Aston Martin will do all to retain Fernando Alonso beyond 2024 F1 season if the Spaniard wishes to compete in the sport.
Amid the chatter around Max Verstappen now about his F1 future, the news around Alonso has been persistent since Lewis Hamilton announced his switch to Ferrari. The Spaniard is without a contract for 2025 after his contract ends with Aston Martin in 2024.
The key puzzle is Alonso’s own mindset if he wishes to continue on in F1 or not. That is what he has been saying even from pre-season. Despite various links to Mercedes and even Red Bull, the Spaniard is sticking to his words about a decision.
Even if he decides to commit to F1, Alonso has noted that Aston Martin will be first priority. “I don’t have any contract at the moment,” he said to media. “So it’s better to be on those lists than other serious lists or being retired. I will make the decision to commit for the future in the next few weeks or few races.
“First of all, I need to speak with myself, I need to make a decision. I need to see if I want to keep racing. I will be an egoist if I’m just thinking of renewing a contract to be a Formula 1 driver, travel around the world and feel cool. I’m not that type of person. if I commit, it’s because I truly believe that there is a possibility of winning races.
“I want to be in the simulator, I want to be with engineers, I want to ask 100 per cent to the organisation that I know for sure I will give 100 per cent. If not, I will not commit. I don’t know for how long, I don’t know with whom, so there are many question marks. But this is a second stage. The first stage of the future, it has to be with my own personal decision,” summed up Alonso.
On the part of Aston Martin, they know what the Spaniard thinks and they are waiting for Alonso to make up his mind. Team boss Mike Krack notes that once he gives a signal, then the F1 team will do everything to keep him for 2025 and beyond.
“It’s not a secret that he first of all wants to decide for himself what he wants to do,” said Krack. “And I think it’s also not a secret that I keep saying that we want to continue working with Fernando. And I also said that the most important thing is that we give him a quick car.
“When he runs, he wants to be at the front. And the commitment that you need for that, I think he’s very aware of it. So he needs to make up his mind first if he wants to stay. And then if that’s the case, we will push or we give everything that he stays with us,” summed up Krack.
Here’s Aston Martin on Fernando Alonso’s radio call
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