Fernando Alonso outlines timeline for F1 retirement decision

Fernando Alonso has revealed a timeline for deciding whether the 2026 Formula 1 season will be his last, as he continues on his 23rd campaign with the Miami Grand Prix.

Alonso will turn 45 years old in July, and is all too aware that his career in the top level of single-seaters is nearing its end, with his existing Aston Martin deal set to expire at the end of the year.

“I didn’t start yet to think about the future. I have conversations with Lawrence [Stroll - team owner] and the team. We met in Monaco as well this weekend, and we had a nice dinner together, but we never discussed deeply the future. We are aligned on everything; we are a team, but we are talking more about the present, to be honest, than the future. 

“But I know that at one point this year, around the summertime or right after the summer, I need to make a decision, and at the moment, I haven’t sat with myself yet to think about it.”

Cutting a comfortable figure when discussing his future with media in Miami, the two-time champion made clear that whatever the future may hold, he is comfortable he will not be short of a seat somewhere in motorsport.

“I don’t have…as I said, I never thought about it in a deep way," he added. "I need to speak about it with my family as well. I need to speak with my people first and decide what to do next year. I’m very relaxed about it. If I continue racing, I think it will be a better season than this one with the project in year two. If I stopped racing, I know that I will race in other series. As I have said many times, Dakar will be a possibility. If one day I can win in endurance racing, Formula 1, and rally/cross-country, that will probably be unprecedented, and that is something that is very appealing. 

“I drove the prototype, the Valkarye, a few weeks ago, and that was a nice feeling as well, so maybe Le Mans one day again. I’m not too worried. When I stop Formula 1, I will keep racing somehow, and I will still link with the team in a different role for sure, in the future. Either way, I’m relaxed, and I will be active in a way when I stop Formula 1.”

Conceding that Aston Martin's current struggles may leave a bitter taste in his mouth should this season be his last, Alonso joked: "These things you cannot choose, when to stop racing. Only Rosberg did."

Giving the overriding impression that it will be predominantly his decision when to step aside, and Aston Martin would not push him out for a younger talent, the Spaniard said: “You cannot be 100% sure about it, but I’m performing, I think, well enough to show the team that I can give them the results if the car is competitive. I am helping the team as much as I can, and I think it could be more up to me.”