16/06/2008
NEWS STORY
Speaking at a new conference today, Fernando Alonso said that he was still undecided with regards his plans for 2009 and beyond.
After seven rounds of the 2008 championship, the Spaniard is ninth in the standings, having only scored points in two races. While he never expected to be regularly challenging for wins, the two-time champion surely never expected to be struggling just to get into the points.
The move to Renault followed an early end to his time with McLaren, and came at a time when there were no better offers on the table. Other teams were eager to sign him, but wanted commitment from the Spaniard in the form of a three-year deal.
With the French team showing no sign of a serious revival in fortunes, Alonso admits that he is undecided as to whether a further season is in his interests.
"I don't know," he replied, when asked if he would remain with the team with which he won his titles. "It's not been a good year so far and it has been worse than we expected. We have not been on the podium, let alone won a race. We have a lot of work to do. I will take a decision on my future towards the end of the year when we'll be able to see how far we have come."
Looking ahead to this weekend's race at Magny-Cours, where he last won in 2005, he said: "In France we have a lot of support and for me it's like racing in Barcelona. During the week the team have worked hard and have made improvements with the car in testing. We have taken another step forward.
"I feel full of confidence at the moment," he added, getting into full PR mode, "we are on the right track."
Should he leave Renault it is unclear where he would go, with few obvious vacancies, which might suit, springing to mind.