F1 News: Fernando Alonso clarifies F1 future amid links Mercedes links

Fernando Alonso en conferencia de prensa en Bahréin — Photo: © IMAGO

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Alonso clarifies F1 future amid links Mercedes links

The Spaniard's Aston Martin contract expires at the end of this season

Tyler Rowlinson

Thursday 28 March 2024 05:00

Fernando Alonso has shed some clarity on his future in F1 and how he will decide where he will end up.

The oldest driver on the grid at 42-years-old, the Spaniard remains one of the most competitive drivers on the grid, having scored eight podiums in his debut season with Aston Martin last year.

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Alonso is one of 13 drivers out of contract at the end of the season and has admitted that he must weigh up his options before making a decision.

The two-time world champion is open to staying at Aston Martin if there is a project there and has been linked with a move to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton where he moves to Ferrari, but he has also conceded that retirement is an option he is considering.

Fernando Alonso is out of contract at the end of the year

The Spaniard is considering retirement from the sport

Alonso: I will be the owner of my destiny

“It didn’t change much, and it will not change in the next few weeks or races. I don’t want to wait maybe until the summer, because I think that will be unfair for me and the team, if they have to find more options or things like that.

“But I don’t want to rush as well, and make a decision while my head is not into next year.

“As I said now, my head is so focused now on the things I would love to test on the car after the learnings of the first few events, everything is so exciting about the performance, if I need to think about next year, it’s like, ah, this is not the right time now to think.”

Alonso finished with eight podiums last season

Alonso has insisted that he will not wait for other movements in the driver market for 2025 before deciding where he will end up for next season.

“I’ve been always that way. Sometimes it did help me, sometimes it hurt me to be my own, the owner of my destiny,” he addressed.

“I chose when to go from a team, when to join a team. I chose when to stop Formula 1. And I chose when to come back.

“And now I will choose what I do next year. I will not follow what others do, and they dictate my destiny. I will do it on my own, for good or for bad, it’s the way that I am.”

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Aston Martin Fernando Alonso