Fernando Alonso turned 43 this year and is still going strong. The Spaniard signed a new contract with Aston Martin that will see him drive for the team till the 2026 season. However, Alonso will inevitably retire. While talking about the same, Flavio Briatore brought up the two-time champion’s family plans.
“I honestly don’t know if he wants to stop, with 2026 as his last year, or if he wants to continue. It depends on his feeling about racing and the timing”, said Briatore on the Formula for Success podcast.
The newly-appointed Alpine executive advisor then talked about not being sure of the Spaniard’s plans, given he will turn 45 in 2026. He added, “I don’t know if he has a family at that time and everything. But he is definitely someone who is unique. I have never seen someone like him, so determined, every day, every day.”
An F1 driver travels around the world for the better part of nine months of the year. Even during the winter break, drivers have to gear up for pre-season testing by training and visiting the factory. Hence, having a family along with the F1 commitment is extremely difficult.
As for those who have a family, often end up retiring from the sport in their 30s. Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg are great examples of the same. However, Alonso and Hamilton, the two oldest drivers on the grid, are still performing at their peak and don’t have a family.
Alonso on sacrificing family for F1
Alonso started dating Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo’s lead singer in 2005 and married a year later. However, the two divorced in December of 2011. The Spaniard was later engaged to Lara Alvarez from 2015 to 2016.
During the FIA presser at his last race before the sabbatical in 2018, the Spaniard highlighted the negative aspects of being in F1, especially for 18 years.
He said, “You have no friends, no family, no free time, no privacy, no wife, no kids, no nothing. It’s just full dedication if you want to succeed. So I think I have other priorities right now.”
In recent times, there have been rumors of Alonso dating a DAZN F1 journalist, but that relationship never materialized officially. While the Spaniard has been linked with a lot of other models or singers, it seems that Alonso is yet to find a woman seriously wanting to start a family.
