F1: Boullier feared Alonso exit from McLaren

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says he was 100 percent certain Fernando Alonso would leave the team after its disastrous third season of its Honda par💮tnership in Formula 1.

In the new Amazon Origi🔯nal documentary which gives an insider view into McLaren-Honda’s 2017 F1 season, which unfolds as the final straw to its Honda relationship, Boullier holds a meeting with McLaren Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Neale after the opening pre-season test in Spain.

Boullier feared Alonso exit from McLaren

McLaren racing director E💎ric Boullier says he was 100 percent certain Fernando Alonso would leave the te꧙am after its disastrous third season of its Honda partnership in Formula 1.

In the new Amazon Original documentary which gives an insid♋er view into McLaren-Honda’s 2017 F1 season, which unfolds as the final straw to its Honda relationship, Boullier holds a meeting with McLaren Chief Operatinℱg Officer Jonathan Neale after the opening pre-season test in Spain.

After constant disruption due to an u🔴nreliable engine, with Alonso venting his full frus﷽tration at the situation after his opening day of running with the MCL32, Boullier is seen to be adamant Alonso will leave the team and expresses his fears of a team collapse.

“He's going to say๊ 'you know what guys? Ciao bello',” Boullier said. “He wi🦩ll not stay. I am 100 percent sure he will not stay.

“After this testing, obviously Ferna💛ndo is quite piﷺssed off. He is clearly saying 'I may reconsider my position to race because I'm not going to survive another year like this'. My main worry at this time is not to have the team collapsing. I know the domino effect as well.

“In this business you know how it works. When you are weak, people they come, they just poach who they want. I༒t takes years to build an F1 team but you can kill it in six months.”

While A🅘lonso’s future at McLaren remained uncertain for the bulk of the 2017 F1 season the Spaniard re-signed in October on a one-year deal with extension options after the Woking-based team secured Renault power units from 2018.

Alonso is gearing up for F1 pre-season testing at Circuit de Cata๊lunya which begins on February 26 with the team’s launch held on February 23 to unveil its new-look MCL33 car equipped with Renault engines.

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