McLaren boss Ron Dennis has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will not test for the Woking based team until the new year.
The reigning world champion has not secured a release from his current contract with Renault, meaning that he will have to sit out the eight remaining days of Spanish post-season running in Spain.
Following this week’s Barcelona tests, two more three day sessions before Christmas are scheduled at the Jerez circuit.
With McLaren making do at Circuit de Catalunya with Alonso’s rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton, as well as continuing test driver Pedro de la Rosa, Dennis told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo: “I don’t think Fernando will have any trouble settling in when he starts on January the first.”
Although he will not test until January, however, 25-year-old Alonso has recently met with key McLaren chiefs, including his new race engineer for 2007.
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
