We talk a lot in F1 about Silly Season, for those not familiar with the term, its when all the talking takes place about who's going to which team to replace who etc etc etc.
This year the season is exceptional! We started off thinking that it was going to be fairly static as most of the key players had contracts that last until the end of 2015, but after a summer of discontent at Maranello, Ferrari called Fernando Alonso's bluff and signed Sebastian Vettel to partner Kimi Raikkonen in 2015. This has now left Fernando not holding all of the cards, and in some respects not being master of his own destiny.
As such where can the double world champion go? Well McLaren seems like the obvious choice with Honda wanting a 'star name' to bolster its return to the sport next year, but where is the guarantee that they'll be successful? Lets be honest, McLaren haven't built a great car for a good few years and have had more "off years" than most since his last stint at the team!
There is no secret that what Fernando really wants to be driving a Mercedes next year and is holding out for some fall out from the Hamilton / Rosberg war however that doesn't seem to be forthcoming. Of course had Ferrari not called his bluff, he could have sat out another year in red before going to Mercedes when Hamilton's contract ends for the 2016 season.
Another factor that could affect this story is the surprise signing of Felipe Nasr by Sauber. Because Felipe Massa's seat at Williams was negotiated in part by Bernie Ecclestone who was desperate to have a Brazillian on the books to keep the big money coming in from Brazilian TV. Now of course with Nasr at Sauber, Massa could well find himself in a less stable position. So if your Mr Alonso, you want a competitive car and a Mercedes engine, where could be your best option? Williams of course, it almost makes sense doesn't it?
Of course it's fun to speculate and F1 never necessarily makes sense. But what of McLaren's very own World Champion Mr Jenson Button? Of course if Alonso doesn't want to return to McLaren then it would make sense for him to stay, or has the teams dithering cost them his loyalty? has Jenson now got his heart set on doing something else (such as professional triathlons or WEC racing?) mixed with some F1 media work? So this could leave McLaren with no world champion and no big name meaning they'd have to draw in the likes of Romain Grosjean to partner Kevin Magnussen??
So you see, no one really knows what is going to happen, when the music stops who'll be sat in what seat.. we must wait and see, but the intrigue is absolutely fascinating!