Alonso has put pen to paper on a multi-year deal with Aston Martin after considering his future options, a deal which will include driving in F1 for at least the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Depending on whether Alonso wishes to continue, this deal with F1 could be extended or converted to a non-driving role with the brand in what the Spaniard called a “lifetime project”.
Alonso will turn 45 during the 2026 season and while the two-time world champion sees no signs of slowing down anytime soon, he says he will be honest if he feels he is losing some of his drive.
“It’s true, I’ll be 45 or older and I’ll still be racing,” he said. “If one day I feel like I’m not motivated, I’m not fit or I’m not fast… I think I have a very honest relationship with Aston.
“I’ll be the first one to raise my hand and say, ‘You know, maybe I lost here or there,’ and we’ll find solutions.
“But I don’t see that happening in the next few years. Like I said in Japan, one of my best races ever was probably only five days ago, so I feel good .I don’t see any problem there.”
“And Lewis turns 40 next year in January, so at least I won’t be the only 40-and-over guy you’ll be talking to. [about]!”
Alonso, who said withdrawing from racing in general was never an option, explained that he used the hectic start to the season to question whether or not he wanted to continue his full commitment to the relentless schedule of F1 with 24 races and off-track activities.
After the Australian Grand Prix, he made the decision to request an extension at Aston Martin as he felt his love for F1 outweighed his distrust of the series’ demanding lifestyle.
“Obviously Formula 1 takes up all your time or all your energy, you pretty much have to give up everything in life to keep racing,” he explained.
“I needed a few races or a few weeks to really think for myself if I was ready to commit for several years.
“It wasn’t a racing factor, it was more the travel, to be honest. Looking at that schedule, I was a little worried it would be heavy on me.
“There are all the pre-season commitments with all the photoshoots, the videos, the car launch. All that kind of stuff is quite demanding for the drivers, and for me in particular in this part of my career.
“So I said, let me get through this tough time at the beginning of the year and this tough time of travel and time zones and big planes and that kind of thing.
He concluded: “I felt that I love driving too much, that I can’t stop at the moment. And I think that the sacrifices you have to make are smaller than the joy of driving and the passion that I have to drive.
“I breathe Formula 1, I live Formula 1, I train to be fit to drive Formula 1 cars, I eat to be fit to drive Formula 1 cars.
“And it didn’t come to the moment where I felt like I needed to change my lifestyle. My lifestyle is great.
“I love what I do, so I won’t be happy to sit at home and watch the Formula 1 races because at the moment I still feel like I should be there.”
