Fernando Alonso Diaz—the ex-Formula 1 World Champion—returned to the F1 racetracks with Alpine back in 2021, following a two-year gap from the sport. After a two-year spell with Alpine, Alonso signed for Aston Martin on a two-year deal—which is set to expire this season.
With his Aston Martin contract running out at this season’s end, Fernando Alonso revealed his personal insights on his next possible step in Formula 1.
Fernando Alonso speaks on his Formula 1 future
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Fernando Alonso—who has been touted as Mercedes’ ideal candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025—took the lids off his own thoughts into the matter, when questioned on his rumored move to the Silver Arrows.
When asked about the possibility of driving for Mercedes in 2025, Fernando Alonso instead dropped a retirement hint, by stating, “Well, first of all, I need to decide if I want to keep racing, that will be the first thing that I need to decide in a few weeks or a few races.”
Reflecting on the current 24-race calendar, he added, “I feel great now, but I know it’s a demanding calendar and in 2026 there are a different set of regulations as well, which maybe are tempting or maybe not, I don’t know.”
“But this year, as I said in the car launch, I will wait a few races to decide,” he said, bringing back his words from the Aston Martin AMR24’s launch.
Emphasizing on the ‘over-the-limit’ race calendar, he added futher, “I think we are well over the limit.”
“I started and we had 16 races, then it was it was 18 at some point and then I think when Liberty [Media, F1 owners] came, you have a message that we had 20 one season and that was absolutely the limit, 20 races, and now we are up to 24.”
“This is not sustainable for the future, I think, for anyone,” he concluded.
At an earlier date, Fernando Alonso revealed that renewing with Aston Martin would be his first priority, and expressed his interest in the 2025 Mercedes seat, after the Silver Arrows ‘strategically’ bids adieu to Hamilton.
Fernando Alonso outlines Mercedes’ 2024 Lewis Hamilton strategy
In another interview, Fernando Alonso opened up on what Lewis Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes will be like, by comparing it with his own last season at Renault in 2006.
Drawing comparison with his last season with Renault, he revealed that based on his own experiences, Mercedes might conceal certain information from Lewis Hamilton, due to his ‘dream switch’ move to Ferrari in 2025.
Expanding on his words, Alonso said, “Mercedes will not provide full transparency to Hamilton during the 2024 F1 season.”
From what SportsZion understands, Alonso’s view on Mercedes’ ‘strategic’ treatment of Hamilton this season really makes sense from lots of perspectives. Despite this, Fernando Alonso has to be aware of the Briton, as he will be aiming to end his Mercedes tenure on a high note.
Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will both be driving their ‘green-shaded’ F1 cars between 29th February to 2nd March at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Is Fernando Alonso lying about his retirement plans after Formula 1’s 2024 season? Is he right about Mercedes hiding things from Hamilton in his last season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
