After clinching his first (and only) two world titles with Renault, Alonso switched to McLaren Mercedes for a new challenge. What he got there, as most of you already know, was a hard time alongside McLaren's rookie and Ron Dennis' protege Lewis Hamilton. After a season to forget at the British team, in which he insisted he wasn't given a fair shot at fighting for the title, the Spaniard terminated his deal with immediate effect and returned to the Enstone team.
Back here, however, he did not find the same championship winning car he used to have in 2005 and 2006, so he spent two years of his racing career struggling to make the points. Of course, he did add two victories to his tally in 2008, but one of them was marred by the crash-gate that broke out in 2009.
“We know what happened (at McLaren), and he came back. I actually think it was probably a mistake. I don't know if he agrees with me but he knows I love him,” said Nielsen in a recent interview with eurosport.fr.
“If I had been his manager at the time, I would have told him 'Listen, you have to stay and beat this guy (Lewis Hamilton)'. 'Firstly because you have the best car now, secondly because your best chance to be champion next year is to stay at McLaren',” added the Renault boss.
The year 2009, Alonso's last season with Renault, marked the first campaign in 5 years for the Spanish driver without a single win in his pocket. He scored a single podium last year, in Singapore.
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