Fernando Alonso faces F1 future decision as Felipe Massa delivers blunt warning

Felipe Massa believes Fernando Alonso’s Formula 1 career may finally be nearing its end, with the Spaniard facing a decisive few months at Aston Martin.

Alonso is contesting his 23rd season in Formula 1, but so far it is failing to live up to pre-season expectations.

Fernando Alonso future under pressure after Felipe Massa warning

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After years of preparation, including building a state-of-the-art factory, a new wind tunnel, and bringing in design legend Adrian Newey to design the car, Aston Martin’s final piece of the puzzle was the Honda power unit.

Honda had powered Red Bull to success in four of the last five Drivers’ Championships, also winning two Constructors’ crowns, while Red Bull operated the Honda power unit following the Japanese manufacturer’s withdrawal at the end of 2021. Honda remained on the fringes in a technical partnership, assisting Red Bull with the engines frozen.

However, the Aston Martin-Honda partnership is off to a tricky start.

Honda’s power unit and its battery are causing vibrations that resulted in bits of the AMR26 falling during pre-season testing. The drivers were also limited in their running as the vibrations were causing their hands and feet to go numb.

Although Honda and Aston Martin have worked to find a solution, Alonso was forced to retire 38 laps into the Chinese Grand Prix due to the vibrations.

“I could not probably finish the race anyway. Vibrations levels were very high today,” Alonso told the media following his China DNF. “At one point, from Lap 20 to 35, I was struggling a little bit to feel my hands and my feet.”

Yet to score a point in two race weekends, questions are being asked about Alonso’s future and whether his latest Honda woes will see the Spaniard call time on his Formula 1 career.

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Massa believes it’s a very real possibility.

“Fernando’s moment has already passed,” the former Ferrari driver told Spanish outlet Jugones. “It is time to compete in other races.

“It is going to be one of Fernando’s worst years. You have to be patient… but being patient at 44 years old is not easy.”

Patience, though, is what F1 commentator Harry Benjamin says Alonso needs with the Aston Martin-Honda project, as he does not believe the 44-year-old has other options if he tires of Aston Martin’s struggles.

“It’s a really dire situation, isn’t it? And it’s tough to see Fernando Alonso in that situation again,” Benjamin told Essential F1.

“There was talk this might be his final year in Formula 1. I don’t know if suddenly he’ll want to stick around a bit longer to just try and end on some sort of high.

“Patience of a saint. He’s going to have to because I don’t think he’s got any other options to go anywhere else.

“No one’s signing a Fernando Alonso, what is he, 44? No one’s signing a 44, going on 45-year-old, Fernando Alonso, with all due respect, not on a long-term deal.”

Alonso has already set himself a deadline for his decision: September.

The Spaniard re-signed with the team in 2024, putting pen to paper on a two-year extension that ends with this season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

He is giving Aston Martin, Honda, and the new F1 2026 regulations until September – as well as his own motivation – until September.

“I don’t know, I would wait,” he told Diario AS in February when asked when he’ll make a decision. “I think this year we have to wait a little longer because the progression and development of the cars is going to be incredible this year.

“Improving by a tenth or two when you bring a package of improvements is like improving by eight tenths or a second, so I think that throughout the season we are going to see big changes in performance from the teams. So, making a decision in April or May could be right or wrong in September.

“It depends on how the developments go. So, the longer you can wait, the better. And that would be my intention, to maybe wait until September or so to make a decision. But anyway, we’ll see. I don’t think it’s just about performance. I also have to see how I feel, how motivated I am.”

Aston Martin, though, may push him for an earlier decision.

“Maybe,” he continued, “in the spring they’ll say, ‘I need to know if you want to continue or not, because I need to know what other drivers are on the market and I can’t wait for you to make a decision and then find that no one else is available.’

“Then I’ll also be under pressure from the team to make a decision as quickly as possible.”

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