Mercedes Is Considering Fernando Alonso For Nico Rosberg's Position

Mercedes has accepted that Fernando Alonso can be considered as the driver to take up Nico Rosberg's position in the Formula One team. However, with the Spygate scandal having soured Alonso and Mercedes' relationship in the past, it needs to be seen if the team will be able move past the scandal and start afresh with Alonso racing alongside Hamilton.

By Sameer Contractor

1 mins read

Published on December 8, 2016

Highlights

Mercedes could recruit Fernando Alonso to take Rosberg's position
Alonso contacted Mercedes' motorsport boss Toto Wolff
The Spygate scandal from 2007 could affect Alonso's prospects at Mercedes

Amidst several names that have been brought up for consideration, Mercedes recently admitted that Fernando Alonso is part of the list to take Nico Rosberg's position and could be the new driver to race the silver arrow alongside Lewis Hamilton. 2016 World Champion - Nico Rosberg's decision to retire from Formula One left not only the fans, but the bosses at Mercedes-AMG perplexed. Instead of being concerned of Rosberg's fatter pay cheque and a faster car for 2017, the team is now scouting for a replacement driver that can fill in for the world champion. Fernando Alonso McLaren A host of drivers apparently have already contacted Mercedes for Rosberg's position and one of them is believed to be Alonso, who is believed to have contacted Mercedes' motorsport boss Toto Wolff. While McLaren says it is confident that Alonso will stay back for the next season and is under contract; the Spaniard is yet to make any confirmations. That said, Mercedes picking up Alonso might just turn out to be a win-win situation for the Brackley based team as well as the driver, and falls in line with the team's current strategy. Essentially, Mercedes wants gives equal status to both its drivers and did so with Rosberg and Hamlton as well. Both racers were aiming for the championship title by a close margin this year, with the winner crowned only at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas Williams Racing However, Alonso's prospects of joining Mercedes also depends if the team chooses to let go of the highly controversial Spygate scandal. The 2007 scandal had the Spanish driver implicated in the illicit transfer of 780 pages of Ferrari's technical documents to the then team Mercedes-McLaren, which cost them a hefty $100 million fine and a damaged repute. While Alonso may be back with McLaren, it will have to be seen if Mercedes can put things back in the past. Then, there is also the differences between Hamilton and Alonso which raise concerns if the high profile drivers will be able to compete as a team, and then against each other. If the Mercedes-Alonso partnership does not fall through, the German team could promote its junior drivers Pascal Wehrlein or Valtteri Bottas to the top seat, with the latter being a strong contender.