Alonso issues clear response to Aston Martin-Honda in F1 future address
Fernando Alonso has an important decision to make on his Formula 1 future
Fernando Alonso does not need anyone to tell him that he is still fast, as a decision over his future in Formula 1 looms.
Told by Honda’s Shintaro Orihara that he is “too quick” to retire, Alonso said that enjoyment is the key criteria behind his future in the category. He is likely to make a decision around the time of the Dutch or Italian Grands Prix, after the summer break.
Fernando Alonso still ‘fast’ ahead of F1 future decision
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.
Three options are seemingly on the table for Alonso, as his current Aston Martin deal ticks towards its conclusion.
He could re-sign with Aston Martin, walk away from Formula 1, or explore a return to Alpine. Multiple sources have told PlanetF1.com that reuniting with Alpine’s Flavio Briatore one more time is a key consideration as Alonso plots out his next move.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack expressed “great hopes” that Alonso stays with the team. Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara added: “Fernando should not retire, he’s too quick.”
Alonso, speaking with PlanetF1.com and others at the Red Bull Ring, stressed that he does not need the team “to tell me that I’m fast.”
“I feel it every lap that I do on track, and I’ve been feeling [this],” he added.
Retaining full self-belief in his own talent, Alonso must soon decide how we wishes to deploy it.
“I have not taken any decision,” he said. “I will wait until probably the summer break, which is August, and after summer it’s Zandvoort, Monza, I think around that time I will probably decide what to do next year.
“I will keep racing because I’m feeling fast, and I feel motivated, and I love what I do, and I will not stop now. I don’t feel uncompetitive. I don’t feel that I don’t enjoy racing.
“If I race in Formula 1 or not, that’s a different story. I need to enjoy the category. I need to enjoy the feeling of driving these power units and these regulations and these kind of things. There are many factors to put in place, and there are many options to race in the world of motorsport.”
More on Fernando Alonso from PlanetF1.com
‘Borderline abuse’ of Aston Martin claimed by Alonso in Alpine rumours response
Aston Martin sends clear message amid Alonso to Alpine rumours
What Alonso did guarantee was that his “commitment” to the Aston Martin project will be unchanged regardless of the decision which he makes.
That is an important comment at a time when the Alpine return rumours have emerged.
Alonso has a clear goal with Aston Martin which somehow, someway, he is determined to achieve.
“But I still love Formula 1. I’m committed to this team,” Alonso continued. “So even if I don’t race, my commitment with the team and with the project is the same, and still the same as what it has been for four years now.
“We started this in a way together with some success in 2023 and with a lot of changes in the company and in the campus in Silverstone, now with the partnership with Honda, with Aramco with the new fuels. There are a lot of things that we built together in a way.
“As I said many times, this team, there is a certain guarantee that it will succeed, and it will fight for world championships. We don’t know if that will be next year, in three years’ time or in eight years’ time. That’s probably my limitation behind the wheel.
“But I want to win a world championship with Aston Martin, with or without driving. That’s still the same commitment in my case.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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 – Austrian GP predictions: Hamilton title talk silenced, Mercedes engine disaster, Leclerc revival
