Alonso opens door to 2027 stay despite Aston struggles

Fernando Alonso refuses to leave F1 'feeling beaten'. Aston Martin's slow 2026 start has not yet cooled his appetite for a 25th season, and talks with Lawrence Stroll continue.

Fernando Alonso has hinted he could extend his Formula 1 career into 2027, despite Aston Martin's difficult start to the new era.

The 44-year-old, whose contract expires this year, confirmed talks with team owner Lawrence Stroll are ongoing.

"I haven't started thinking about the future yet," Alonso said in Miami.

"I've had conversations with Lawrence and the team - we met last week in Monaco and had dinner, but we didn't talk much about the future. We're aligned on everything and we talk more about the present."

"At some point this year, around summer or right after, I know I have to make a decision. I haven't started thinking about it yet. I need to talk to my family first to decide what to do, and I'm very calm."

However, he made clear he does not want to leave under the current circumstances.

"Leaving the sport with this feeling wouldn't be the best," Alonso admitted.

"I want to leave the sport feeling fast, not someone who's been beaten by everyone and is making mistakes."

"If I continue competing, I think it will be a better season than this one because the project will be in its second year."

On track, however, he says his concerns about the 2026 rules remain - despite the Miami regulation tweaks.

"This power unit and these rules will always reward going slower through the corners, because that way you have more energy," Alonso said.

"So the small changes might improve clipping a little, but the team tells me that if we went back to Suzuka with the rule changes, we'd have more clipping than we did. It seems contradictory."

He also warned Aston Martin and Honda's upgrades will not transform performance immediately.

"We've brought solutions for reliability and vibrations, but nothing for performance," he said.

"I hope we'll have less vibration in the steering wheel so we can have a better race. One step at a time."

Even if he leaves Formula 1, Alonso insists he will not retire from racing entirely.

"If I stop, I can compete in other categories," he said.

"I will continue competing in one way or another and remain connected to the team."

Fernando Alonso, at a glance

See also: full Fernando Alonso career stats archive on F1-Fansite.

Related: De la Rosa says Alonso's future hinges on Aston Martin's crisis.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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