Over the years Fernando Alonso has gained a certain reputation for disloyalty in terms of his open criticism of the teams he has driven for. However, over the last two seasons with McLaren, at a time the Spaniard had every right to be screaming his frustration from the rooftops, he has, for the most part, maintained a dignified silence.

Indeed, at times, no doubt aware of the old adage about if you can't beat them join them, he has made light of the various issues, most notably in Brazil last year when he publicly played along with the previous year's 'places he would rather be' meme.

Despite all this however, the fact remains that the two-time world champion is one of the finest talents on the grid and worthy of more titles. No fan of contemporary F1, he has previously warned that if the new regulations for 2017 don't spark a fire within him he will walk away from the sport. Needless to say another season like 2015, or even 2016, would have a similar effect.

In the wake of a pretty awful pre-season test programme, many are wondering if the Spaniard will stick with it, for though he has a contract for the remainder of the year there are understood to be clauses within it which could see him depart the team, and the sport, forever.

Eric Boullier is fully aware of the situation and admits that Alonso walking away is not what he wants, indeed he wants the Spaniard to remain with the team once his current contract ends.

For his own part, Alonso has hinted that he would like to remain in F1 in 2018, aware that a number of seats will become available as other drivers reach the end of their current contracts.

"There are always a lot of stories about this," Boullier told Spain's AS newspaper, when asked about the chances of Alonso walking away. "I think Fernando is being honest with us, just as we're being honest with him. He first wanted to see how the new car was and how the new regulations are. I think he likes the new F1.

"He wants to be competitive because he has talent to show the world and to himself" he continued. "And we need to be competitive to keep him happy. If we're competitive he'll be happy and if not he'll take his own decisions.

"It's still early days," he said of the possibility of the Spaniard remaining with McLaren in 2018. "But of course we've spoken."

Admitting that he still believes Alonso to be the best driver on the 2017 grid, when asked why, the Frenchman said: "I don't want to give you too much information, because I know a lot of teams want that information, but he's the best. Without a doubt. He's the best because he is, clearly, but over and above that, it can be shown."