Fernando Alonso confirms F1 retirement plan

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso has confirmed his plans for retirement amid the worst start to a season in the sport he has ever endured.

The 43-year-old is currently competing in his 22nd F1 campaign and his third with Silverstone-based outfit Aston Martin, but the question of when he will bring an end to his lengthy career remains unanswered.

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Following his first points finish of the year last time out at his home grand prix, Alonso has shed light on his attitude towards his racing future now that Aston Martin have acquired the talents of F1 design legend Adrian Newey.

Speaking across the European triple-header, the Spaniard issued an update on where his head is at over retirement, citing the 2026 car as the deciding factor.

"It will be a very important one, yes. Not the final one," he said when asked how decisive Aston Martin's 2026 challenger will be when considering his future in the sport.

"I think I need to see how next year starts and how motivated I am. Every year, there is a different mood into the season.

"There is a different feeling on how you perform, how competitive you feel yourself, how motivated you are to keep your fitness at the high level, personal situation, family situation - all these things play a role in some important decisions in life," Alonso explained.

How much longer will Alonso stay in F1?

Lawrence Stroll's F1 team acquired Alonso's signature ahead of the 2023 season and his current contract is set to end at the end of next year, when he will be 45 years old.

However, now that Newey and his championship-winning track record have settled into their new home at Aston Martin, Alonso's reluctance to leave the sport just yet could be rewarded.

Aston Martin are hopeful that Newey can help them get a headstart on the 2026 regulations overhaul, with the 66-year-old having brought championship success to former teams Williams, McLaren and Red Bull over the last 35 years.

Whether Alonso will still be racing at the team to benefit from Newey's talent is yet to be confirmed, although the Spaniard did not seem ready to give up just yet.

"You need to feel it when it's time and I don't feel it yet," Alonso stated regarding his retirement.

"I jump in the car and I'm on the grid, and I'm just so happy to be there and motivated and performing well."

"At the end of the day, the stopwatch will tell me also when I have to stop. Or I have a physical condition that is bad, or I have pain driving or whatever, that could happen as well.

"Sometimes you get a little bit injured, you get some bad races. But if we keep it healthy and in good conditions, the stopwatch also will tell me one day that I don't feel fast enough or I don't feel that I can put the lap together. But so far, I'm happy with that.

"I'm happy when I'm on the grid. When I finish the race on Sunday, even if the results are not nice at the moment, I'm so motivated to go to the next race and try to overcome the bad race and have a better one."

"So all these kind of things are very alive now, but there is no guarantee that this will be forever."

Alonso currently holds the unwanted record of the second-longest winless streak in F1, sitting behind Nico Hulkenberg with 209 races since his last grand prix victory.

The 43-year-old needs to take things one step at a time however, and considering he only just secured his first points of the season after nine rounds, his focus clearly remains on the next race weekend, which takes place at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve between June 13 and June 15, 2025.

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