MADRID: Fernando Alonso says McLaren would be celebrating a world championship victory instead of bemoaning a shock defeat had they used different tactics this season.
“McLaren got it wrong, they lost the championship for the mistaken decisions they made in the second part of the season,” the Spaniard told Radio station Cadena Ser yesterday. “It isn’t a secret that they haven’t helped me much. It wasn’t a very well organised season from the point of view of the management.”
“There was no sensation of being a team and the result speaks for itself. Each person will have to draw their own lessons from this season, but if we had taken a different approach we would have got different results.”
Alonso narrowly missed out on a third successive world title, finishing in third spot in the standings level on points with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and one behind winner Kimi Raikkonen.
Arriving from Renault as the man to restore McLaren’s fortunes after the Mercedes-powered team failed to win a race last year, Alonso has consistently complained that he did not receive the special treatment he warranted as a double world champion.
“What the boss said after China about the team racing against me and not Kimi was a clear declaration of intentions,” he said.
“In the last few races my hands and feet were tied. I had no power to make decisions. I had to race as they told me. McLaren lost and Ferrari did a better job than anyone else.”
Alonso added that he would be ashamed if McLaren’s appeal over alleged fuel irregularities by the BMW Sauber and Williams teams gifted the championship to Hamilton.
“Whoever gets the most points is the rightful champion. It would sink the sport if they won the title this way. I would be mortified if that happened.”
Alonso was tight-lipped about his plans for next season. Asked if his former team Renault were his number one choice if he were to leave McLaren he replied: “No, right now I’d say no.”
Although disappointed that Alonso had failed to win the title, Spanish media celebrated the fact that Hamilton had been deprived of the crown, saying that McLaren got their just deserts.
“McLaren gifted the championship to Kimi,” said sports daily AS. “The biggest embarrassment of the century,” said its rival Marca.
“The Ferrari family gave McLaren, that pretence of a team that was in reality a pack of egos united only by some stickers, a true lesson,” commented El Pais. – Reuters
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