Alonso doesn't give up: "The objective for 2017 is the title"

Compared to last troubled season, the improvements of the Honda-powered McLaren are evident. The numbers, as always in these cases, provide an important interpretation. In ten races held so far, the Woking team has achieved the Top Ten in five circumstances, the same ones obtained in 2015 but in 19 events.

Despite the progress shown, the road to returning to the top is still long but Fernando Alonso does not intend to reduce his expectations in the slightest. The Spaniard is aiming for the highest stakes for 2017: the title. Jost Capito will arrive at McLaren in the coming weeks, taking on the role of head of sporting activities. It is precisely with the German manager that Alonso will discuss to lay the foundations for the future.

In the event that McLaren does not return to competitiveness next season, marked by the new technical regulations, the two-time world champion could seriously consider new professional adventures such as Le Mans or the Indy 500.

"There are several areas that need to be improved to be able to fight for the top again – Alonso told Autosprint – Apart from the engine and  aerodynamics, there are still many small errors that we make during the race weekends".

"I knew we would go through difficult and complicated times. We started with performances that were not up to par, but we managed to improve quickly and we will continue to improve also in view of the future”. For Alonso the decisive acceleration was represented by Honda's replacement of Yasuhisa Arai with Yusuke Hasegawa as head of the motorsport section.

"Let's say that this change gave the right answers – the Spaniard's comment – with progress coming faster. Hasegawa he has a background in the racing world, he was an engineer and is more open to new ideas and new philosophy. Things have improved, but we still have a long way to go. The goal for next year is to win the title. Seeing our ranking position, it may seem strange but it is our purpose. If things don't go well, I might evaluate other options such as Le Mans and Indianapolis".

Piero Ladisa

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