Alonso to 'stay loyal', make decision on F1 future after McLaren engine call

Fernando Alonso wants to give McLaren the chance to firm up its Formula 1 engine plans before making any decision about his own future, wishing to show loyalty to the team after three difficult years.

McLaren is expected to announce its split at the end of the season with current engine partner Honda on Friday, with the team hinging its hopes of greater competitiveness on a supply from Renault from 2018.

Alonso has long made his frustration over McLaren's struggles with Honda clear, having been limited to just two points finishes so far this season, making his future a hot topic throughout this season.

Out of contract at the end of next season, Alonso has stressed he wants to be in a position to win races again and will look for a seat to allow him to do so in a variety of series.

However, the Spaniard is happy to wait for McLaren to confirm its engine plans for 2018 and then talk with the team before making a decision about his own plans.

"I will think [about] what is the best option. As I said many times, whatever I do next year will be because I want to win," Alonso said.

"I will not be in any series to be fighting for top 10, top 15, nothing like that. There are many options I’m studying and looking at. Formula 1 is my first and only priority. I will wait to make a decision on that before making decisions on other series.

"At the same time, I want to give time to my team. After the last three years with some struggles that we went through together, to have time for them to make decisions, to see the future for next year’s car.

"After they take decisions, I will take mine. I want to stay loyal at least to that. I will not make any decisions without them making any decisions first. I’m relaxed, happy, and we’ll see what’s going on in the next few weeks."