INTERVIEW: Fernando Alonso on his decision to stay with Aston Martin | “I still feel I should be here"

Alonso is an enigma when it comes to modern-day sports stars, certainly for someone who makes a living driving at speeds over 200mph every other weekend, and at a time when F1 is pushing its drivers to the limit given the plethora of races that now adorn the calendar.

In 2018, Alonso had run out of steam, bereft of energy after four years in the wilderness with McLaren whose reunion with Honda failed to recapture the Ayrton Senna/Alain Prost glory years of the late 1980s/early 1990s.

At that stage, at the age of 37, it appeared as if Alonso was done with F1, leaving behind a legacy of two titles and 32 victories. No one could begrudge him in his decision to call it a day. He had put in the hard yards, and then some.

For the two years that followed, Alonso refuelled his passion for motorsport, notably winning the World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours for a second time after initially doing so in 2018 during what was seemingly then his final year in F1.

Quite clearly, that was not the case as he opted to return in 2021, signing for Alpine with renewed enthusiasm, and going on to show he had lost none of his speed, ability, and track craft, with the highlight a first podium for seven years when he finished third in that year's Qatar Grand Prix.

The second year with the French team was more complicated, culminating in him announcing a remarkable exit just as the summer break started, and just after Sebastian Vettel announced his own retirement from F1 following a late hurrah with Aston Martin.

Alonso's head had been turned by the title-winning aspirations of owner Lawrence Stroll, and the plans he had started to put in place with the construction of a new factory that opened last year, and a new wind tunnel due to go online in a few months.

The Spaniard delivered a stellar start to the 2023 campaign, scoring six podiums in the first eight races, notably finishing runner-up in Monaco and Canada to suggest the long-awaited win number 33, ten years after his last, was on the horizon. The season, however, bar a third in São Paulo, petered out to a certain extent as the technical team at Aston Martin experimented too early in looking at the current campaign, and paid the price. By extension, it also threw into doubt the prospect of an additional Alonso retirement at the end of this year.

Although linked with the vacant seats at Mercedes in 2025, following Lewis Hamilton's shock decision to join Ferrari, and Red Bull, given the uncertainty surrounding Sergio Perez's future, Alonso stunned again when he reaffirmed his commitment to Aston Martin by putting pen to paper on a two-year extension.

In discussing the move, what was immediately apparent was Alonso's unbridled zeal for F1, even if he concedes he had to mull over the continued expansion of the calendar, and the time and energy required to fulfil its obligations.

“I needed a few races, or a few weeks, to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit for more years in F1 because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now, the cars as well, and the commitment," remarked Alonso.

“My love for F1 and my love for Aston Martin didn't change, but I just wanted this time to speak with myself and make the decision and the commitment. F1 takes all your time, all your energy. You have to give up everything in life to keep racing and I wanted just to speak with myself if I was ready to do so.”

The inner response received was overwhelming. In detailing his reasons for continuing, Alonso added: "I felt I love driving too much that I cannot stop at the moment. The sacrifices you have to make are smaller than the passion I have for driving.

"I breathe F1, I live for F1, I train to be fit to drive in F1, I eat to be fit to drive F1. I love what I do. I will not be happy sitting at home watching F1 because at the moment I still feel I should be here."

Whilst it is understood there were discussions with Mercedes and Red Bull, the feeling of being "at home" with Aston Martin was ultimately persuasive, whilst conceding he also felt "a sense of loyalty that I wanted to express to my team".

"One and a half years ago we started together and we achieved so many things, some of them probably unprecedented in F1, to reach so many highs in such a short period," said Alonso. “I felt this was just the beginning of the journey. It could not be the end of the journey for me and Aston Martin. The ambition of this project is just something else."

There is an irony in that in 2026, Alonso will again be reunited with Honda, an organisation that left him so frustrated during his time with McLaren but has since powered Red Bull and Max Verstappen to its run of championship success.

With the introduction again of new power unit regulations for that year, Alonso is naturally hoping the Japanese manufacturer will be able to hit the ground running on its latest return, rather than flounder as it did in 2015.

"Honda is a manufacturer that has had so much success in Formula 1, a company I respect, although a company that didn't work for us at McLaren," said Alonso. "But right after that they fixed all the problems and they are dominating the sport and been champions for the last few years, so I think they will have a very strong baseline for 2026. We have now this opportunity to work together, and for me, that is a true pleasure."

Could that be the year Alonso finally ends his long wait for a third world title, and even that 33^rd win? It will not be for a lack of motivation and passion, that is for sure, even for someone who will remarkably celebrate his 45^th birthday that year.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.