Fernando Alonso won't 'gamble' on 2018 seat as he looks for assurance of success next year

The Spaniard’s future at McLaren remains in question with his contract due to expire at the end of the year

Alonso has yet to win a point with McLaren this season (Getty)

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso does not intend to “gamble” on his 2018 F1 drive, insisting that he wants to be assured of success when it comes to choosing his team for next year’s season.

The Spaniard’s future at McLaren remains in question with his contract due to expire at the end of 2017.

McLaren’s weak performances over the past six months have opened the door to an end-of-season departure for Alonso who has failed to finish above 12th this year.

Indeed, Alonso has yet to score a point with McLaren, such is the unreliability of Honda’s engine, and the Spaniard has made it clear that he won’t settle for second best.

"As I said many times, I want to win next year and I don't want to gamble too much in any decision, I want to be more or less safe in wherever I go for," he said.

"Very open for anything so let's see what the next months bring for McLaren, because it's a team that I'm running now, a team that I like and in the last two or three years we've put a lot of effort in all together to grow up in this project. We'll see what happens."

On the evidence of 2017's opening seven races, Mercedes and Ferrari currently represent the only two F1 teams where success is all but assured, though Alonso has admitted that he does not “have a clear picture of what is going to happen”.

He said he will decide his future in the months after the August summer break, with McLaren still not abandoning hope that they can convince the 35-year-old to sign a new contract as they put plans together to show they can be at the front next year.

"Obviously in McLaren at the moment we are not very competitive and we know one of the parts, the engine side, is not competitive enough to win," Alonso added.


 Alonso is a two-time world champion 
 (Getty)

"I'm sure that the team is exploring whatever possibility to make this competitive and hopefully next year McLaren will be in a different position. It's what we all want but in my case, it's independent to whatever engine they have.

"I just want to win. We'll see what happens."