F1 News: Fernando Alonso Reveals Feelings Behind Formula 1 Retirement

Fernando Alonso opens up on his potential F1 retirement and how he is still fighting for a third championship title.

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso (14) of Team Spain walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Fernando Alonso has spoken about his potential retirement from Formula 1 as well as revealing his dream of clinching a third championship title. He considers 2026, with its regulatory changes, as possibly his last opportunity to achieve this ambition.

During an interview with BBC Sport, the Spanish driver explained:

"I still dream. Why not? I know 2026 is probably my only chance because 2025 is extremely difficult, but I am still dreaming.

"F1 is for dreamers, probably, because anything can happen. Let's see."

Alonso's challenges to enter the history books again are considerable. His last Grand Prix victory occurred 11 years ago, with his most recent drivers' title dating back 18 years. In 2023, he demonstrated a promising career resurgence with Aston Martin, securing several podium finishes. However, the subsequent season has been less successful, with his best performance being a fifth-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Alonso's future prospects are bolstered by developments at Aston Martin, especially the acquisition of Adrian Newey. Newey is slated to join the team in March 2025, creating the car for the new regulations of 2026. Alonso is optimistic about working under Newey's technical genius, a collaboration he describes as “destiny.” He remarked:

"Expectations will be high because it is a new car, change of regulations, car made by Adrian.

"Probably - or at least to start - it will be my last season in F1. Because my contract finishes at the end of 2026. It is the time of delivering and the time of truth. High expectations.

"Destiny. It seems like destiny always I was missing the opportunity. But he came now at the end of my career and I will still enjoy as much as I can, try to learn from him.

"We have this mutual respect. We exchanged some messages and spoke from time to time and it seems like we connected always. We never worked together but we were always in the same frequency when we talked in the past. I am looking forward.

"And for Aston Martin it is a big thing."

The seasoned driver's commitment to performance extends beyond the track, manifesting in his rigorous training and disciplined lifestyle. Alonso discounts the impact of age, attributing his longevity to his dedication to the sport. He added:

"No, I don't. I'm not thinking too much on that. Media reminds me from time to time some of the stats and some of the numbers but for me I feel like I was 25 or 30 and I keep racing in F1.

"I don't feel it. I feel motivated, I feel fresh, I feel fit to drive and to do the same training I was doing for 20 years now, because it is the same routine more or less.

"I think because my discipline of working and training and dedicating myself to F1 has been quite extreme, and the results maybe are paying off.

"I have never been missing any test session or any debrief or any factory time or training. I have never been out or partying too much.

"Maybe the results are coming now in my 40s, but the starting point was at 20s or 30s, when you need to dedicate yourself to F1 for a long period of time to achieve some results later on."

Alonso's current contract with Aston Martin concludes in 2026, a year he anticipates could be his last in Formula 1. However, Alonso leaves the door ajar for continuation, contingent upon the outcomes of that season.

"If 2026 is running smoothly and we are having a good time and there is a possibility to race one more year, I will be open [to it] for sure.

"I will not close the door beforehand. But I will not start thinking that and I will take every race as if it is my last race and I will enjoy every second."