Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said earlier this year that he was considering Fernando Alonso as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton next season. However, the two-time Formula 1 champion was not interested in the prospect of joining the Brackley-based team.
Toto Wolff: “Of course we considered inviting Fernando Alonso at the beginning of this year, but at that time he had no interest in driving for Mercedes.
In addition, he was offered a long-term contract with Aston Martin. That was the situation for us at the time.”
Toto Wolff confirmed that Alonso’s move to Mercedes until 2019, while Mercedes-Benz was led by Dieter Zetsche, was impossible due to his role in the 2007 espionage scandal, which saw McLaren stripped of all constructors’ championship points and fined $100 million.
“I don’t think Fernando could have signed for Mercedes after what happened at McLaren,” Wolff continued. “Dieter Zetsche was at McLaren and then at Mercedes, so the door was closed for Fernando.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
