Fernando Alonso retirement prediction made by Button after previous F1 exit

Jenson Button said Fernando Alonso’s previous exit from F1 will mean the Spaniard will wait until he is “100 per cent certain” before retiring.

At 45 years of age, there is naturally a lot of talk of retirement when it comes to the 2005 and 2006 World Champion but a decision on his future is expected to come in the next few weeks.

Fernando Alonso ‘will make sure that he’s 100 per cent certain’ before retirement

Alonso is looking increasingly likely to stay with Aston in pursuit of a third world title and one of his former team-mates and now current colleagues Button said Alonso’s previous retirement will play a pivotal role in deciding his future.

“Fernando’s future is a hot topic of conversation right now,” he wrote for Aston Martin in his role as an ambassador. “I have no idea whether he’s going to commit to another year in the sport, but I do know whenever he does decide to retire he’ll be rightly regarded as one of the true F1 greats – though personally I hope he’ll stay a little longer.

“I know how difficult it is to decide your future, and he’s been there once before.

“He left the sport and came back, so he obviously left too early. Now, he will make sure that he’s 100 per cent certain that he doesn’t want to be in the sport before he leaves.

“Fernando’s still got so much more to give in F1. I would love to see him in an Aston Martin fighting for wins. That’s where he should be, and it’s where this team is aiming to be. He hasn’t won as much as he should have. He’s found himself in unlucky situations a few times, one alongside me, but the talent and hunger is still there, which is the key to staying in the sport and being competitive.”

More on Fernando Alonso from PlanetF1.com

Alonso provides latest Aston Martin and Honda assessment after Dutch GP

Alonso hails Aston Martin breakthrough amid ‘back to square one’ Honda claim

Button heaped praise on Alonso, describing him as similar to Michael Schumacher in the way he fought on track.

“The biggest compliment I can give Fernando is that fighting him was very similar to fighting with Michael Schumacher. In my experience against them it would be hard but fair – it was on the limit every time and I loved that. That was part of the challenge.

“When I won my first Grand Prix in Hungary, I was fighting against them and that’s what you want as a driver. You want to be fighting against the best, against the greats, to see how you compare.

“In my career I got to race against the likes of Fernando and Michael, as well as Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. I’ve been really lucky to have raced against some of the true legends of the sport.

“What makes Fernando stand out is his driving style. If you painted all the cars the same colour and put every driver out on the track, you would struggle to notice the difference. But when Fernando drives past, you immediately know it’s him. That’s down to what he’s doing behind the wheel.

“Fernando drives like no one else. He’s aggressive, he can adapt brilliantly, and it’s been that way all through his career.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: What new Max Verstappen and Lando Norris contracts tell us about modern F1