Fernando Alonso Says Retirement Hinges On Aston Martin Form

• Fernando Alonso said it will be “very hard” to retire from Formula 1 if Aston Martin are not competitive in 2026.
• Alonso has “thought about” leaving the sport but wants to experience success with Aston Martin before stopping.
• The two-time champion praised Adrian Newey’s influence but warned “everything takes a little bit of time to glue all the pieces together.”

Fernando Alonso has said his decision on whether to retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2026 depends heavily on Aston Martin’s performance next season. The 44-year-old two-time world champion’s contract expires next year, and he said he has already considered walking away.

“If things go well, I think it’s a very good moment to stop because I’ve been chasing a competitive car and competitive racing for many, many years, and if I have that I think it’s a very good way to close my career,” Alonso said in an interview released by the team. “Let’s say that if we are competitive, there is more chance that I stop. If we are not competitive, it will be very hard to give up without trying again.”

Alonso, who won his two titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, has not claimed a victory since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix with Ferrari. His career since has been marked by battling in cars that lacked race-winning pace. He finished runner-up three times with Ferrari, missing out on titles to Sebastian Vettel by narrow margins, before a disappointing spell at McLaren with struggling Honda engines.

After leaving F1 in 2018, Alonso found success in endurance racing and the Dakar Rally, before returning with Alpine in 2021 and moving to Aston Martin in 2023. He showed flashes of competitiveness with six podiums in his first eight races there, but the team has since fallen back. Aston Martin currently sits seventh in the constructors’ standings, while Alonso is 14th in the drivers’ championship, narrowly behind teammate Lance Stroll despite a clear qualifying advantage.

A key factor for Alonso is the arrival of Adrian Newey, who joined Aston Martin earlier this year after leaving Red Bull. The Spaniard described the legendary designer’s influence as transformative. “He’s an incredible person and everyone in the team is learning from him,” Alonso said.

With major regulation changes looming in 2026, Alonso sees that year as a critical chance for Aston Martin to become a title contender. “I’m pretty convinced about that,” he said. “The only thing is when. That’s probably my only question mark from this project. In my case, driving in the last couple of years of my career, obviously, I want to taste the success of the Aston Martin project. But I know that everything takes a little bit of time to glue all the pieces together. Aston Martin fighting for and winning the World Championship is more or less guaranteed in the future — we have everything needed to fight for a World Championship. Then, to execute the job and to win it, you need some external factors as well, you need a little help from your competitors, you need a little bit of luck.”