Eric Boullier has insisted that it is not his "responsibility" to convince Fernando Alonso to keep racing in Formula 1.

With McLaren-Honda still only a midfield runner in 2016, paddock rumours are swirling in Melbourne that the Spaniard might pull out of his contract with the team and quit F1 altogether before the end of this season.

When asked if he feels a responsibility to talk Alonso out of it, team boss Boullier told El Pais: "We brought Fernando in because we believe that together we can win.

"My responsibility to Fernando is that he always knows what we are doing and what progress we have made. But I do not have to convince him of anything. If you don't want to race, you don't race.

"We believe in this project. We are starting from a long way back, but the best way to see the potential is to analyse the progress we have made so far."

Alonso returned to McLaren last year, having spent five years with Ferrari.