{"id":916398,"date":"2026-10-01T09:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/916398\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T09:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:12:11","slug":"i-feel-that-fire-inside-alonso-explains-decision-to-stay-with-aston-martin-for-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/916398\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I feel that fire inside\u2019 \u2013 Alonso explains decision to stay with Aston Martin for 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fernando Alonso has outlined the factors that influenced his decision to continue racing with Aston Martin into 2027, with the Spaniard admitting that he still feels \u201cthat fire inside\u201d as he prepares for his 24th season in Formula 1.<\/p>\n

After speculation over his future in recent months following a tough start to the campaign for the team, it was announced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that Alonso<\/a> has extended his contract<\/a> with Aston Martin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This means that the squad will field an unchanged line-up next year, with Lance Stroll<\/a> entering into his ninth season for the British outfit.<\/p>\n

Having mentioned in the announcement that he believes he still has \u201cthe speed and determination to compete at the highest level\u201d, Alonso reiterated that message as he shared further insight into why he wanted to stay during media day in Sepang.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still feel competitive and I feel that fire inside when I’m at the race weekend \u2013 I feel happier,\u201d he explained. \u201cIf I’m sitting on the couch, watching F1 will be very difficult for me at the moment because I feel the need of being behind the wheel. The moment didn’t arrive yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso went on to suggest that \u201cdeep thinking\u201d was the decisive factor in opting to keep on racing, with the 45-year-old sharing further details on why he came to regret his decision to walk away from F1 for what would be a two-year hiatus between 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took my time [with this decision] because I have really to check the scenarios and all the possibilities for next year,\u201d said Alonso. \u201cWhen I took my sabbatical in F1, I was watching the races at home and I felt not comfortable there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt that I was not happier on the couch than on the circuit. I felt that I could have done this differently. I was watching an onboard and I said, \u2018This was too early\u2019. Back then I felt I should go back racing, because I still belong to the track and the cockpit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat thought came now back and I thought, \u2018What if next year I watch races at home?\u2019, and always when I was thinking that I said, \u2018No way\u2019. I still feel that I should be driving for at least one more year.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Aston Martin having experienced a difficult 2026 season, Alonso was also quizzed on whether he has felt encouraged that the team can experience a better campaign next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know,\u201d the two-time World Champion answered. \u201cI think all the teams are very optimistic in October and November, and then in March you find reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not about promising or expecting different things \u2013 it’s just about making sure that everyone does their 100 per cent, that we are all motivated, that we are in the same direction forward. I think this year we saw some encouraging things, but still a long winter in front of us if we want to make things in a perfect way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t want to promise and I don’t want to hear promises either. I just want to see discipline in the way we work, especially in the power unit \u2013 that’s where the biggest hope is for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso shared that he and the team \u201cdidn\u2019t talk about\u201d the possibility of him taking another role within the squad, though the Spanish driver suggested that \u201cthe moment that I stop racing, that option will start and we will discuss\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past we discussed about it, but this year it was more about racing or not and, once I made the decision, the team was always very supportive,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt was a five-minute conversation honestly with Lawrence [Stroll]<\/a> and the team, because everything was ready and set.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking further ahead, Alonso suggested that he will \u201cenjoy race by race\u201d going forward rather than setting a limit on his career, adding: \u201cI think it’s more about the competitiveness feeling. It’s not about thinking about my age, about any records or stats.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s more about feeling good and fast behind the wheel. Now I still feel [that], that’s why I continue. The day I don’t feel [that], that will be the day that I will call it off, but without thinking in numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fernando Alonso has outlined the factors that influenced his decision to continue racing with Aston Martin into 2027,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":916399,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-916398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}