A week after Sebastian Vettel blew the ‘silly season’ wide open, little else is clear about the shape of the upper part of the grid for 2015.
Despite rumours he might be McLaren-bound, however, paddock sources insist Vettel is definitely headed to Ferrari. The next step for the man he is set to replace, however – Fernando Alonso – is much less clear. What is obvious is that there is plenty of movement in the background, which might explain the latest rumours linking Lewis Hamilton with the exit at Mercedes.
Spain’s Marca reports that Movistar, the major Spanish mobile operator, has decided to partner with Alonso’s next F1 team. “Talks with McLaren are underway,” read the report. “There are also negotiations afoot with Blackberry, the phone company that is with Mercedes and with which there is an obvious synergy. One (Movistar) sells the lines, the other (Blackberry) the handsets.” If Alonso cannot find a route into Mercedes for 2015, he is expected either to sign a one-year deal elsewhere, or simply sit out next year’s championship. “McLaren will not want to be the stopgap,” said London’s Times newspaper.
So while the talks go on, everybody else waits. “It all depends on whether he (Alonso) goes to McLaren or whether he leaves formula one and returns later,” said Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who is leaving his own future open for now. Also waiting is McLaren driver Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion. He admitted in Russia: “My family find it really difficult to understand the situation I am in at this point, considering what I have done in the sport.”
Another party whose next plans appear held up is Ferrari. There is speculation Hamilton may also be linked with the Maranello team. “No, that’s not true,” the championship leader told Germany’s Auto Bild in Russia. Team boss Marco Mattiacci, meanwhile, said on Friday: “I don’t have any update, any news, any announcement to be made.”
