- Written by Andrew Benson
- BBC F1 correspondent
Fernando Alonso’s passion for F1 shone like a bright light as he announced his determination to continue racing for Aston Martin until at least the end of 2026.
The two-time world champion will turn 43 in July, but his new contract means he will continue racing in F1 until he is at least 45.
Alonso is rewriting the sport’s rulebook, but what’s remarkable about it is that he doesn’t even think it’s unusual.
“I love driving so much that I felt like I couldn’t quit now,” Alonso said. “The sacrifices you have to make are small compared to the passion I have for driving.
“I breathe F1, I live for F1, I train to drive F1, I eat to drive F1. It didn’t come at the moment I felt the need to change my lifestyle. I love what I do. I wouldn’t be happy sitting at home watching F1, because at the moment I still think I should be there.”
In terms of performance, there’s little question about it.
Alonso was one of last season’s standout performers as Aston Martin made a remarkable leap from the middle of the pack to the front of the pack at the start of the year.
He then took six podiums in the first eight races, including some outstanding runs. And while the team’s performance level declined in the second half of the season, Alonso’s performance level did not.
At the end of the season, his performance was spectacular in Brazil, where he held off Sergio Perez’s Red Bull for 16 laps, then re-passed him after the Mexican finally broke free on the final lap to move into third place.
Alonso has played great so far this season and has said he wants to take some time to consider whether he wants to continue racing before deciding where to go if the answer is yes. Ta.
It didn’t take long. Retirement “wasn’t on my mind at all,” he added.
Alonso said he decided after the third race of the season in Australia that he wanted to keep going. He then said that staying with Aston Martin was “a natural decision and a natural one”.
Aston Martin had offered him a new contract before he arrived in Melbourne. That was exactly what Alonso wanted, offering him a long-term commitment at a sizeable salary, underscoring their commitment to him as a driver.
After a season like the one he had in 2023, making him perhaps the second most impressive driver of the year behind world champion Max Verstappen, Alonso didn’t need any more convincing.
And while it gave Alonso the support he didn’t feel at Alpine, that management failure led to his decision to leave the French team and join Aston first in the summer of 2022.
Alonso ‘feels most wanted’ at Aston Martin
image source, Getty Images
Alonso admitted he had been talking to other teams. It is no secret that he was referring to Red Bull and Mercedes, although he did not reveal their names.
But, as he said he would do just a few weeks ago, Alonso made his decision in his own time, without waiting or being rushed by others.
“I felt most wanted at Aston Martin,” Alonso said. “Other conversations were lighter and maybe we needed more time, but at Aston there was a clear desire to work together and I felt the same way.”
He said the new contract was “the longest project I’ve ever signed and will keep me connected to Aston for many years to come. We’ll see how long I keep driving it.” Let’s see.”
There was a time when it was thought that the longest a driver could drive before losing his advantage was in his late 30s. Now, Alonso will continue to be active into his mid-40s, something that hasn’t happened to a top driver since five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950s.
“Yes, that’s true,” he added. “I’m going to keep racing when I’m 45. If at some point I lose motivation, if I feel like I’m not fast enough, if I feel like I’m not sharp enough, I know I have a loyal relationship with Aston. , I’m going to be the first to raise my hand and say, “Maybe I’m lost here or there,” and I’ll find a solution.
“I don’t think that will happen for the next few years.”
As proof, he reiterated what he said after Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix: “It was one of the best races I’ve ever had.” And it happened 5 days ago.
Alonso also found time to joke about the constant questions he receives about his age. He added, “Lewis will turn 40 in January, so I might not be the only person over 40 that everyone is talking about.”
He said the decision to stay in F1 was about whether he could still tolerate the secondary aspects outside of racing, which he had never enjoyed before.
“It wasn’t a race,” Alonso said. “When I looked at the calendar, I was a little worried that this might be too much for me. Before the season, there are all the commitments like photo shoots and car launches, and all these things are very demanding for the average driver. It’s a thing, especially at this point in my career.
“So I said, ‘Let me go through what I call a tough time with marketing and media and then have me go through what I call a tough time with travel and time zones and big planes (flights). If you feel different, please
“That was the first thing I wanted to clarify to myself.”
Then there’s Aston Martin’s relative competitiveness, its steady upgrades so far this season, its continued growth as a team (a new wind tunnel at its new factory is scheduled to be up and running later this year), and the prospect of working with Honda again. That the Japanese company would become their engine partner in 2026 was enough to convince him it was the right place.
Alonso added, “My biggest concern, or the bad side of driving, was that I would be without my family, and temporarily without a normal life or my own family.” “But on this point, I said, ‘Okay, let’s look at it year by year, month by month.’
“I talked to my family. They’ll come to the races more often. They’ll all come to Miami.” [in early May] Now it’s my mother, sister, and two nieces.
“We have decided and are planning to make some changes regarding things we will miss and concerns about continuing to race.
“Formula 1 takes up all your time. You have to give up everything in your life for racing, but I wanted to talk to myself to make sure I wanted to do that.
“Once that was done I sat down with Aston and it wasn’t that difficult. We both wanted the same thing. I wanted to continue racing with Aston Martin and they also They wanted to keep me. And at a point where both parties want something, you can get to a ‘contract.’
“I’m very excited to continue racing. It feels like home. It was also the loyalty I wanted to express to the team.” [who I joined] A year and a half ago.
“We started together and accomplished so much in such a short period of time and reached so many heights that I thought this was just the beginning.”