Fernando Alonso’s contract extension with Aston Martin was announced last week. The Spanish driver commented on the decision at the FIA press conference in Shanghai.
Fernando Alonso: “It’s always difficult to make decisions, especially considering this is probably my last contract. I wanted to make sure I made the right decision, that I had the strength and motivation to compete in Formula 1 for several more years. I wanted to make sure that the team had the right goals in the coming years, that they had ambitions and wanted to keep getting better.
I am happy with this decision and proud to continue representing Aston Martin for years to come. We started working together last year and we are doing everything right. Let’s see what we can do.
The transition to the new regulations in 2026 will be a great opportunity for everyone. We will be the only team with Honda engines, so the situation will be different than now when we receive customer engines from Mercedes. I hope that this will allow us to make some improvements in this area.
I hope that through the collaboration with Aramco and their synthetic fuels we will also have additional opportunities. Moreover, the team itself is only getting better. We have a new base; a new wind tunnel will be put into use this summer. We have many ingredients to be a strong team in the future and I want to be part of that.”
When asked when the decision was made to extend the contract, Fernando said: “We met with the team after the race in Japan and reached an agreement within one or two days. And as soon as we signed the papers, we immediately made a statement. Everything turned out to be simpler than it seems from the outside.
There were a lot of rumors about different teams and different drivers, about some deadlines. The team and I are loyal to each other, so as soon as we signed the contract, we announced it immediately. In this respect it was easier for us than probably for some.”
When asked how far he was in negotiations with other teams before extending his contract with Aston Martin, Alonso said: “I don’t see the point in talking about it because I signed a contract with Aston Martin and I am willing to talk about that. .
It is a very normal situation that everyone communicates with everyone periodically, but in my case these were informal conversations.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
