MADRID, 11 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) did not rule out continuing to race in the World Championship beyond 2026, when his contract ends, because he maintains “the hope” of having “a fast car” and continues to “dream” of winning a third title, aware that 2026 is “probably” his “only chance.”
“If 2026 goes well, we are having a good time and there is the possibility of racing one more year, I will be open to it (continuing in F1). I will not close the door early. But I don’t want to think about that, I will take every race as if it were my last and I will enjoy every second,” reflected the Spaniard in an interview with the BBC reported by Europa Press.
And, after Aston Martin’s 2024 season below the expected level, Alonso continues to “dream” of winning the third World Cup. “Why not? I know that 2026 is probably my only chance because 2025 is extremely difficult. F1 is for dreamers, because anything can happen,” he defended.
“It will probably be my last season in F1. Because my contract ends at the end of 2026. It is time to fulfill and the moment of truth. Many expectations,” he expressed, although without closing the doors to a renewal beyond 2026. , because the Asturian does not think “too much” about the issue of age.
In 2026 he will be 45 years old, but Alonso feels “as if he were 25 or 30 years old.” “I feel motivated, I feel fresh, I feel fit to ride and to do the same training that I have been doing for 20 years, because it is the same routine more or less,” he explained, and the key for him is a “discipline of work, training and quite extreme dedication.
“I have never missed any test session or any briefing or any training. I have never gone out or partied much. Maybe the results are now reaching my 40s, but the starting point was at 20 or 30, when you need to dedicate yourself to F1 for a long period of time to get some results later,” he added.
A big part of that motivation is his desire to have a good car with which to compete for the title and “dominate” in F1. “I only had it in my season with the World Endurance Championship with Toyota (in 2019-20). That season I realized how wonderful it could be to have a dominating car also in F1, because you could achieve many results and drive as you wanted. “he recalled.
“All my career I have driven cars that maybe weren’t the best at the time, including my two World Championships. In 2005, the McLaren was the fastest car, but its reliability was bad, so we made up for it and won the championship. And in 2006, they were very similar, but the Ferrari and Michael (Schumacher) had too many retirements, and I won the championship,” he analyzed.
Thus, Alonso maintains “the hope that it will be the season in which I can have a fast car.” “My self-confidence will always be there until there is a day when I don’t feel comfortable in the car. If I feel slower than my teammates, or slower than I think is possible with the car, “If that date comes, I’ll probably raise my hand and stop running, because I won’t enjoy it anymore,” he said.
Although with Aston Martin and its signing of Adrian Newey he has set “high” expectations for 2026. The Spaniard joins forces with the aerodynamics guru after he left Red Bull after 18 years, and Alonso believes in “destiny.” “It seems like he always made me miss the opportunity. But it’s now come to the end of my career and I’m going to continue enjoying it as much as I can, I’m going to try to learn from him,” he said.
“We have a mutual respect. We exchange some messages and talk from time to time and we always seem to connect. We have never worked together, but we were always on the same frequency when we talked in the past. I’m really looking forward to it. And for Aston Martin it’s a big thing “he concluded.