Alonso dismisses Vettel, Hamilton comments

Fernando Alonso says he is not concerned if the top drivers at Ferrari and Mercedes do not want him as their 2018 teammate.

Rumours suggest the Spaniard wants to leave the hapless McLaren-Honda project and switch to one of F1’s top two teams next year.

But when asked if they would like Alonso as their teammate, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel did not sound keen.

"I’m pretty happy with the teammate I have," said Mercedes’ Hamilton.

And Ferrari’s Vettel added: "I’m not responsible for signing the drivers but if I had a say, I prefer Kimi."

When asked about those comments, Alonso told the Spanish press: "I don’t care.

"It was a question for them, they answered and that’s it.

"I think if you ask the drivers about teammates or changing teams, they will usually not say anything," said Alonso.

"Look at Force India — they are having a battle inside the team but if you ask them, no one will say anything. Everyone says he’s happy, he’s focused on the championship — so it’s understandable," the double world champion added.

Asked specifically if he might go to Ferrari or Mercedes for 2018, Alonso answered: "I don’t know."

The rumours were actually fired by Alonso’s manager Flavio Briatore in Baku two weeks ago.

When asked about that, Alonso said: "He has friends there (in Baku), he was one of the promoters of the race, so it’s normal for him to be asked about the future.

"But I don’t think any of us has a clear choice yet or anything to say. We are working on various plans A, B, C, and they are all going to be positive and with options to win straight away next year," he added.