Fernando Alonso, the eternal. His renewal by Aston Martin until at least 2026 will make him the oldest driver in the history of Formula 1: he will reach 23 seasons (he is already the record holder with 21, surpassing the 19 of Barrichello, Schumacher and Räikkönen) and will stand in about 450 grand prizes (if he competes in all of them), an extraordinary, unexplored number.
A dizzying longevity, since if nothing goes wrong, the Asturian would retire in 2026, being the fourth oldest champion, at 45 years old, surpassing Jack Brabham (44), Michael Schumacher (43) or Räikkönen (42), three of the most recent F1 veteran cases.
The Asturian driver, who currently has 382 grand prix in his 21st season in F1 (he debuted in 2001 with Minardi), explained his reasons why he will continue racing in the great circus and with Aston Martin, after having explored other options.
These were some of Alonso's reflections on his future and his renewal.
"I never really thought about retirement. It's difficult to think about a life in the short term without a steering wheel in my hands. I'm 99% that I can continue racing next year at full capacity so retirement won't be an option. I'll drive until I can." "I can't predict until what year, it certainly won't happen in 2026, I want to enjoy the new regulations."
"Yes, I'm not going to lie: one year seemed little to me and [racing for two years] was on the table from the first moment, entering the new regulations in 2026, with Honda and with the new factory at full capacity. It is a project of life. It is the longest contract I have signed in my career. We will see how many more years I have or in what role because I will have 40 years of experience in motorsport and this has been very motivating."
"I will race for two years for sure and then more years will come with Aston Martin in other areas. I will feel the same driving as I do outside the car if I am with them in another way or in another role. I will continue with them possibly even when I stop driving, but we will see" .
"For now F1 is the only thing on my mind and I can say that I will one hundred percent return to the Dakar. We will see the 24 Hours of Le Mans if there is any project that I can help with."
"2026 is a journey into the unknown and if I had to choose a place to be it was ours, with sponsorship, fuel, engine, etc... Everything known. It doesn't matter who I have spoken to. Contacts are normal. But I insist that the priority was Aston".
"They are a great constructor, a great motosport company, it didn't work at McLaren a few years ago but now they clearly dominate the sport, so their base for 2026 will be strong, they have the ideal factory to achieve it, I know them and they will be very motivated with the whole project. Also, I respect Japanese culture."
