The Silverstone-based team last week announced a new long-term deal with Alonso which will take their partnership into the new era of F1 rules from 2026.
But although contract negotiations were straightforward between the two parties once they began, team principal Mike Krack revealed some private concerns that F1’s ever-expanding schedule and demands would have could have been a factor in Alonso’s choice not to stay in the race.
Asked in China if he was always convinced that Alonso might want to stay in F1, Krack replied: “No, I wasn’t convinced.
“Fernando was very clear when he arrived that the schedule and travel consume a lot of energy, especially if you want to do things the way he does them.
“There is no 99%. And that’s why, with the calendar the way it is, it takes everything away from you. And I think he said it many times: that there is no life. Either you are there 100% or not.
“So when you see how he works, when he’s there [in the garage], how he interacts, you see that there is only 100% for him. And you also understand that when he says there is no life around it, it’s true.
“So, given that I had some concerns that he would say: ‘no, I want to do something else in life’, I was very happy to see that he loves F1 more than life private.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Speculation has linked Alonso with drivers at Red Bull and Mercedes in recent months, but Krack said there had been no indication internally that the two-time world champion would do anything other than what he had promised: that If he decided to stay in F1, his priority would be Aston Martin.
“Fernando is a man of his word,” Krack said. “He told us that what he communicated on the outside was the same as what he communicated on the inside.
“He said: ‘I need to discuss it with myself first and I need to decide if I want to continue. Then, if I want to continue, I want to chat with Aston Martin first.
“That’s what happened. And we’re very happy that it ended like that.
Because uncertainty in the driver market for 2025 meant many moves wouldn’t wait, Krack said he and Alonso agreed on an early deadline to make a call.
“We had always given ourselves a date by which we wanted to make a decision,” he said.
“There was an agreement that we reached quite early on. And it was really nice to see that everyone stuck to what he was saying. So everything worked out the way we thought it would. »
Walking decision imminent
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
With Alonso’s contract in place, Krack said he expected efforts to now intensify to finalize a new deal with teammate Lance Stroll.
“Last week it was mainly about Fernando, but we also know that Aston Martin is Lance’s home,” added Krack.
“We know that and the whole project has always been around him. So we are looking for continuity. I always said it was very important, so we’ll see in the next few weeks.
The Silverstone-based team last week announced a new long-term deal with Alonso which will take their partnership into the new era of F1 rules from 2026.
But although contract negotiations were straightforward between the two parties once they began, team principal Mike Krack revealed some private concerns that F1’s ever-expanding schedule and demands would have could have been a factor in Alonso’s choice not to stay in the race.
Asked in China if he was always convinced that Alonso might want to stay in F1, Krack replied: “No, I wasn’t convinced.
“Fernando was very clear when he arrived that the schedule and travel consume a lot of energy, especially if you want to do things the way he does them.
“There is no 99%. And that’s why, with the calendar the way it is, it takes everything away from you. And I think he said it many times: that there is no life. Either you are there 100% or not.
“So when you see how he works, when he’s there [in the garage], how he interacts, you see that there is only 100% for him. And you also understand that when he says there is no life around it, it’s true.
“So, given that I had some concerns that he would say: ‘no, I want to do something else in life’, I was very happy to see that he loves F1 more than life private.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Speculation has linked Alonso with drivers at Red Bull and Mercedes in recent months, but Krack said there had been no indication internally that the two-time world champion would do anything other than what he had promised: that If he decided to stay in F1, his priority would be Aston Martin.
“Fernando is a man of his word,” Krack said. “He told us that what he communicated on the outside was the same as what he communicated on the inside.
“He said: ‘I need to discuss it with myself first and I need to decide if I want to continue. Then, if I want to continue, I want to chat with Aston Martin first.
“That’s what happened. And we’re very happy that it ended like that.
Because uncertainty in the driver market for 2025 meant many moves wouldn’t wait, Krack said he and Alonso agreed on an early deadline to make a call.
“We had always given ourselves a date by which we wanted to make a decision,” he said.
“There was an agreement that we reached quite early on. And it was really nice to see that everyone stuck to what he was saying. So everything worked out the way we thought it would. »
Walking decision imminent
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
With Alonso’s contract in place, Krack said he expected efforts to now intensify to finalize a new deal with teammate Lance Stroll.
“Last week it was mainly about Fernando, but we also know that Aston Martin is Lance’s home,” added Krack.
“We know that and the whole project has always been around him. So we are looking for continuity. I always said it was very important, so we’ll see in the next few weeks.