year, that’s my understanding. So as you can imagine, next year’s going to be an exciting driver market.
“Obviously we’d love to keep him. He’s one of the greatest drivers on the track, if not the best. But we’re just going to see how things go and kick off those conversations a few races into the year.”
The newly-appointed American, though, concedes that Alonso’s decision will likely depend on McLaren’s level of competitiveness in the season ahead.
“If I were him, I’d want to see how we perform before I started making decisions,” he added. “You can’t blame him for that. But I think we’re all waiting to see and that goes both ways.”
A sensational return to Renault, the team with whom he won two championships, has also been mooted for Alonso.
