Fernando Alonso teases Mercedes with ‘behind us, so not very attractive’ verdict

Fernando Alonso has teased Mercedes by dismissing the idea of giving team principal Toto Wolff a call about their vacant F1 seat for 2025.

The Aston Martin driver impressively claimed a strong sixth place in the Japanese Grand Prix, with the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both finishing behind him in seventh and ninth.

42-year-old Alonso is out of contract at the end of the year and is yet to decide whether he wants to continue racing in F1 beyond this season.

Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari for 2025 has left an opening at Mercedes, while Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull is still potentially up for grabs.

Alonso has suggested he will make a call on his future after the opening few races of the 2024 season and was asked by Sky if his performance in Japan made his decision any easier.

"I had a lot of fun, which is great, to keep on racing,” the two-time world champion said.

“I had one of my best weekends ever, I think, driving, and I'm 44 seconds behind the leader. It doesn't feel attractive at the same time. So let's see.”

When asked if would be more fun to drive for a team further up the grid and whether he would give Wolff a call, Alonso laughed: "That's a very good question.

“But Mercedes are behind us, so it doesn't feel very attractive.”

Alonso described his weekend in Japan as being “maybe even in the top five of my career”.

"It was one of my best races, or my best weekends. It was complete, very strong, very solid,” he explained.

“From practice to the race it was maybe the best of the past year, or maybe even in the top five of my career.

“But it will be completely anonymous, everyone will forget by tomorrow this weekend we had!

“I felt connected with the car. I think P5 [in qualifying] was completely out of position and P6 is completely out of position.

“We are definitely slower than Red Bull and Ferrari. They are maybe in another league at the moment. McLaren and Mercedes are faster than us.

“Mercedes experimented with the hard starting tyre. It was a bold strategy. Thanks to that, we capitalised on the position.

“Oscar maybe didn’t have the top speed to attack me. But I think P6 was completely unrealistic so I am happy.”