Fernando Alonso, the two-time Formula One champion, has refused to rule out taking a sabbatical from the sport next season.
McLaren chairman Ron Dennis hinted Alonso may take a year out if McLaren, who are about to bring the curtain down on their worst-ever season, are not competitive in 2016.
Alonso ended his five-season stint with Ferrari last year to rejoin McLaren. But the British team have endured a troubled season following the renewal of their partnership with Honda. Alonso has scored only 11 points, five fewer than team-mate Jenson Button, and failed to finish eight races.
The Spaniard threw his future with McLaren into doubt at September's Japanese Grand Prix when he claimed he did not know if he would be on the grid in 2016. He later moved to clarify his comments by reaffirming his commitment to the British team.
But Dennis, making his first appearance in the Formula One paddock here since that ill-fated weekend in Japan, said of Alonso's whereabouts for next year: "I have an open mind to anything. Some of the ideas have involved those sorts of considerations, sabbatical years etc."
Alonso, 34, signed a three-season deal with McLaren which will take him through until the end of 2017.
But asked whether he would be on the grid for next year's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Alonso, who will start 17th on Sunday, replied: "Well, I think you can never say 100 per cent anything because I cannot say that tomorrow I will not have dinner. I don't know if I will be hungry or not.
"My intention is to race and I think I will race but we see how it goes next year. It is not in my plans not to race.
"The plan is to work very hard. I have a seat fitting on Wednesday for example so there are not really holidays until Christmas because there are important things to be done in the next couple of weeks.
"So definitely my intention and my aim is to race next year and to win next year or at least to be competitive."
But if McLaren are not competitive would Alonso, who won the first of his back-to-back titles with Renault a decade ago, take a year out of Formula One?
"Well, yeah why not?" Alonso replied. "I'm sure Jenson wants as well and everyone wants. But that's not the plan."
Alonso's McLaren team-mate Button decided to put his retirement plans on hold after committing to the second of his two-year deal.
Stoffel Vandoorne, the GP2 champion, is McLaren's reserve driver for 2016 and he would be a ready-made replacement to fill in for Alonso should the Spaniard take a sabbatical.
Source: PA
