Fernando Alonso could be at Aston Martin for 'years' to come

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso could be at Aston Martin for 'years' to come

Fernando Alonso has had a difficult start to the year

By Sam Cook.

Saturday 27 June 2026 23:00

Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso may have just dropped a huge clue about his future in the sport.

The two-time world champion has had a disastrous start to 2026, only picking up one point from the opening seven grand prix weekends of the season, as his Aston Martin team have struggled with reliability issues.

But despite this, Alonso has still been outperforming his much younger team-mate Lance Stroll, beating him in qualifying 6-1 so far across the season.

Article continues under video

It's proof that the 44-year-old still has what it takes to compete against his rivals, but Aston Martin's struggles means that his time is often spent fighting right at the back of the pack with Stroll and Cadillac pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Alonso is due to be out of contract at the end of this season, and he's still not sure whether or not to continue on for another year.

Alonso issues timescale for future decision

Aston Martin's chief trackside officer Mike Krack said ahead of the Austrian GP that Alonso is there to stay, and praised the 44-year-old's still impressive speed.

But Alonso has said that he still hasn't made his mind up on his future, stating that it's not all down to how he feels that he can perform.

"It doesn't change anything," Alonso told media ahead of the race weekend. "I don't need Mike [Krack] to tell me that I'm fast. I feel it every lap of the day on track, and I've been feeling always that.

"Let's see, I have not taken any decision. I will wait until probably the summer break, which is August, and after break is Zandvoort, Monza. I think around that time I will probably decide what to do next year. I will keep racing because I'm feeling fast and I feel motivated and I love what I do. And I will not stop now, because I don't feel uncompetitive or I don't feel that I don't enjoy racing.

"If I race in Formula 1 or not, that's a different story. I need to enjoy the category, I need to enjoy the feeling of driving these power units and these regulations and this kind of thing. There are many factors to put in place and there are many options to raise in the world of motorsport. But I still love Formula 1.

"I'm committed to this team also, so even if I don't race, my commitment with the team and with the project is the same and still the same as what it has been for years now. We started this in a way together with some success in 2023. And with a lot of changes in the company and in the campus in Silverstone, now with the partnership with Honda, with Aramco, with the new fuels.

"There are a lot of things that we built together in a way, and as I said many times, this team is there is certain guarantees that it will succeed and will fight for world championships. We don't know if that will be next year, in three years' time, or in eight years' time. That's probably my limitation behind the wheel. But that I want to win a world championship with Aston Martin, with or without driving, that's still the same commitment in my case.

"I mean there are always rumours you know and we've been very bad treated by the outside world. And it's normal. I mean, we are underperforming, we are in a bad moment, and when summer break comes, there are always rumours. There are rumours at the top teams. There are rumours also in our case because we are underperforming. But as I said, my commitment with Aston Martin is beyond my driving time."

F1 Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Austrian Grand Prix