Fernando Alonso Commits to Aston Martin for the Future: Believes in Team’s Rise in F1

Last week, Fernando Alonso extended his contract with Aston Martin by several years. Their news came surprisingly early, and perhaps it was surprising considering that their team did not perform very well at the start of this season, so it did not seem that they fully believed the their competitor.

Alonso has finally committed and, as he has made clear, he has no doubts that Silverstone is the best place for the future.

“There is no other team in the field that has the ambition and plans that Aston has for the future.”

“At the same time, of course, these goals must be achieved and these results must be achieved. The team was still very new two years ago. Since then, he has more or less doubled the number of employees at the factory. They used an old Jordanian building, which is now a very modern factory.” – reminded the two-time world champion.

Alonso admitted that he wanted to wait a few races this year before making a decision, because he wanted to see where they were going. Although, compared to the beginning of last year, they did not achieve podium positions this time, the green team assured him in terms of development.“Okay, we weren’t on the podium, but I feel it’s a very close fight between four teams behind Red Bull. There will be competitions where we will be better, other times we will be worse. In the first competitions, we introduced innovations four times, we brought improvements to each competition. This is encouraging.”

“The team is improving. Of course, you can never be fast enough in Formula 1, it’s a challenging sport and a challenging environment. Eighteen or twenty-two years ago, however, we still had a small factory, the old Jordan factory, and now we are here, half a tenth is deciding between them and Ferrari or Mercedes, yes us among the top teams. It is the progress, the intentions that make this project different. That’s why I want to be a part of it” explained Alonso.

Expect results

At the same time, he also said that he will keep the promises on Aston Martin accountable. Asked how certain he is that he won’t change his mind by 2026, he said: “Of course, I also wanted to see how the team worked. There is no guarantee that I won’t look for something else if I feel good, but at the same time I see that things are not going well in Aston and the car is difficult to drive. ​and we are not competitive, or if I do. you can’t see progress with the team.”

“We had a very fast car last year and we need to learn from those lessons off track, how to improve the car to keep up with the front teams. We are maintaining this level of development this year, which I consider a good sign. But at the end of the day you have to win races and championships and that’s the hard part.”

he pointed out.

His confidence in the team has not been shaken by the weakest start to the year. “I am very happy. I was happy last year and still am. I feel good with the team. I want a better rating. Last year, we were fighting for more results at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year we were close to where we are now: as the fifth fastest team. This year we have a plan to develop the car more aggressively, suitable for a top team that wants to fight for big things. And I’m glad to see that.”

Fernando Alonso (Photo: Aston Martin)

One year would not be enough

Alonso knows that it will take more time for Aston Martin to become a real starter, and that the new rules in 2026 could give them their real chance. That’s why the earlier retirement was not an issue for him either. “I don’t want to be wrong, a one-year contract would have been too small for me, I wouldn’t have seen the point. Of course, this doesn’t mean I would have gotten a one-year contract elsewhere. We discussed with Aston from the beginning that the attractive thing about this project is that we want to build something. “

“We took over the new campus last year, the new wind tunnel will be ready this year, and the new regulations will come in 2026. Honda is coming as a partner. I just had to follow the new rules with this new project, the new wind tunnel.”

“We have very talented people, we can benefit from the new background. So there were many factors that made Aston attractive for 2026. But it’s not just about 2026, because for me it’s also a lifelong project in some ways. This is the longest contract I have signed in my life, with Aston Martin for many, many years. Let’s see what role and how long I compete. But even after that, I will have twenty-five years of F1 experience, ten to fifteen years outside F1, so forty years of experience in motorsport, which I can use for the benefit of the team. I am very excited about the years to come” announced the Spaniard.