Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has secured his future in Formula One, confirming a contract extension with Aston Martin that will see him competing beyond his 46th birthday. The agreement guarantees the Spanish driver’s place in an unchanged lineup for 2027, where he will once again partner with Lance Stroll. According to fernando Alonso, Extending his Aston Martin contract followed a five-minute conversation with team owner Lawrence Stroll, a deal that will see the two-time world champion continue racing past the age of 46. The Spaniard also credited his two-year Formula One sabbatical between 2019 and 2021 as crucial to his longevity.
The veteran driver revealed that the deal was finalized following a surprisingly short discussion with team owner Lawrence Stroll. “Sitting with Lawrence was very straightforward, we didn’t have much to discuss,” Alonso told reporters on Thursday. “We both wanted to continue at that point and it was a five-minute talk.”
Alonso, who turned 45 this past July, remains the oldest active driver on the grid. Since his debut in 2001, he has participated in a record 440 races and claimed world championship titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Despite the swift nature of his contract renewal, he acknowledged there are no guarantees that the upcoming 2027 season will offer more competitive success. The lightning-quick negotiation stands in stark contrast to the soul-searching that led Alonso to his decision as he admitted he has “no guarantees that 2027 will be more fun. However, Alonso remains driven by an unshakeable inner conviction as he admitted he could not stay away from the sport.
Currently, the Silverstone-based team is enduring a difficult campaign, holding 10th place out of 11 constructors. Across 15 rounds, the team has managed to score only three points, all of which were earned by Alonso. Despite the uncompetitive state of the car and the Honda power unit, Alonso maintains that his personal motivation remains high. Always as a big curiosity, i had to experience different Formulas and different series and different things that I had in my mind. Discover new forms of motorsport, learn from the specialists on each of those series and become a more complete driver, it was great fun to experience all of that. Different rules, my strength has been to adapt to different cars. The V8, the V6, Bridgestone (tyres), Michelin, Pirelli, KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), hybrid systems, ground effect… all these kinds of things plus different series, prototypes, Indy (Racing), the V10 (engines).
Reflecting on his drive to continue, Alonso noted that he cannot simply watch from the sidelines. “At the end of the day, I feel fast, I feel motivated, I feel that I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” he explained. “If I’m 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.”
