My heart hurt:Fernando Alonso talks with rival teams and a reunion With...

Fernando Alonso has placed the latest piece in the F1 driver market puzzle with the announcement that he will be remaining in the sport with Aston Martin via a fresh long-term deal – and the Spaniard faced the world’s media shortly after the news was communicated on Thursday to share all…

Alonso’s future had been the subject of much speculation over the first four rounds of the campaign after Lewis Hamilton kicked off ‘silly season’ early by making the decision to swap Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 – with the veteran racer, and plenty of other drivers, yet to confirm their plans.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff namechecked Alonso as one of the contenders that stood out to replace Hamilton, while the two-time world champion himself admitted he was likely an “attractive” option to teams across the grid given his vast experience and title-winning credentials.

But a few days on from the Japanese Grand Prix, Alonso and Aston Martin confirmed that they had agreed an all-new, multi-year deal that will keep the star driver onboard through 2025 and, importantly, into F1’s new era of technical regulations in 2026.

Half an hour after a press release quote that simply read “I am here to stay”, Alonso took centre stage for a media session, in which he fielded a host of questions about his newly-signed contract, how it came about and what it means for the years ahead.

First up, was it an easy or difficult decision to remain in green?

“It was easy,” came Alonso’s clear response. “I think it didn’t change much from when we spoke in February at the car launch. I needed a few races, or a few weeks, to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit [to] more years in F1, because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now, the cars as well, the commitment.

“My love for F1 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, F1 takes all your time, all your energy, you have to give up basically everything in life to keep racing, and I wanted to just speak with myself [to see] if I was ready to do so.