Fernando Alonso says the new 2026 Formula 1 car will be “very important” when he makes his decision to retire or to stay in the sport.
Alonso, who scored his first points of the season in Spain with a ninth-placed finish, has a contract with Aston Martin until the end of 2026 when he will be 45 years old.
Next year will see the biggest technical overhaul in F1 history with new car regulations that are set to shake up the pecking order.
“It will be a very important one, yes. Not the final one,” said Alonso when asked how decisive the 2026 car will be when considering his options.
“I think I need to see how next year starts and how motivated I am. Every year, there is a different mood into the season.
“There is a different feeling on how you perform, how competitive you feel yourself, how motivated you are to keep your fitness at the high level, personal situation, family situation – all these things play a role in some important decisions in life.”
Watch the moment as Fernando Alonso exits the pit lane with both front brakes on fire during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Alonso showed his enduring quality in 2023 when he scored eight podiums, and he has continued to have the upper hand on team-mate Lance Stroll, whose participation in the next F1 race in Montreal is unclear after he pulled out of the Spanish Grand Prix due to pain in his hand and wrist which will require surgery.
The 43-year-old says he will need to be “100 per cent sure” about retiring from F1, having taken three seasons out of the sport after 2018.
“You need to feel it when it’s time and I don’t feel it yet. I jump in the car and I’m on the grid, and I’m just so happy to be there and motivated and performing well,” he continued.
Watch the bizarre moment Fernando Alonso’s steering wheel suddenly comes off in practice two of the Bahrain Grand Prix
“At the end of the day, the stopwatch will tell me also when I have to stop. Or I have a physical condition that is bad, or I have pain driving or whatever, that could happen as well.
“Sometimes you get a little bit injured, you get some bad races. But if we keep it healthy and in good conditions, the stopwatch also will tell me one day that I don’t feel fast enough or I don’t feel that I can put the lap together. But so far, I’m happy with that.
“I’m happy when I’m on the grid. When I finish the race on Sunday, even if the results are not nice at the moment, I’m so motivated to go to the next race and try to overcome the bad race and have a better one.
“So all these kind of things are very alive now, but there is no guarantee that this will be forever.”
Fernando Alonso is out of the Australian GP after spinning and hitting the wall triggering a safety car
Alonso: Newey was ‘fantastic’ in Monaco appearance
Aston Martin will hope legendary designer Adrian Newey’s arrival at the team can vault them up the pecking order in 2026.
Newey, who has enjoyed championship success over the last 35 years at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, attended his first Grand Prix in Aston Martin colours last month in Monaco, which Alonso says was “great to witness”.
“It was fantastic. I think the way he sees things on the car, even statically in the pit lane or at the grid, also in the garage, spotting some things that we could have done better or do better in the future,” he said.
Aston Martin’s managing technical partner Adrian Newey reveals the details of his role as he makes his first appearance with the team at the Monaco GP
“His presence in the meeting room is always special and, I think… not intimidating… but the level of the team was higher thanks to his presence because everyone was more focused, more into the details of the car.
“People that were talking in the meeting knew that they could not say anything too far from the truth because he will spot it. I hope next year with more races that he will come, we will keep learning from him and getting better as a team.”
Aston Martin will be the only team supplied by a Honda engine next year, which could be a benefit to integrate the car and power unit together.
Alonso confirmed Aston Martin’s focus is on 2026, where “all the hopes are”.
Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell revealed Adrian Newey has already been ‘scribbling’ in his notebook on his first race appearance with Aston Martin
“In order to be confident and strong in ’26, you have to build the momentum also in ’25, and you have to deliver some parts on track that are making the car faster as well in ’25,” he added.
“That will, I think, give some confidence to the team as well, back in Silverstone and also in our tools to make sure that everything that we are developing in ’26, it makes sense, because we go on track and it delivers the expectations.
“I think there is a little bit of work still on ’25, but the main focus or the hopes are in ’26. We understand the situation.
“We understand where we are in 2025, and whatever we bring to the track will just be a minimum change in terms of positions and finishing order. I think the biggest step in that regard can only happen in ’26, where all the hopes are.”
The 2025 Formula 1 season pauses for breath after the European triple-header before resuming live on Sky Sports F1 with the Canadian Grand Prix from June 13-15. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
