Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has revealed his last season in Formula 1 when he will take every race as his last race and "enjoy every second." Currently the oldest driver in the premier class of motorsport at 43 years old, Alonso has won two world championships and competed in more than 400 Grands Prix since his F1 debut in 2001.
Alonso joined Aston Martin in 2023 with the hope of winning races and potentially his third title before he retired from the sport. However, the team's form is at its lowest in the current ground effect era that began in 2022, and Alonso could only hope for things to turn around significantly after F1's legendary designer Adrian Newey's onboarding into Aston Martin in March 2025 from Red Bull, bringing his expertise to address the team's ongoing car challenges.
But it won't be until 2026 when Newey's input is seen on the car, the year that marks the inception of a new era of regulations in the sport. However, Alonso feels 2026 could also be his last year in Formula 1. Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, Alonso revealed:
“The expectations will be high because it’s a new change, a new car, change of regulations, a car made by Adrian.
“Probably – or at least to start with – it will be my last season in Formula 1 because my contract finishes at the end of 2026, so it’s the time of delivering and the time of truth. High expectations.
“I will start the season thinking like that, for sure, because I cannot think too much in the future.
“At the moment, my current contract is for two more years. With my age, my motivation, I don’t know how it’s going to be.
“If the 2026 season is running smoothly and we’re having a good time and there is a possibility to race one more year, I will be open, for sure.
“I will not close the door beforehand, but I will not start [the season] thinking that.
“I will take every race if it was my last race and I will enjoy every second.”
Renault's new executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who oversees Alpine's F1 operations, has been well acquainted with Alonso since his championship-winning years in 2005-2006. He revealed something along similar lines on the Formula For Success podcast, saying:
“If you ask me if Fernando wants to continue after we finish the contract, our last year will be 2026 for the moment.
“What he wants to do after, I don’t know. Does he want to continue for one more year?
“The performance is there. You see the performance of Fernando, it’s there. It’s not a question of him losing concentration, during the race he’s always there.
“If he’s 11th, he wants to be 10th. If he’s 10th, he want to be ninth. He wants the car to be competitive. He’s qualifying well, he’s racing well.
“I don’t know, honestly, if he wants to stop with 2026 as his last year or if he wants to go ahead. Honestly, I don’t know.
“It depends on the feeling he has about racing and the timing, I don’t know if he’ll have a family at the time and whatever.
“But for sure, he is somebody unique. I’ve never seen somebody like that, so determined every day, every day, every day. Never give up. Unbelievable.”
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