Fernando Alonso admits the idea of a sabbatical was discussed with Ron Dennis earlier this season but has not been seriously considered.
Dennis said on Saturday in Abu Dhabi that Alonso could take a sabbatical in 2016 if the McLaren-Honda was still uncompetitive, but would return to complete the remaining two years of his contract after that. Alonso later called Dennis' comments "strange", saying it is not his intention to take a year out at this stage.
Asked if he ever spoke to Dennis about a sabbatical, Alonso replied: "I have discussed many crazy ideas, but not at this point of the year.
"We are progressing well but unfortunately we don’t see the progress we are making because we have been unlucky recently. I think in Spa we had the penalty of the engines, Monza the penalty, Russia a penalty, Austin a mechanical problem, in Mexico I didn’t race, in Brazil I was only driving half of the weekend and here I had a puncture.
"So the last five or six races the results have been a little bit unfair in representing how we have progressed with the car performance. So, our attention and our minds have been on next year and we feel much more positive than three or four months ago with the recent pace of the car.
"It’s something that we didn’t talk about for four or five months already."
REPORT: Rosberg continues qualifying run with Abu Dhabi pole
AS IT HAPPENED: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Qualifying
Between the lines at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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