Fernando Alonso isn’t showing any signs of slowing down despite being the oldest driver on the F1 grid at 42. Many often ask him when he plans to retire from racing for good. While Alonso has no interest in retiring just yet, things could have been a lot different back in the day. He interestingly revealed in a recent interview that he felt his contract with McLaren back in 2007 could be his last stint in the sport.
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, the Aston Martin driver opened up on several aspects of his career. He also elaborated on his ambitions of winning despite a long drought of glory.
About his retirement, the 42-year-old stated, “If I have the feeling that I’m no longer able to perform, that I expect from myself, I will be the first to raise my hand. The moment has not yet come.”
Alonso then added, “When I signed with McLaren for three years in 2007, I thought: That was my last contract”. It is insane to think that the Spaniard thought he could retire from F1 as early as 2009.
Alonso had a huge rivalry in the 2007 season with rookie Lewis Hamilton. This fallout led to his exit from the Woking-based team. The tensions and tussles with Hamilton possibly cost him a hattrick of championships after clinching the 2005 and 2006 titles.
From there on, it was an enigmatic period of seasons for Alonso. It involved closely failed title challenges with Ferrari and some questionable career moves. His second stint at McLaren from 2015 to 2018 was a sheer disaster. This eventually left Alonso no choice but to retire from F1 and take some time off after 2018.
It proved fruitful as the Spaniard went on the pursuit of winning the triple crown of motorsport. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice but failed to win the Indy 500. Regardless, this motivated him enough to come back to F1 with a will to win his coveted third championship.
Fernando Alonso is still chasing his 33rd win and the championship treble
Fernando Alonso finally made a career move in 2023 that proved to be a masterstroke. While many experts criticized his Aston Martin move, little did they know that the Spaniard would have one of his best seasons since 2012-13. The 42-year-old came agonizingly close to winning an elusive 33rd F1 race, and in the process end a drought of 10 long years without a victory in F1.
While the chance of a win slipped away in Monaco, Alonso still had a stellar maiden season with Aston Martin. The 42-year-old got all of the team’s eight podiums this year and got points in 19 of the 22 races. However, the two-time champion is hungry for more glory with the Silverstone-based outfit.
At the start of 2023, Alonso clarified that 2024 is the year they are expecting to fight for wins and maybe the championship. With the new year beckoning, the former Ferrari driver will be keen to see that prophecy become reality.
Naturally, Alonso is expecting the AMR24 to take the required step up to put him in the mix for the top stop on the podium. His first year at Aston Martin has exceeded expectations.
The veteran will now hope to better this season and not be stuck in the midfield again in 2024. Coming to the AMR24’s development, Aston Martin has not revealed much and seem to be managing expectations.
Considering the kind of drop-off they experienced in the latter half of 2023, not many expect them to be as strong. However, that could be the surprise element again, as the Silverstone-based outfit shocked everyone a year ago in Bahrain.
