Spain’s Formula One veteran Fernando Alonso confirmed Thursday that he won’t race at 50, signaling a clear end to his illustrious career.
At 43, Alonso leads Aston Martin into their 100th F1 race this Sunday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, bringing the energy and passion of a driver half his age.
The experienced racer, whose age surpasses that of rookies Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman combined, holds an open-ended contract with Aston Martin, a team backed by Lawrence Stroll, father of his teammate, Lance.
Though recent results have been modest, Aston Martin’s ambitious project was enticing enough to bring design legend Adrian Newey from Red Bull.
Given their recent lack of form – Alonso’s last podium finish was in 2023 – Aston Martin could benefit from Newey adding some of his magic to this season’s car.
However, the man whose car designs helped Red Bull win 13 titles – six drivers’ championships and seven constructors’ titles – is focusing purely on 2026 and the next major shift in F1’s technical landscape.
“He’s working only on ’26, and I totally support that,” Alonso said.
“I want to drive an Adrian-designed car,” he added when asked how long his familiar grizzled features would remain on the grid.
“Not at 50 for sure.”
“After 2026, I don’t know. I’ll go season by season and see how motivated I am,” he said. “Right now, I’m very motivated. Let’s do it until 2026, and then we’ll sit and talk and check what’s best for the team.”
Alonso, preparing for his 51st race with Aston Martin, which he joined in 2023 from Alpine, reflected on “an incredible journey so far.”
Despite yet to score a point this season, he said: “We are a much better team, a much more prepared team to fight for world championships than we were two years ago.”
“Then, we had a very small factory, we were using Mercedes’ wind tunnel, and maybe we didn’t have the right people and partners in the project,” he added.
“So, yeah, the results on track on Sunday aren’t the same as before. But I feel very relaxed, very motivated. And this is just a transition time.”