Fernando Alonso eyes the high road: 2026 could be his last lap in F1
Fernando Alonso doesn’t talk like a man searching for a farewell tour. He talks like a racer who still enjoys the fight—and wants to choose the moment he puts the gloves down. In Singapore, the Aston Martin driver floated the idea that 2026, the first year of F1’s next rules era, could be his final season if it goes the way he hopes.
The twist? He’d rather sign off after a strong year than hang around to fix a bad one.
“It was an interview about what I’ll do in 2026, and I don’t have a crystal ball,” Alonso said. “If I have a car that I have fun with and get some results, maybe… I’ll always discuss it with Lawrence and the team. The team will be first, myself second. I don’t need to race now to prove anything.”
That line lands differently when you remember his current form. Alonso insists he’s driving better than ever—sharper, more rounded, less wasteful. He points to the last two seasons, where Aston Martin’s headline results didn’t always match what he felt was possible underneath. The nuance is familiar to anyone who’s watched the two-time champion stalk the midfield on days he had no business finishing where he did.
“Drivers get better with time,” Alonso said, matter-of-fact. “You’ve seen different scenarios, you learn, you know different techniques. The problem with age is motivation—training every day, going to the factory, performing at your best. That moment hasn’t arrived for me.”
Aston Martin CEO and team principal Andy Cowell understands the sentiment—and the stakes. If Alonso wants to leave on a high, Cowell wants to make sure “high” is on the table.
“We all want to finish on a high,” he said during the team principals’ press conference. “He’d like to finish his driving career winning races, doing well in races. He’s a huge part of the team—him and Lance this year and into next year—guiding what’s important for the ’26 car, the DiL simulator work, car configuration. Last race for Fernando, top step of the podium—that’s what we all dream of.”
That’s the dream. The reality is messier, and Alonso hasn’t lost his healthy skepticism about big regulation resets solving everything. The 2026 rules, with their power unit overhaul and car concept changes, are being sold as a chance to rebalance the equation toward the driver. Alonso’s heard it all before.
“In Formula 1, you have to sell the product for next year,” he said. “I remember when traction control was banned—it would reward drivers who could control the throttle. Then you had the blowing exhaust and 100 points more downforce, and Red Bull did one-two every race. If the car is half a second faster, nothing can overcome that deficit.”
He’s still excited to explore what the new rules give the driver, he said, but expects plenty of constraints—automatic deployment strategies, FIA-dictated parameters, not quite the wide-open sandbox some imagine. The subtext: don’t count on 2026 to magically level a field that’s always been defined by who nails the concept first.
Between now and then, Alonso’s focus sounds pragmatic. He talks about helping shape the ’26 project, enjoying the craft, taking it day by day next year. And yes, choosing his exit—if it comes—on his terms. It’s a racer’s logic: there’s dignity in walking out at the peak of your powers. There’s also the allure of seeing whether one last rule change deals you a winning hand.
Aston Martin, for their part, would love Alonso to stick around as long as he’s this version of himself: brutally consistent, deeply involved, and relentlessly demanding. But if the 2026 car is a weapon and he’s standing on the top step, don’t be surprised if he chooses the cinematic cut to black rather than the long fade.
Pick your ending: the champion who stays to grind when the car isn’t there, or the champion who bows out on a high after helping build something quick. Alonso’s made peace with both possibilities. The rest is up to what Aston Martin can put under him—and what the next chapter of F1 really offers the driver behind the wheel.
