On October 18th Autoblog reported that Mercedes released Fernando Alonso of his contractual obligations to the team.

I tried to find more information on this, besides the link to F1i.com, which doesn't work very well, however thus far, F1.com and Grandprix.com (2 sources I trust) haven't mentioned anything concrete on the subject of Alonso and Mercedes.

I was wondering if anyone else has heard anything substantial about this subject.

My feeling about this is that the press loves this kind of stuff, and may have been speculating quite a bit in regards to Alonso, Hamilton and McLaren this season.

Last I heard he's going back to Renault.

Who do you think would replace him if he were to leave?

I would love to see Kubica in a McLaren, I think he and Hamilton would make a great team.

There's a lot of false stories floating around about Alonso these days. Usually grandprix.com and autosport.com provide truthful information.

So far, everything that was blogged on autoblog related to Alonso's departure or joining another team has been completely false.

I am close to believing that everything at McLaren Mercedes, while it might not be ideal, is livable, like with Barrichello at Ferrari towards the end of his tenure.

I don't see Mclaren Mercedes wanting to get rid of him, as he doubles their chances of having a Driver's Championship winning driver, and winning the Constructors Championship.

Alternatively I can't see Alonso wanting to go anywhere but possibly Ferrari, as he must know, that unless some of the second tear teams have an ace up their sleeves, he has his best chance of winning his third title with one of those two teams.

That's my humble take on things...

This is a rational view (which in my opinion should be the thing to do) but there are two men with big - and hurted - egos, namely Dennis and Alonso. If they can swallow their pride there is a chance Alonso will stay at McLaren. But I have my doubts about that.

Which other team can Alonso join in case he leaves McLaren?
Ferrari - after signing Massa until 2010 I don't think will be open for him.
Renault would take Alonso immediately. Question is how competitive will they be. They claimed the 2007 season was a one-off because in 2006 they had to develop the 2006 car until the end of the season instead of concentrating on next years car. But BMW is quick as hell in their development cycle and I doubt Renault will catch them next year.
BMW has a good chance of being the third competitor for victories next year so Ron Dennis will do all in his power to prevent Alonso from going there. Plus they have fixed driver contracts too.
Toyoto - they would take Alonso as quick as Renault and would blow big chunks of money up his arse. Unfortunately they will be slow as ever.

Renault is most likely IMHO.

I know Renault has the ability to produce a Championship winning car, and I would love to see Renault win another championship, but part of me wonders if Fernando's ego would allow him to go back to the team he abandoned.

That being said, I too think Renault would be a good place for Alonso. He would be appreciated (not that he isn't at McLaren Mercedes...) and would be treated as the favorite by the team. Which admittedly could be important from a psychological point of view.

Official word was that McLaren would announce his future in the first week of November!

It is official: Alonso leaves McLaren.

And rumours are spreading Dennis gave only his OK under the condition that Alonso will not drive for a works team next year. So neither Ferrari, neither Renault, neither BMW nor Toyota. Which would leave Red Bull and Williams as Alonso's option (the other privateers won't be worth a serious thought, IMHO). Somehow I can't believe this rumour to be true though.

Ya, it would seem that he would be shooting himself in the foot by agreeing to only drive for a non-works team. Although on the other hand if he has been talking with Red Bull or Williams and feels confident-based on what their engineers have told him-that their 2008 car will be competitive, maybe. I hope it's not the case, as I really like him, but this feels like the end of Alonso...his Jacques Villeneuve moment if you will.

Personally I would love to see him at BMW or Renault, and I have often said that if Toyota wants to win races, they need a driver who can help their engineers set up a race winning car...and I think Alonso could be that guy, if Toyota were to treat him with the respect Alonso demands.

I'd personally like to see him at Ferrari, in Raikonnen's place. Massa can stay.

Alonso is a cunt.

I see him most likely in Renault...Briatore has always had love for Alonso.

Well it's official now. He has left McLaren.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/11/7062.html

they all have personality problems....

Alonso being 2 consecutive world champion, i, as a spectator, feels that he is just snob, same with Villeneuve....of course i know nothing about his personal life and how he deals with all the team bosses.....

Hamilton will probably have the same problem sooner or later...as he has the most successful career debut (much better than Villeneuve)

i don't know....i never liked Alonso....i just didn't read enough about him......

latest word from Autosport.com is that Alonso is free to sign a contract with anyone, and Renault is interested.

My bet would be either Renault of BMW...

Niki Lauda said in german TV he asked Pedro de la Rosas wife why Alonso is like he is and she reportedly answered that Alonso's family weren't especially a pleasant one - education and all that. Lauda didn't go into detail but it surely sounded as if Alonso is a bit of a spoilt brat.

I don't know any up and coming race car drivers, but living in Canada I did grow up with quite a few *Future NHL Stars, most of them were told by their parents that they were the best all the time, and could do no wrong.

I'm not saying its the same with the kids who are in a cart before they can walk, but from my experience, being groomed to be the best from a young age builds quite an ego. There are exceptions of course. That's not to say its OK for these people to act this way, just maybe part of an explanation.

*none of the kids I grew up with ever made it past university level hockey...

Flavio already said he's welcome back at Renault and the only problem I see there is if they don't want to release Heikki, because Pique Jr would fill his seat if he were to go to McLaren (rumours are they're interested).

I can't see Alonso going to Red Bull, they're just not good enough to provide him with a race winning car yet.