Fernando Alonso jokingly sets F1 2026 retirement condition

Fernando Alonso has joked he will retire from Formula 1 if he manages to finish fifth in a race for Aston Martin this season.

The two-time world champion’s future in F1 remains uncertain after a difficult start to the 2026 season with Aston Martin.

Alonso, who turns 45 in July and became a father for the first time this year, has a contract that expires at the end of the campaign.

Both Aston Martins finished a race for the first time at the Miami Grand Prix as the British squad and Honda finally got on top of the vibration problems that had plagued the AMR26 during the early rounds of the season.

Amid Aston Martin’s continued struggles, Alonso is no closer to making a decision about his future in F1.

Asked if there any condition in which he would make a decision about retiring from F1, Alonso jokingly replied: "If I finish P5 in some race, I will probably retire that afternoon.”

Speaking before the Miami Grand Prix, Alonso admitted he is “open to everything” regarding his future.

"I'm open to everything. I think until probably after the summer break I will not really sit down with the team and make the decision. We need to see also how the car improves and how we see things into next year. I'm very relaxed,” he explained.

"I will continue racing, if it's not F1 I will do Dakar [Rally]. I said many times it's a challenge that I want to take, winning endurance racing, F1 and rally. That will probably be unprecedented for any racing driver in the past, so it's something that is very appealing.

"I will keep active even if I stop F1. I'm also linked with this team, with this project. I want to succeed here, behind the wheel or not behind the wheel, you will see me in the paddock even if I stop racing."

Alonso “at peace” with Aston Martin’s upgrade plan

Alonso may have to wait for better results with Aston Martin not planning to bring any substantial performance upgrades before the summer.

But Alonso insists he agrees with Aston Martin’s decision to prioritise solving its ongoing reliability problems.

"I'm at peace because I understand the situation,” he said. “The team explained to me that if we bring one or two tenths every race, it doesn't change our position. We are P20 or P19 and the next car is one second in front.

"So even if we bring two tenths every race, it doesn't change our position. And it's a huge stress in the system, in the budget cap and things like that.

“Until we don't have one second and a half or two second improvement, it's better not to press the button in production because we waste money.”