Aston Martin F1 tipped to sign NEW driver as Fernando Alonso future uncertain

Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Canada, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Aston Martin tipped to sign NEW driver as Fernando Alonso future uncertain

Fernando Alonso issued a retirement update

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 26 September 2025 07:28

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Aston Martin have been tipped to sign a new F1 driver for 2026 amid reports Fernando Alonso could retire after next season.

In a recent interview, Alonso admitted he could retire from F1 at the end of 2026 if Aston Martin are competitive, preferring to leave the sport on a high.

The Spaniard is on the hunt for his third world title, after his last championship victory nearly two decades ago with Renault in 2006.

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Next year’s Aston Martin will feature two major changes, being the first of the team’s cars designed by Adrian Newey and the first year with new power unit supplier Honda.

Alongside the arrival of the Honda engine, could Aston Martin also receive the services of another driver?

Will Yuki Tsunoda join Aston Martin?

One F1 star whose future is shrouded in speculation is Yuki Tsunoda, whose nightmare year at Red Bull could lose him a full-time opportunity in the sport altogether.

When asked on the Sky Sports F1 podcast who she thought Red Bull and Racing Bull’s 2026 lineup should consist of, Jamie Chadwick opted for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, with Liam Lawson alongside F2 championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli at Racing Bulls.

In this eventuality, it would leave Tsunoda without a seat, but as Honda departs Red Bull to Aston Martin, Ted Kravitz suggested the Japanese driver could follow.

“That’s the thing. Is Yuki Red Bull’s guy or is he Honda’s guy?” Kravitz pondered.

“That’s the question. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko always kind of felt that Yuki was linked to Honda, where Yuki was like ‘no, no, no I’m a Red Bull guy’. And it’s whether Laurent Mekies, Helmut Marko and Alan Permane think there is a future in Yuki.

“Or whether Yuki can get himself a third driver at Aston Martin Honda next year, maybe a third driver role? Maybe that’s the way he wants to go, does he want to stay within the Honda fold and not necessarily within the Red Bull family?”

“I don’t know? I’d go Verstappen, Hadjar [Red Bull]. I think Yuki will have a strong end to the year and Racing Bulls will think ‘you know what? Let’s get Yuki back if he’s scoring points again.' And it will be Lawson, Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls.”

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