Grapevine: McLaren eyed early Alonso swap

The 'super-swap' would have resulted in Fernando Alonso moving from Renault to McLaren at the German Grand Prix.

High-level sources have revealed to Autosport magazine that Alonso contacted McLaren's senior management prior to the Hockenheim race claiming he was unhappy with the way his relationship with team boss Flavio Briatore was developing.

At the time there were suggestions that Briatore was trying to get Alonso to go back on his plans to join McLaren and try and get out of his contract.

McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh told autosport.com at the French Grand Prix that the team never had any doubts Alonso was anything but fully committed to joining them.

"I think we have got a reasonable contract and the rumours that I heard was that an Italian gentleman was trying to get him to consider a breach of that," said Whitmarsh at the time.

"Firstly I don't think he wants to, and two I think our contracts are usually pretty solid."

In the wake of Briatore's moves, sources claim that Alonso contacted McLaren to see if there was any way of joining them early.

Talks were subsequently held between McLaren chief Ron Dennis and Alonso's manager Luis Garcia with a view to trying to find a way of making an early switch happen, but it was eventually agreed that there was no way for a deal to be concluded.

Autosport reports that Raikkonen himself was keen for the swap because he would have had a better chance to win races this season, even though he was committed to Ferrari longer term.

Had the deal happened then it would have turned the world championship battle between Alonso and Michael Schumacher on its head.

Alonso would have found himself in a less competitive car, with the MP4-21 failing to win a single race this year.

One source told Autosport: "The outcome of this year's drivers' championship would have looked rather different if all this had happened. I think Michael would have cruised to his eighth title."