On the back of two uncompetitive seasons with McLaren-Honda and as he faces the uncertain future of a sport which he believes may have lost its direction, Fernando Alonso admits he is contemplating taking his race skills elsewhere.
In an interview with Italy's Autosprint, the two-time world champion admitted he was currently unsatisfied with Formula 1's state of affairs, and said that if next season's regulations overhaul fails to deliver better racing, he may seek greener pastures.
"These days, Formula 1 is in a time of highs and lows, for several things the series' direction isn't clear," Alonso told Autosprint.
"I'm not at all happy for some things that are happening: we can never drive the cars to their real limit; we can never attack as much as we would like because the tyres don't allow you to.
"If you push too hard they overheat, and lose grip immediately. If you use the engine too much, you step over consumption parameters.
"To be quick in today's F1, you must not attack too much, that's the secret, but that's something against a driver's instincts.
"This is why current cars aren't as pleasing to drive compared to other periods, when the technical rule book was different. This situation doesn't make me too happy.
Alonso believes there's a marked difference between the generation of cars he raced when he entered F1 and the current crop of modern machines with regard to the physical constraints imposed on drivers.
"I am not saying that the current cars are easier to drive, but they certainly are from a physical point of view or in finding the car's true limit.
"That's because before, when you were attacking a turn, the speed mid-turn was so high that you really had to trust your car, trust that it would handle it. With less grip, it's easier to find the grip's limit.
"Before, after 10 laps you had to have a two-hour massage, while now you can drive 150 laps and barely sweat by the end."
Should the impact of next year's rules fail to make him happy, there is a high probability that Fernando Alonso will simply turn his back on the sport.
"Many things will change next year, let's hope the joy of driving will return to be a major factor," said the 34-year-old.
"If I see F1 carries on going in a different direction compared to what I knew and loved in the recent past, at that point I could consider other alternatives and leave F1.
"Le Mans would be the option closest to my driving style, and to what I've always done.
"The Indy 500 is a fascinating, radical change because you must learn a completely different driving style and way of thinking.
"Nevertheless, I'd be open and ready to learn it because when you have been F1 world champion there are only two other races that are equivalent prestige-wise: the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500.
"But in any case it would be an idea, a plan that would be really long term in order to be turned to reality."
TECHNICAL: Under the skin of the Mercedes W07
Closing the gap? 2016 constructors points progression
FEATURE: Red Bull Racing: Be My Guest
From the cockpit: Felipe Nasr on the green grass of home
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
