Why McLaren wanted Fernando Alonso to immediately re-sign after cancelling his contract in 2007

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McLaren thought they had pulled off a masterstroke by signing Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in 2007, but it would soon turn out to be one of the most infamous seasons in their history.

After a winless 2006 season, which saw Kimi Raikkonen leave for Ferrari, McLaren were determined to return to the top. Therefore, they acquired the services of two-time reigning champion Alonso from Renault.

To partner with the Spaniard, the Woking outfit brought in a then-rookie Hamilton from GP2. McLaren staff welcomed Alonso and Hamilton as their driver pairing for 2007, unaware of the intense feud that was to come.

It was widely assumed that Hamilton would play second fiddle to his more experienced teammate, but he was competing with Alonso almost immediately. Winning four races and grabbing nine podiums from the first nine races, he finished level with his teammate in second, one point behind Raikkonen.

Tensions rose throughout the season at McLaren, as the reigning champion felt that his rookie teammate was being favoured. Alonso felt he had an ‘anti-Fernando’ car as the change from Michelin and Bridgestone tyres ‘suddenly’ benefited Hamilton.

The pair came to blows numerous times in 2007, with Alonso damaging his reputation after he held up Hamilton in the pits. Ultimately, the team would lose both championships, with McLaren being fined £50m for the ‘Spygate’ scandal with Ferrari.

McLaren tried to re-sign Fernando Alonso after terminating his contract in 2007, but the situation was ‘irreconcilable’

Alonso’s ex-engineer, Mark Slade, felt Hamilton’s camp caused trouble in 2007. However, it was the Brit who stayed on board at McLaren, going on to win the title in 2008.

Alonso’s contract was terminated after just one year as he returned to Renault. However, as journalist Antonio Lobato noted via SoyMotor, McLaren immediately tried to re-sign him, but the situation was already ‘irreconcilable’ as the Spaniard had no intention of returning.

“The relationship and the atmosphere was unbearable,” he said. “And so, after everything that happened, after all the blows they took, the lack of confidence that Fernando had to get into the car scared because he didn’t know if the car was… if it was a safe car.

“If it had the right pressure, if the engine was losing tenths, it wasn’t losing tenths, they lost both world championships.

“And so everything, when they had already terminated the contract, they called him to come back. And yes, and then it was already irreconcilable, he didn’t want to come back anymore.”

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Fernando Alonso eventually returned to McLaren in 2015 – the worst period in the team’s history

Alonso spent two seasons with Renault before moving to Ferrari in 2010. The Spaniard stayed in Maranello for five years, narrowly missing out on the title to Sebastian Vettel in 2010 and 2012.

McLaren would reunite with the two-time champion in 2015, but by that stage, the team had dramatically regressed. Their Honda power units were desperately lacking performance, with Alonso scoring 11 points and finishing 17th that year, his worst season on record.

Alonso went on to score just 121 points in the next three seasons as McLaren struggled operationally and financially. The team improved with Renault engines in 2018, but by then, the Spaniard became uninterested in F1 and left the sport at the end of the season.

He returned in 2021 with Alpine and now plies his trade with Aston Martin. Meanwhile, Zak Brown has dramatically turned McLaren around, taking the team from near-bankruptcy to two-time reigning constructors’ champions in 2024 and 2025.