Fernando Alonso’s future plans have been a topic of conversation in recent weeks. On Thursday in Austria, the Spaniard talked extensively about where his mind is right now, without giving too much away about what direction he might take.
This year was supposed to be a dramatic resurgence after a couple of years of frustration at Aston Martin. The combination of Adrian Newey and a Honda power unit, plus the new Silverstone facility being up to speed, was supposed to provide the two-time World Champion with the most competitive car he’d had in years. It hasn’t worked out that way, and instead he’s found himself floundering at the back of the grid, with an opportunistic drive to 10th and a priceless point in Monaco the only chink of light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
A massive upgrade package is due for either just before or just after the summer break. One can assume that things will get better, and there’s also scope for improvement in 2027, although nothing is guaranteed. Alonso turns 45 in July. The question is, does he really want to carry on in an uncompetitive situation, or would he rather head off to another series for the twilight years of his career, having proved that he enjoys racing in other categories?
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Just to add to the fun, a couple of weeks ago, the suggestion emerged that he would quit Aston and return to Alpine (and thus his mentor Flavio Briatore) for a fourth spell at the Enstone team. History has related that anything is possible with Alonso, but where that suggestion falls down is the fact that he insists he’s at Aston Martin for the long haul, and will transition into an ambassador/advisor/management role. That would be unlikely to happen if he went off to Alpine in 2027.
“I have not taken any decision,” he said on Thursday when asked for his thoughts on the future. “I will wait until probably summer break, which is August, and after summer is Zandvoort, Monza, I think around that time I will probably decide what to do next year. I will keep racing, because I’m feeling fast, and I feel motivated, and I love what I do. And I will not stop now, because I don’t feel uncompetitive, or I don’t feel that I don’t enjoy racing. If I race in F1 or not, that’s a different story.”
Alonso expanded on what might impact his decision.
“I need to enjoy the category, I need to enjoy the feeling of driving these power units and these regulations. There are many factors to put in place, and there are many options to race in the world of motorsport. But I still love F1, I’m committed to this team also, so even if I don’t race, my commitment with the team and with the project is the same, and still the same as what it has been for four years now.”
He stressed that he would enjoy seeing Aston Martin succeed in the future either as a team member or a driver.
“We started this in a way together with some success in 2023,” Alonso said. “And with a lot of changes in the company and in the campus in Silverstone. Now, with the partnership with Honda, with Aramco, with the new fuels, there are a lot of things that we built together in a way. And as I said many times, with this team there are certain guarantees that it will succeed, and it will fight for World Championships. We don’t know if that will be next year, in three years’ time, or in eight years’ time. That’s probably my limitation behind the wheel! But that I want to win a World Championship with Aston Martin—with or without driving. That’s still the same commitment in my case.”
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He also made it clear that he has nothing left to prove in F1.
“I won two World Championships, and I’ve been fighting for six or seven World Championships with cars that they were not supposed to be fighting for World Championships. My way in F1, and my chapter in F1 is a lot better than what I ever imagined when I was in go-karts, and I was in Oviedo, with my family. So this is a bonus, this is a gift that I’m enjoying right now, being in the top series at this age, and I’m feeling competitive and enjoying what I’m doing, but I just don’t want to be one of the fast guys in F1. I don’t want to be just a World Champion in F1.”
Despite having won in WEC and at Le Mans with Toyota, he believes that there are more series to conquer. Proving that he can be quick in different types of cars is important to him, having missed the opportunity to make his mark by winning five, six, or seven F1 World Championships.
“As I said, when I took my sabbatical years, I want to be the most complete driver in the world. That’s why I attempted some of the biggest challenges out in motorsport, with the endurance racing, with Daytona, with Dakar, with Le Mans, with Indy 500, because I think in the modern era to be fast in all the different series in the world of motorsport is extremely difficult because all of them requires a different technique, and you need to adapt yourself very fast. And probably that has been my strength all my life, since go-karts, and when I go to the dunes, or I go to the oval, or I go to the 24 hours at night, or in the day, I know, and I feel, and I felt all my life that I can adapt quicker, so part of my legacy motorsport is to do things that other people cannot do.”
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So where could he go? Aston Martin’s WEC Hypercar program is an obvious destination that would keep his company connections intact, although the team isn’t winning at the moment.
“I don’t know, difficult to say,” Alonso said. “All of the cars are fun. I drove the Valkyrie one month ago in Paul Ricard, and it was a fun car to drive, and surprisingly fast at high speed, and a lot of downforce. They have the Michelin tires, which is obviously a plus, and you can drive flat out with no limitation, no overheating, no degradation, not pressure up in the sky, all these kinds of things. So this is a fast and a fun car to drive. Dakar and Rally, in general, are fun because you’re just dancing with a car. Any car, even Formula E – I think it’s a new car next year with four-wheel-drive, it seems quite fast from the test they did. So all cars are fast, and fun.”
However, there’s no doubt where his heart still lies—if Aston can make a big step.
“F1 is very unique, still the pinnacle of motorsport, and still appealing. If we can reverse this situation and make the car fast and competitive, also in the future, or as soon as next year is also an appealing target. And I never give up, and I will not give up now for some difficulties, and some slow start. If someone thinks that, that we will give up now, they don’t know the last 25 years of my life…”