Alonso to remain with Aston Martin for at least one more year, saying he 'still feels as fast as anybody'

Fernando Alonso has committed to staying in Formula 1 with Aston Martin for at least one more year, he announced on Tuesday, saying the principal reason for his decision is that he "still feels as fast as anybody." The 45-year-old Spaniard told BBC Sport in his only English language interview about the decision that racing is "in my blood" and that he wants "another go."

Alonso made his F1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, before eight current F1 drivers were born, and he has been weighing up his future throughout this season. His most recent podium came at the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix and he is described in the article as one of the all-time greats of the sport. Alonso said he continues to reject suggestions that he has lost ability and that confidence in his pace was central to his choice to keep racing.

Explaining his decision, Alonso told BBC Sport: "First, this is my life," and added, "I have this in my blood and I keep racing and I keep enjoying and this is a way of life, in a way." He said: "Probably for me the biggest, or the clearest thing to keep racing is I still feel self-confidence that I have something extra." He concluded part of that explanation with: "So let's have another go."

Alonso said his own performance was only one of several considerations, with the 2026 regulations and his team's competitiveness also informing his choice. He noted Aston Martin had been "close to rock bottom for most of this season," and pointed to only a couple of chances this year to show his pace, including a ninth-place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix where he held off Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda. On public recognition he said: "You only prove to people when you are in the podium or you are on TV," and added he was "at peace with this period of time that I'm anonymous, and no one knows that we're still there and we're still fast."

Alonso has been one of the most vocal critics of the 2026 hybrid engines and their effect on driving, highlighting issues such as cars running out of energy before some corners, a process he described as "derating." He used pointed phrases this season including calling F1 the "battery world championship," saying "the chef could drive the car" for a Bahrain corner, and describing some overtakes as "avoidance actions." He said he hopes changes to shift the power ratio to 60-40 in two steps by 2028 "will make things a little bit easier," and commented that circuits such as Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka "were very bad, you know, because they derate and things like that."

Aston Martin's season has been hampered by an uncompetitive car and Honda's engine performance, described in the piece as the worst in the field on the Japanese manufacturer's official return to F1. A major update for the Hungarian Grand Prix "cut something like two seconds off lap times," offering hope for improvement, and Honda's engine upgrade debuted at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August was "not especially convincing." Alonso said living through Honda problems again "has been difficult," referencing his earlier time with McLaren from 2015-17, but added: "They are moving in the right direction. There are no guarantees that next year the engine will be completely fixed but all the changes that are happening in Honda made sense, so I have faith."

Adrian Newey's arrival as Aston Martin's managing technical partner in March 2025 was a key influence on Alonso's decision, with Alonso saying Newey's late start to the year's car development contributed to this season's problems. The article notes Newey has won "14 drivers' and 12 constructors' championships during his career," and Alonso said: "Adrian was probably the biggest contributor to this. We didn't start it right this year but things are moving in the right direction and he's capable of changing things very quickly." He also said: "Aston is my family. I know Lawrence (Stroll, the owner) and Lance (Stroll, Alonso's team-mate) for many, many years. We keep open conversations, many different topics, every week."

Alonso said family did not ultimately decide his choice to continue, despite becoming a father this year when his partner Melissa Jimenez gave birth to their son, Leonard, in March. On whether family altered his approach he said: "I would say not," and added that although Leonard was "only six months old now" this year he expected "next year he will come to 50% of the races or more." Summing up his decision he said: "One more year made all the sense in the world for now." He also hinted it might not be limited to a single season: "I see that it would not be only one year, but I don't have any pressure to think about it."

Aston Martin have also confirmed that Alonso's team-mate Lance Stroll will continue to drive for the team next season.