When Fernando Alonso will decide on his F1 future

Fernando Alonso has revealed that he will decide on his Formula 1 future around the summer break as questions surrounding his retirement begin to intensify.

The 44-year-old is currently contesting his 23rd season in the championship after making his debut in 2001, claiming two titles and 32 grand prix victories during that time.

But the Aston Martin driver’s contract expires at the end of the 2026 campaign and it has been a horrible start to the new regulations as the team is last and without a point across the opening three rounds.

Alonso is simply making do with the inferior machinery at his disposal, and given his dislike of the now more electrical ruleset, it might be seen as a good time to depart F1 - but that decision is set for a later date.

“I didn't start yet to think about the future,” said Alonso ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. “I have conversations with Lawrence [Stroll, team owner] and the team regularly. We met in Monaco last weekend as well and we had a nice dinner together.

“But we never discussed deeply the future. We are aligned on everything. We are a team but we are talking more about the present, to be honest, than the future.

“But I know that at one point this year, around summer time or right after summer, I need to make a decision. At the moment I didn't start with myself yet to think about it.”

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing (Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images)

If Alonso departs then it would be his second ‘retirement’ from F1 after leaving McLaren at the end of 2018 to contest other forms of racing, before returning with Alpine in 2021.

Key to his eventual decision will be how he compares against his rivals as the Spaniard is keen to ensure he isn’t still racing when the other 21 drivers are clearly faster than him.

“Leaving the sport with a bad taste is not always the best thing,” added Alonso, who holds the record for the most grand prix starts on 428. “These things you cannot choose when to stop racing - only [Nico] Rosberg did.

“Otherwise, it's difficult to choose. I'm very relaxed and I'm very happy with my career. I'm very happy with what I was able to live and to experience and what the sport gave me.

“This is a gift. Since I came back in 2021, it has been a gift to keep racing and to feel competitive. I also want to leave the sport one day when I feel fast.

“I don't want to leave the sport when everyone is beating me, when I feel slow and I make mistakes and all these kind of things. I know that I'm at my 100% now and I want to leave also when I feel that way.”

Alonso won the 2018-19 WEC title with Toyota (Photo by: Paul Foster)

Alonso is also keen to remain in motorsport should he leave F1. It is a similar scenario to the late 2010s, when he won the World Endurance Championship and took two victories with Toyota at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

During that period he also contested the Dakar Rally, won the 2019 Daytona 24 Hours and made three entries at the Indianapolis 500 in the hope of clinching the ‘motorsport triple crown’ - a feat only achieved by Graham Hill.

“I need to speak with my people first and decide what to do next year, I'm very relaxed about it,” said Alonso.

“If I continue racing, I think it will be a better season than this one with the project in year two. If I stop racing, I know that I will race in another series.

“Dakar will be a possibility. If one day I can win in endurance racing, Formula 1 and rally across the country, that will be probably unprecedented. That's something that is very appealing.

“I drove the prototype, the Valkyrie, two weeks ago and that was a nice feeling as well. Maybe Le Mans one day again. I'm not too worried when I stop Formula 1. I will keep racing somehow and I will still link with the team in a different role for sure in the future.

“Either way, I'm relaxed and I will be active in a way when I stop Formula 1.”