Last year, Aston Martin made huge strides, becoming a team that was capable of competing towards the front of the grid. This year, however, their season has not gone off to a good start. They don’t look as close to the front as they were in 2023 and their results might have made Fernando Alonso unconvinced about the Silverstone-based team’s future.
When asked on The Race F1 podcast about Alonso’s long-term prospects at Aston Martin, Diego Meija said, “I’m not really sure yet whether he’s convinced that Aston is going deliver and be a better option for him for next year. The next, I guess, I believe he said at some point that he’ll wait out a few races to see.”
Alonso’s contract with the team runs out at the end of the 2024 season. So far, he hasn’t revealed anything about where he will race. However, the rumors and speculations surrounding his future at Aston Martin keep getting stronger because of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, which has opened up a spot at Mercedes.
A handful of drivers are linked to the Mercedes seat including Alonso. Alonso is 42, the most experienced driver on the grid, and a two-time world champion. This makes him one of the favorites to join the team ahead of the 2025 season.
However, several things must line up for this theory to become a reality. Firstly, Fernando Alonso will have to be sure about wanting to leave Aston Martin, and trust Mercedes’ performance to be better. Secondly, Mercedes need to decide if they want to focus on the short-term or the long-term because for the latter, team principal Toto Wolff has many more options.
Mercedes to take time and assess options for Lewis Hamilton’s replacement
When Hamilton announced his Mercedes departure, the F1 community began to speculate who would replace him. Of course, Fernando Alonso was one of the names but there are other options that Mercedes would look to assess.
In the long run, having a generational young talent like Kimi Antonelli, or 29-year-old Carlos Sainz would make more sense. On the other hand, some reports have linked Max Verstappen to the Mercedes seat, owing to the internal issues within Red Bull.
However, Toto Wolff will look to take some time before making such a big decision. Replacing a driver is never easy, even more so when the driver is a seven-time world champion like Hamilton. Amidst all this, Alonso will also be waiting to see how Aston Martin progresses with development.
