Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid but his grit and determination do not say that he will turn 43 next year. The Aston Martin driver who has been defying the age barrier to stay in the pinnacle of motorsport, has recently shared that his goal to stay in F1 is ‘forever’ until he feels slow.
Speaking about this, Alonso said in a report published by The Athletic, “If I feel slow one day, I think it will be noticeable, and I will be not happy with my performance, and I will be the first one to raise my hand and say, ‘OK, this is time.”
Following this, he added, “But I don’t think that time will arrive, honestly, in terms of feeling slow. I have extreme self-confidence in my performance.”
Alonso, with Aston Martin, made brilliant appearances in the podium scenes in the 2023 F1 season. After he had difficult times with McLaren, and then Alpine, the Spanish driver finally found success with the British team.
2023 ✅ https://t.co/eoYsSdAvp3
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) November 26, 2023
Therefore, Lawrence Stroll and his team need to retain Alonso for future endeavors. Given how the sport is expanding its calendar, Aston Martin needs to keep the dynamic on with Alonso before the two-time world champion decides to hang his overalls.
Upon this, team principal Mike Krack stated, “If we maintain the dynamics and the collaboration that we have now,” Krack said, “we can go on forever.”
Fernando Alonso already has his post-F1 goal
Fernando Alonso has been in Formula 1 for over two decades and his long and illustrious career saw him take the track 380 times. As things stand, he is not ready to retire yet but when he does, he surely has a plan.
Alonso, when asked about his post-F1 goal, said to GQ Spain as per si.com, “When I retire from Formula 1, I would love to return to the Dakar. Trying to win the Dakar Rally is a clear goal in my career. It would complete me, make me happy and I think it would leave an almost unprecedented legacy.”
“Alonso’s out! McLaren goes home!”@KyleKRacing and @JuncosRacing pulled off one of the largest upsets in @IndyCar history, bumping Fernando Alonso and McLaren OUT of the Indy 500! #BestOfTheDecade pic.twitter.com/pBrQFyJqvf
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) December 30, 2019
He further added, “Winning in Formula 1, Endurance and rallying would complete the perfect circle of a racing driver.” Alonso already had his try in the World Endurance Championship in the 2018-19 season with Toyota and IndyCar Series the year after with McLaren.
All in all, the Spaniard is tied to Aston Martin till the end of the 2024 F1 season. However, Mike Krack and his team want to keep the veteran driver for years to come if they can keep their momentum of progress going.
