Fernando Alonso has once again raised doubts about his stay in Formula 1 after the end of the 2026 season. Amid Aston Martin’s difficult start this season, the Spaniard said he is evaluating what really makes him happy at this stage of his career.
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The two-time world champion is going through a difficult moment with the British team, which suffers from lack of competitiveness and reliability problems in the early stages of the championship. The scenario has increased speculation about a possible retirement at the end of the season, especially given the driver’s recent history in other motorsport categories.
Alonso acknowledged that he knows well the alternatives outside Formula 1 and highlighted that some experiences can even offer more interesting battles. The Spaniard recalled his participation in Indy in 2017 and said he has long noticed the appeal of other competitions: “It helps, I know what exists outside F1,” Alonso told the press. “The kind of racing you have is probably even better than in F1.”
The Aston Martin driver said that currently some competitors are also starting to find more fun in other categories, something he himself identified about ten years ago: “That’s why some drivers now are finding more fun outside F1. I discovered that ten years ago when I went to Indy, in 2017, I did a race and that kind of thing,” he said.
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Despite this, Alonso emphasized that no other category can reproduce the complete environment that Formula 1 provides to drivers. According to him, it is not just about driving, but about the whole context that involves the world’s premier motorsport category.
“But there are moments in your life and career when you need F1, because besides the driving and the adrenaline of F1, there is the whole package. You have the tension, the sponsors, and different factors that make the balance tip more towards F1,” he added.
Even without confirming what his next step will be, Alonso made it clear that the decision about the future will be based on personal satisfaction: “Now, at this moment in my life, I can choose what makes me happiest,” concluded the Spaniard, who remains undecided whether he will continue in Formula 1 beyond his current contract with Aston Martin.
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