Why Fernando Alonso could win another title before Lewis Hamilton

A composite image split down the middle with Alonso in Aston Martin green with a green background on the left and Hamilton in Ferrari red with a red background on the right. Both are serious headshots with their cars behind them — Photo: © IMAGO

Fernando Alonso

Why Fernando Alonso could win another title before Lewis Hamilton

Fernando Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 6 January 2026 13:51

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Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has suggested the reason why Fernando Alonso is more likely to challenge for another world championship than Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso has not won a world championship since 2006, but is still going strong at the ripe old age of 44.

The Spaniard has raced in the most grands prix ever, and his longevity is incredible given he made his F1 debut all the way back in 2001.

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Alonso now finds himself at Aston Martin, and is hoping that the arrival of design legend Adrian Newey is going to allow him to challenge for more podiums in the future, and maybe even a 33rd grand prix win.

In 2025, Alonso outqualified younger team-mate Lance Stroll on all 24 occasions across the season, and finished above him for the third season in a row in the drivers' championship.

Seven-time champion Hamilton, meanwhile, was vastly outperformed by his young team-mate Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque driver finishing 86 points ahead of Hamilton in the Brit's first season with Ferrari.

When asked whether Alonso can still challenge for a third world title, Schumacher said in an interview with F1-Insider: "Why not? I think he’s still driving the car himself. With Lewis, you sometimes get the feeling that the car is driving him.

"Fernando seems relaxed, even when he gets out of the race car. Experience helps too, and Fernando has plenty of it. He’s super motivated."

Is Alonso more likely to challenge for 2026 title than Hamilton?

After their fierce rivalry at McLaren in 2007, Hamilton and Alonso now find themselves in a similar predicament.

Neither driver has time on their side, and both drivers are desperately hoping that their team can improve when the regulations are changed for the 2026 season.

Ferrari and Aston Martin finished fourth and seventh respectively in the constructors' championship in 2025, hardly inspiring for either world champion.

Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and he is hoping that the arrival of Newey at the Silverstone-based outfit will allow him to go in search of that 33rd career race victory.

There's no doubt that if Aston Martin do miraculously provide a car that's capable of challenging at the top, then it will be Alonso rather than Stroll who will be fighting for the championship.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Hamilton. Despite being the most successful driver in the history of the sport, if Ferrari provide their drivers with a dominant car in 2026 then 2025 performance would suggest that it would be Leclerc, not Hamilton, that would be fighting for the title.

In this sense, Alonso is more likely to challenge for the world championship than Hamilton, but it depends whether you have more faith in Aston Martin or Ferrari.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Fernando Alonso Ralf Schumacher