Fernando Alonso confirms F1 future decision after Mercedes and Red Bull rumours

Aston Martin has confirmed Fernando Alonso will remain with the team, having signed a new multi-year deal.

Fernando Alonso is set to stay in F1 for at least another two seasons, having signed a new deal with the Aston Martin squad that takes him through until 2026.

Mike Krack: Fernando Alonso believes in Aston Martin

Alonso has been clear that he was at a crossroads in his career, as he evaluated whether or not to stay in F1 beyond this season. Having come to the realisation he wants to stay in the sport, Alonso has thrashed out new terms with Aston Martin that will keep him in the sport for at least another two years.

Alonso being taken off the driver market thus means the possibility of a switch to Red Bull or Mercedes, as had been theorised, is off the table.

“Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news,” said team boss Mike Krack.

“We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed. We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided he wanted to continue racing, he talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him.

“Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force. This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”

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In an extremely short media release, the two-time F1 World Champion confirmed his new contract by saying: “I am here to stay.”

Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, in the aftermath of the announcement, Alonso revealed that the decision to stay in F1 and with Aston Martin had been an “easy” one to make.

“I needed a few races or few weeks to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit for more years in Formula 1, because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now, the car as well, the commitments,” he said.

“My love for Formula 1 and my love for Aston Martin didn’t change, but I just wanted this time to really speak with myself and make the decision and the commitment.

“Formula 1 takes all your time, all your energy. You have to give up basically everything in life to keep racing, and I wanted just to speak with myself if I was ready to do so.

“Once I took the decision, I think it was after Australia, something like that, yeah, I sat with Aston, which again is exactly the same as what I said in February, that would be my first priority, and it was not too difficult. We both wanted the same. I wanted to keep racing with Aston Martin, Aston Martin also wanted to keep me on the seat.

“When two parties, they want something, at one point you reach an agreement. So I’m extremely excited to keep racing and keep racing with this team, at which I feel at home.

“It was also a sense of loyalty that I wanted to express to my team, one year and a half ago, we started together and we achieved so many things, some of them probably unprecedented in Formula 1 to reach so many highs in such a short period of time. I think, or I felt this is just the beginning of the journey.

“It could not be the end of the journey for me and Aston Martin. Super, super happy, excited, also for the people at the factory, for the staff, for our partners, we have great partners in the team. So proud of them as well, all our sponsors. So yeah, it feels that it was my natural decision to make, to keep racing and to keep racing with Aston Martin was very easy.”

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