The journey is not over yet. Fernando Alonso will remain on the F1 grid until 2026 at least.
It has been confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the 42-year-old is staying with Aston Martin for another 2 years at least as an agreement on a new multi-year deal was reached with the team.
Alonso made his Formula 1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix in a Minardi. Since that day at Albert Park, he has won 32 races and sealed 2 Drivers’ Championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006. He also came agonisingly close to the title in 2007, 2010 and 2012.
Following the indecisiveness by Alpine on whether they should hand the Spaniard a multi-year deal beyond his contract that ran out in 2022, Alonso took matters into his own hands by signing with Aston Martin after Sebastian Vettel had confirmed he would be retiring from the sport at the end of that campaign.
Since joining the team last year, Alonso has secured 8 podiums, including three P2 finishes in Monaco, Canada and Zandvoort. He ended up in P4 in the Drivers’ Championship last year in spite of the AMR23 losing performance as the season went on.
The two-time F1 World Champion has finished in the points in all 4 races run so far in 2024, placing 6th in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Sunday. He sits P8 in the championship on 24 points.
In a 5-word press release by Aston Martin, Alonso declared ‘I am here to stay’. He will be 45 when his contract runs out in 2026.
