Should Formula 1 pay out a finder’s fee to drivers who bring talented individuals to other teams? Fernando Alonso has joked that that should be the case.

Speaking to media after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso noted that he had brought Andrea Stella to the McLaren team decades ago — and laughingly suggested he should be in line for a bonus.

Fernando Alonso jokes of ‘bonus’ after McLaren WCC win

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The 2024 Formula 1 season hasn’t been an easy one for Aston Martin. The team took home fifth in the World Constructors’ Standings with a total of 94 points — with fourth-placed Mercedes taking 468.

The promise of the team’s strong performances in early 2023 have faded, while drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have fought hard just to finish in the top 10.

But veteran drivers like Alonso have strong ties up and down the F1 grid as a result of their expansive careers. That means he’s worked with countless teams, engineers, managers, and more — with one such team being McLaren.

Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso took a moment to reflect on the changing fortunes of McLaren — and took a little credit for it, too.

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Alonso spent five years of his 21-year career racing with McLaren, doing so in 2007 and then again between 2015 and 2018. During that latter outing with the Woking team, Alonso got to know McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who took over the team during that period.

It was thanks to Brown that Alonso was able to skip Monaco in order to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and the two have remained close ever since. As such, a congratulations was in order.

“I think Zak is a very good friend of mine,” Alonso told media.

“We will spend some days together now in the next few weeks that we will have some fun on a track days. We rented a track, actually.

“So you know, I’m a good friend of Zak.”

But Brown isn’t his only pal in McLaren. Between 2010 and 2014, Andrea Stella served as Alonso’s race engineer — and when Alonso moved to McLaren in 2015, Stella accepted a role at the same team as head of race operations.

His dedication to the papaya team has seen Stella ascend the ranks to team principal — a move that was well rewarded this year with a World Constructors’ Championship.

“I’m a very good friend of Andrea,” Alonso added to media after Abu Dhabi.

“You know, in a way, I brought him to McLaren when I joined McLaren, so I told him, before the race what Abu Dhabi took from our hands in 2010 hopefully today it gives something back to you, and it did.

“Happy for him, he deserved it. He’s a very clever guy.

“And as I said, McLaren is an example for many things now.”

A journalist on site asked if Alonso was actually taking credit for the McLaren team’s WCC win, and the Spaniard didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” Alonso said of Stella. “I should be part of his bonus.”

A finder’s fee in Formula 1? Stranger things have certainly happened.

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