\nThe Spaniard debuted back in 2001 with Minardi and will be starting his 23rd season in the sport next year, having taken a couple of years off in the late 2010s, during which time he and his team of Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima won the FIA World Endurance Championship. <\/p>\n
\nAlonso won his two F1 world championships back-to-back in 2005 and 2006, but he has not even claimed a single race victory since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. <\/p>\n
\nHowever, the now 44-year-old has enjoyed a bit of a comeback in recent years, claiming eight podiums with Aston Martin in 2023, before managing to achieve regular points finishes in 2024. <\/p>\n
\nREAD MORE: Axed F1 chief Guenther Steiner ‘set’ for multi-million dollar team purchase<\/a>
<\/p>\n \nDuring the 2025 season, Alonso endured a torrid eight-race spell to kick off the campaign without scoring a single point, but he has now scored 26 points in the last six races, and sits up in 11th in the drivers’ championship.
<\/p>\n \nWith the help of design legend Adrian Newey, Aston Martin are hoping to contend for world championships in the future, and Mercedes<\/a> team principal Wolff believes that they could be up there in 2026 due to their upcoming power unit partnership with Honda.
<\/p>\n \n“I expect Ferrari to be very competitive and Honda has shown how strong it is, I expect a lot from them with Aston Martin,” Wolff told Gazzetta<\/a>.
<\/p>\n \n“Then there’s Red Bull with the new engines, there’s Audi. Everyone wants to be ready and competitive, and we’ll see who has worked best.”
<\/p>\n \n2026 marks the first year of Honda and Aston Martin’s partnership, after the Japanese car manufacturer ends its supply of Red Bull at the end of 2025 following seven trophy-laden seasons.
<\/p>\n \nOn top of this, new regulations are also sweeping into the sport which may see a shake up in the competitive order of F1, potentially allowing Aston Martin to make a jump on their competitors.
<\/p>\n \nHowever, so far rumours are suggesting that Mercedes are the team most likely to make the biggest step forward in 2026, with it being believed that McLaren<\/a>‘s dominance will be short-lived.
<\/p>\n \nAlonso’s contract currently runs until the end of the 2026 season, so it is likely he will try out the new generation of cars for a year, and then head off into the sunset on a well-earned retirement (permanently this time).
<\/p>\n \nNewey, Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin will be pulling out all the stops to give the two-time champion a car that can help him finally claim his 33rd career race victory and, if Wolff’s comments are anything to go by, maybe even challenge for a third world title.
<\/p>\n![\"2026](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/5ef2cf885176a18c80f6c01c4b72b985cf068575.jpg\"\/)
2026 will see a new generation of car designs and power units
\nCan Aston Martin challenge for 2026 championship<\/p>\n