Alonso Clarifies TV Switch-Off Remark Amid McLaren Struggles
Fernando Alonso has moved to explain comments made at Silverstone, insisting he was not telling McLaren fans to stop watching F1 as the team fights through a difficult season.
Fernando Alonso has played down his advice to frustrated McLaren supporters to “turn off the TV until next year”, clarifying that his comments were intended to manage expectations rather than urge fans to walk away from Formula One coverage.
The two-time world champion made the remark at Silverstone in July 2015, as McLaren-Honda’s season continued to unravel with poor reliability and lacklustre pace. After scoring a single point in the British Grand Prix, his first of the year, Alonso addressed the reaction to his words, saying his intention was misunderstood. He explained that he wanted fans to be realistic about the team’s prospects for the rest of the season, with little chance of rapid improvement.
Alonso's message to McLaren fans
Alonso’s original statement came as McLaren’s new partnership with Honda faltered, leaving the team well off the pace of the front-runners. He told media that fans who were “bored” by the team’s struggles might prefer to “turn off the TV until next year, or at least until Japan or later because it is going to get worse than this”. The remark drew criticism from some quarters, interpreted as a call for fans to give up on the team.
After the race, Alonso clarified to Spanish media that he did not literally mean for fans to stop watching. Instead, he said he was highlighting the likelihood of more difficult races ahead, as McLaren’s car would not be transformed overnight. He stressed that nobody at the team was giving up and that the squad remained focused on improvement.
Little hope for quick recovery
The British Grand Prix marked a rare bright spot for McLaren, as Alonso collected his first point of the 2015 campaign. He acknowledged that the three-week gap before the Hungarian Grand Prix, caused by the cancellation of the German round, would give McLaren extra time to work on performance. However, he cautioned that major gains were unlikely, with the team still expected to struggle to escape Q1 and fight for minor points in the races ahead.
