The day Alonso’s generosity nearly got his McLaren crew fired

Former McLaren race engineer Mark Slade has revealed the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of how Fernando Alonso’s attempt to show gratitude to his crew during their fiery 2007 campaign together nearly caused chaos within the Woking outfit.

The two-time world champion, locked in a frantic title scrap with his rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton, decided to show his appreciation for his crew in a way that was as bold as his overtaking maneuvers.

According to Slade, Alonso’s race engineer, the Spaniard’s generosity didn’t just raise eyebrows; it nearly cost some mechanics their jobs.

The scene was the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, round 10 of the 2007 season. Amid the tension of a championship battle and a teammate rivalry so intense it could’ve powered the car itself, Alonso hatched a plan to thank the unsung heroes who kept his McLaren purring.

He duly prepared a number of envelopes, each containing €1,000 of hard cash for each crew member working on his car. A grand gesture, quite literally, but one that would send McLaren’s management into panic mode.

The List that Sparked it All

Slade recalled how the scheme came about in an interview with Spain’s Marca.

“At the Nürburgring in 2007, on the first day, Fernando came up to me and said, ‘Can you give me a list of everyone working on my car?’.

At first, the engineer wasn’t sure what the request was for.

“I thought, ‘OK, yeah, I can do that.’ And then I asked, ‘To what extent?’ Because obviously there’s the parts store guy, the guys who work on your cars, and then there’s the rest, you know, you can’t define who works on your car and who doesn’t.

“So, anyway, I made a list that I thought was okay, as best I could, including the petrol guy, the fuel guy, and the tyre guy. But I didn’t know what it was for, so we already have it ready and in the end I said, ‘Here’s the list.’”

Little did Slade know, Alonso was about to turn the garage into a scene straight out of a feel-good movie – complete with a twist that would leave everyone stunned.

“A while later, he came back in the morning and said, ‘Could you have these guys on the list meet me at the back?’ He just wanted to have a chat with his guys before the weekend started,” Slade recalled.

Envelopes of Appreciation...

What followed was no ordinary pep talk. Alonso gathered his crew and dropped the bombshell.

“And he said, ‘I used to like to share my winnings with my guys in the car. It’s not something I’ve done at McLaren so far, but it’s something I like to show my appreciation for being on my car and doing such a good job.’

“He handed out the envelopes, we opened them, and I think there was €1,000 in each one,” Slade said.

The garage, usually filled with the clatter of tools and the hum of machinery, fell silent as the mechanics processed the gesture.

“I was just blown away, and this included Tyler [Alexander]. You know Tyler? Yeah, he was one of the guys there. And he said, ‘Wow, that’s kind of weird, that’s never happened before.’

“And I think we were all a little taken aback, didn’t know what to say. So we just said, ‘That’s so sweet, thank you so much.’”

...And Controversy

For a moment, it was all warm fuzzies and gratitude. Alonso, ever the charmer, kept it humble.

“[Alonso] was very humble with me, he just said, ‘I really appreciate your help,’” Slade noted.

The mechanics, clutching their envelopes, probably felt like they’d won the lottery – or at least a very generous tip from a driver who knew their worth.

But in the pressure cooker of McLaren’s 2007 season, where Alonso and Hamilton’s rivalry was tearing the team apart faster than a botched pit stop, the act of kindness sparked a firestorm when McLaren’s management learned of the plot.

“Dave Ryan came into the motorhome with a sour face and asked me, 'What the hell happened in the garage?' And I said, 'Well, Fernando...' and he said, 'Yeah, I thought that's what happened. Basically, you have to give us all the money, you have to give it to me, you have to give it to the team. It's completely outrageous, we can't allow that on this team.'

“I was like, 'Oh, oh, OK, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, OK.' And he basically said that anyone who didn't get their money back would be fired.”

A clash of cultures

What Alonso saw as a heartfelt gesture was viewed by McLaren’s chiefs – and certainly team boss Ron Dennis – as a breach of protocol – and possibly a political move in the heat of the Spaniard’s rivalry with rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton.

“It was basically said that Fernando was trying to buy the loyalty of his mechanics. And maybe I’m naïve – it didn’t seem that way to me,” Slade reflected.

• Read also: Briatore dismisses myth that Alonso is ‘difficult to manage’

To him, it was just another sign of how Alonso and McLaren were never truly compatible.

“I think this showed the incompatibility between Fernando and McLaren… I liked Fernando a lot and I liked working with him. He was a good guy.”

Alonso would later leave McLaren after a single turbulent season – one that remains one of F1’s most infamous soap operas. But Slade’s story captures a different side of the veteran F1 driver: a man genuinely trying to thank his team, even if it sparked corporate chaos in the process.

In hindsight, it’s a tale that could only come from Formula 1’s wild 2007 season – a mix of speed, rivalry, and a €1,000 thank-you that almost got everyone fired.

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