Fernando Alonso will be entering his 22nd F1 season in 2025 alongside seven drivers who weren’t even born when he debuted in the sport, back in 2001! However, he understands that the end of his career is approaching. Despite his determination to pursue his dream of winning more races and titles, the Spaniard remains realistic about the inevitable.
Alonso believes that the curtains on his F1 career could fall when his current contract with Aston Martin expires in 2026. “2026 will probably or at least to start, be my last season in F1,” the 43-year-old said as quoted by WTF1.
The only exception to this timeline would be if Aston Martin starts performing well on the track when the 2026 engine regulations come into effect. “If 2026 is running smoothly and we are having a good time, there is a possibility to race one more year. I will be open to it, for sure,” Alonso added.
Alonso joined Aston Martin in 2023 and stood on the podium eight times in his debut season for the Silverstone-based squad. This April, he extended his contract by two years, despite the increasing stress of the F1 calendar.
“It was the new campus last year, the wind tunnel this year, the new regulations in 2026, and Honda coming as a partner…”
There were a lot of green flags for @alo_oficial when it came to committing his future to @AstonMartinF1 #F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 12, 2024
However, Aston Martin took several steps to persuade the Oviedo-born driver to stay. One significant move was the arrival of Adrian Newey. With the Red Bull aero genius joining Aston Martin in March 2025, Alonso has renewed hope of securing a competitive car under the new set of regulations.
On top of that, the engine partnership with Honda — someone Newey is quite familiar with — could be perfect to provide the Spanish veteran with a fast car.
Alonso is keen to work with Newey
As soon as Alonso got to know that Newey would be leaving Red Bull, he expressed his interest in working with the 66-year-old. Having been in F1 for over two decades, Alonso knew how good Newey was when he lost two Championships to Red Bull cars designed by the Briton (2010 and 2012).
Newey has won titles wherever he has gone, which is why Alonso desperately wanted him. He did not think twice about “contacting” and convincing him to join Aston and when the news became official, the #14 driver expressed his desire to build a Championship-winning team together.
Joining forces at last.
Adrian Newey Fernando Alonso. pic.twitter.com/Is5EfaWpSp
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 10, 2024
Newey also reciprocated Alonso’s sentiments and stated that he always wanted to work with the two-time world champion. He had commented previously how he had three regrets in his storied F1 career: not working with Lewis Hamilton, Alonso, and Ferrari.
There was a chance he could have achieved both goals by joining the Italian outfit, especially with Hamilton also joining them in 2025. However, Newey believed Ferrari was already a top team, leaving limited room for him to make a significant impact with his expertise.
The former Red Bull CTO felt he could contribute much more to Aston Martin, an emerging team in need of sharp technical minds and strong leadership.
