‘Come on, mate’ – Fernando Alonso told to hurry up retirement as Sky F1 pundit breaks rank
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso faces the media at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix
Sky F1 pundit and 2009 world champion Jenson Button has told Fernando Alonso to consider retiring from F1 to “continue the journey” with children of his own.
Alonso stands as the most experienced driver in the history of Formula 1 having made a total of 425 starts since his debut in 2001.
Sky F1 pundit Jenson Button offers retirement advice to Fernando Alonso
The Aston Martin driver remains without a grand prix win since his penultimate year with Ferrari in 2013, with the F1 2026 season marking 20 years since his last title triumph with Renault.
Alonso will turn 44 next season with the Spaniard’s current contract set to expire at the end of F1 2026.
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Button spent two seasons as Alonso’s teammate at McLaren-Honda in 2015/16, making his final F1 appearance at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix as Alonso competed in the Indianapolis 500.
The 2009 world champion, who will turn 46 in January, retired from professional motorsport following the final round of the 2025 World Endurance Championship last month.
A father of two children, Hendrix and Lenny, Button says he would like to see Alonso “continue the journey” with his own children as he continues his search for an elusive third world championship.
Asked if his own retirement makes him appreciate what Alonso is still doing at the highest level, Button told Sky F1: “It does.
“But I also think: ‘Fernando! Come on, mate.’
“I’d like to see him with a bunch of little Fernandos running around and then maybe they want to go karting and then he can continue the journey.
“It’s great that he’s still competing and he’s still so competitive.
“But for me, if my son or daughter jumped into a go-kart, that emotion would be probably more than winning a world championship, seeing them want to drive a car.
“Whether they do or not, I don’t really know. But that would be pretty cool.”
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Aston Martin is widely regarded as one of the teams to watch under the new F1 2026 rules, which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.
Legendary F1 design guru and incoming team principal Adrian Newey is leading the development of the Aston Martin ARM26, the first car of the team’s new technical partnership with Honda.
Alonso claimed earlier this year that he would be more likely to retire at the end of F1 2026 if he enjoys a strong season with Aston Martin.
Elaborating on his comment, he said: “It was an interview [about] what I will do in 2026.
“And as I don’t have the crystal ball, I gave an answer that it will be forever.
“I think that until May, that’s how I feel right now.
“If I have a car that I have fun and I do some results with, I think that maybe [I will stop].
“I’ll always discuss with Lawrence [Stroll] and the team what are their needs and the team will be first and myself second.
“I don’t need to race now to prove anything. I’m happy with my career and I consider myself very lucky to be here for so many years.
“Now is the moment to help the team and have fun, so that’s something I need to see day by day next year.”
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