“Retirement not an option” says Alonso as new deal keeps him in F1 until 45 · RaceFans

Fernando Alonso’s pursuit of the third world championship which has eluded him for almost 20 years will further extend what is already the longest Formula 1 career of all time.

Soon after starting his second season at Aston Martin he agreed a new deal with the team which will keep him in the cockpit until 2026, when he turns 45 years old.

Few drivers in recent decades have raced into their forties. Alonso took the place of another multiple world champion, Sebastian Vettel, who left F1 at the age of 35. But Alonso said yesterday his mind “never went” to the possibility of retirement, and he plans to carry on racing in other series once he leaves the world championship.

“When I stop Formula 1 I will race elsewhere,” he told media including RaceFans. “Maybe Dakar or something like that.

“For me, it’s very difficult to really think about a life without a steering wheel in my hands. That will never happen, or not in the short term. I had 99% confidence that I will keep racing next year, so retirement was not an option.”

When the season began, following the news of Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the end of the year, Alonso responded to questions about his future by saying he intended to decide after the opening races. It didn’t take him long to make the decision.

“I needed a few races or a few weeks to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit for more years in Formula 1,” he said. “Because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now. The cars as well.

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“The commitments, my love for Formula 1 and my love for Aston Martin didn’t change. But I just wanted this time to really speak with myself and make the decision and the commitment.

“Obviously Formula 1 takes all time, all your energy. You have to give up basically everything in life to keep racing. And I wanted just to speak with myself if I was ready to do so.”

In 2022 Alpine paid the price for dithering over whether to extend Alonso’s contract and Aston Martin pounced. He delivered eight podium trophies for them last year and scored almost three-quarters of their points, so it’s hardly a surprise the team was eager to keep him on board.

“Once I took the decision – I think it was after Australia or something like that – I sat with Aston, which again is exactly the same as what I said in February that will be my first priority….