MAY 26, 2017

Alonso absence not professional says Massa

Fernando Alonso's Monaco absence this weekend is not "professional".

Fernando Alonso's Monaco absence this weekend is not professional.

That is the view of his former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who was asked about the Spaniard's decision to skip F1's prestigious street race to bid for Indy 500 victory.

"It was a surprise," Massa told the Spanish daily Marca, "but he's doing it because McLaren has a big, big problem.

"To be honest, I respect his decision but to stop racing in formula one to do another race is not normal. I think it's not 100 per cent professional," said the Williams driver.

Massa said it's possible that Alonso will leave McLaren-Honda at the end of the season.

"It's very difficult to answer, but if he has the opportunity to go to a competitive team, if McLaren does not give him what he needs, I think he would leave yesterday," said the Brazilian.

(GMM)