Double World Champion Fernando Alonso may test for McLaren this year despite remaining under contract with his former Renault team. Ron Dennis, boss of the Woking Based team, still believes a deal can be done to allow the Spaniard to test at Jerez.
“We respect his contract with Renault,” he told a Spanish tabloid. “He has a car available to test, but it has to be worked out between Alonso and Renault. When Fernando returns from his vacation we will discuss it with Renault. If the answer is positive he’ll make his debut in December, if not, he’ll test in January.”
According to the ‘As’ newspaper, Dennis also suggested that Pedro De La Rosa would be held in the wings at McLaren, in the unlikely event that Lewis Hamilton fails to deliver results next season.
“De la Rosa is part of our family. He has a lot of talent, he did a great job last season and he is very skilled when setting up a car. He’s a McLaren ambassador, he has his future secured in the company and he’s a good friend, and there’s a chance that, if it turns out we made a mistake, we could reconsider him for the racing seat. But we had to take the risk. With Alonso’s strength, the risk was very low.”
