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Fernando Alonso is considering his past, present and future in Formula 1 – and most of all his thoughts on his prospects of winning a third world drivers’ title, even though he is 43 and it’s 18 years since his last.
“I still dream,” Alonso says. “Why not? I know 2026 is probably my only chance because 2025 is extremely difficult, but I am still dreaming.
“F1 is for dreamers, probably, because anything can happen. Let’s see.”
It’s a comment that says a lot about Alonso. It talks to his pure love of what he does, and his unwavering belief that, despite the experiences of the past decade and more of his career, fresh success could be just around the corner.
11 years and counting since Alonso secured the last of his 32 grands prix victories. It’s a year and a half since a promising start to 2023 meant he re-emerged as a regular frontrunner in his Aston Martin, and put together a string of podium finishes – even almost end that long drought – before his team’s form faded.
And at the end of the longest season in history, his early hopes have again been dashed against the cold hard reality of F1 results.
Yet here is Alonso, still believing more wins, and even another championship to add to the two he won with Renault in 2005 and 2006, could be just around the corner.
It might not sound like it, but his belief is founded on rationality. Three months ago, Aston Martin shook F1 when they announced the signing of Adrian Newey – the greatest designer in the sport’s history.
The 65-year-old, who announced in May he was leaving Red Bull after 18 years, starts work with his new team in March 2025. The hope – no, expectation – is Newey can work his magic on the car Aston Martin design for the new rules coming into force in 2026, and they can leap to the front.
“Expectations will be high because it is a new car, change of regulations, car made by Adrian,” Alonso said.
“Probably – or at least to start – it will be my last season in F1. Because my contract finishes at the end of 2026. It is the time of delivering and the time of truth. High expectations.”
Listen: Chequered Flag – Fernando Alonso Special
A marriage long in the waiting
For Alonso, Aston Martin joining forces with Newey at last is a bittersweet moment, not least because he knows before it starts their time together will be short.
The pair have come close to working together a number of times over the years. Now, Alonso finally gets the chance to race one of Newey’s cars, but it will be when he is 44, coming up for 45. Even Alonso cannot keep going forever.
After deciding not to join Red Bull at the end of 2007, then not reaching a deal to join them when they had further talks in 2013, why does he think he and Newey have finally come together now?
“Destiny,” Alonso says. “It seems like destiny always I was missing the opportunity. But he came now at the end of my career and I will still enjoy as much as I can, try to learn from him.
“We have this mutual respect. We exchanged some messages and spoke from time to time and it seems like we connected always. We never worked together but we were always in the same frequency when we talked in the past. I am looking forward.
“And for Aston Martin it is a big thing.”
