McLaren leaving Alonso era in the past

McLaren appears to be moving on from the Fernando Alonso era.

In recent days, team supremo Zak Brown said there is no room for the Spaniard in 2020 because McLaren is happy with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.

And the reserve driver role has just been filled by Sergey Sirotkin.

"Fernando cannot attend all the races and perform the duties of a reserve driver," explained new McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl.

"We work closely with Renault already, and Sergey will come to all the remaining races of the championship, so for us it was easy to sign the agreements just in case."

Not just that, Seidl has closed the door to any more F1 testing for Alonso.

"There are currently no plans to put Fernando back in the car," he confirmed. "We are very satisfied with Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, who are doing a great job.

"They are our future. And that’s what I focus on.

"Fernando is still part of McLaren as an ambassador for our brand, and there are discussions about different possibilities, but for other racing projects," Seidl added.

Even Brown, a staunch Alonso supporter, seems to agree with Seidl that McLaren is moving on.

He is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport as saying there is now "less pressure" and a "positive atmosphere" at McLaren, in the season after Alonso departed.