Fernando Alonso discloses true motivation behind Aston Martin F1 stay

Fernando Alonso has explained that watching Formula 1 races on the sofa at home knowing he could do better is the real motivation for him to stay in 2027. 

Two-time world champion Alonso has committed to at least one more year racing in F1 with Aston Martin after spending most of the current campaign weighing up his future. 

The 45-year-old Spaniard said his mind was made up during a five-minute conversation with Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll. 

"I took the decision quite recently, and sitting with Lawrence was very straightforward,” Alonso explained. "We didn't have much to discuss. We both wanted to continue at that point. It was a five-minute talk and then we announced it.”

Despite his outspoken criticism of the new engines introduced in 2026, Alonso insisted he still has a burning competitive desire to succeed in F1. 

"I have no guarantees that '27 will be more fun, but it is a commitment that you have to make with yourself," Alonso said. "At the end of the day, I feel fast, I feel motivated, I feel that I am enjoying what I am doing.

“And if I am sitting at home watching TV, watching races, I will feel that I can do better than them. That's what I felt in a way when I was away from F1, I was watching races and I was thinking, 'wow, that start was not right,' I don't know. I was always feeling the fire inside of being there and trying to do better.

"And I still feel it now and I said, until I have that inside, I think it's not time to stop.”

Alongside Max Verstappen, Alonso has been one the loudest voices opposing the 2026 regulations, famously dubbing the new era of F1 the “battery world championship”. 

But Alonso is hoping that a two-step process to reduce the current electrical power contribution to get to a 60-40 engine split by 2028 will improve his enjoyment of F1.  

"The decision was more about the rules, how enjoyable it is to drive these cars and these rules. We come to an incredible circuit now, it's going to be sad, the middle sector, because we cannot use the battery there,” he said ahead of F1’s return to Malaysia this weekend. 

"If not, you don't have energy for the three consecutive straights, from [Turn] 15 to the last corner, last corner to Turn 1 to Turn 3. You have to use the full 100% battery on those three straights. So the rest is just charging the battery. So that's the problems we are facing now in terms of bringing the cars to the limit on the grip.

"I decided that maybe next year with the 60-40 and with the second year and the rules, maybe there is a better compromise on that. And as I said, let's do it one more time, let's give another opportunity, especially on the power unit side. We started with the wrong foot and it is a question mark what is going to happen next year.

"But I think they deserve another opportunity and I feel blessed."